ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Drivers in 10 U.S. cities are more than 30% more aggressive during the holidays compared with the rest of the year, according to GasBuddy, which examined over 2.6 million drives from its opt-in app feature during this year’s Thanksgiving holiday defined as Nov. 23-26, 2021.
The study looked at which cities had the highest frequency of aggressive driving habits like rapid acceleration, hard braking and speeding.
The top cities are:
- Tucson, Ariz.
- Jacksonville, Fla.
- Oklahoma City, Okl.
- Richmond, Va.
- Orlando, Fla.
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Raleigh, N.C.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Detroit, Mich.
- St. Louis, Mo.
The most frequent risky driving behaviors during the holidays are hard braking (1), speeding (2) and rapid acceleration (3).
“With the holiday season upon us and with the highest gas prices seasonally in over a half decade, we’re seeing a lot of frustration on the road as traffic soars as the nation recovers from COVID, and stresses are manifesting in aggressive behavior behind the wheel,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Aggressive driving isn’t just unsafe, it costs Americans billions of dollars per year. Practicing better habits on the road and paying attention to fuel efficiency can improve drivers’ gas mileage up to 25%, driving down their fuel expenses.”
Drivers are paying the highest holiday gas prices in seven years. The national average price of gas is $3.34/gal, over $1 more than last year, according to GasBuddy.