Most drivers admit to bad behavior

Nearly 8 of every 10 drivers in the United States admit expressing anger, aggression or road rage at least once in the previous year, according to a survey released on Thursday by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

Such behavior included following too closely, yelling at another driver, cutting them off or making angry gestures.

An estimated 8 million drivers engaged in more extreme behavior on roadways that might be considered "road rage", including bumping or ramming a vehicle on purpose or getting out of their cars to confront another driver, the foundation said.

The most aggressive drivers were men ages 19 to 39. Male drivers were three times more likely than females to have gotten out of a car to confront another driver or to have rammed another vehicle on purpose.

"Far too many drivers are losing themselves in the heat of the moment and lashing out in ways that could turn deadly," said Jurek Grabowski, the foundation's research director.

The foundation's findings are based on a nationwide online survey of 2,705 licensed drivers who had driven at least once in the previous 30 days. The survey was conducted in 2014, but its results are just now being released.

Research indicates aggressive driving contributes substantially to fatal crashes and appears to be increasing, the foundation said

Nearly 9 in 10 drivers saw aggressive driving as "a serious threat to their personal safety", the foundation said. And more than half of drivers perceived road rage as a bigger problem than in a survey three years earlier.

The most common behavior, reported by about half of all drivers, was purposely tailgating another vehicle. That translates to about 104 million drivers when spread over the national population of motorists. Nearly half of drivers reported yelling at another driver and honking their horn "to show annoyance or anger". About a third of drivers indicated they had made angry gestures at another driver.

While many types of aggressive behavior didn't vary much by region, gesturing, honking and yelling at other drivers were significantly more prevalent in the northeastern US.