- A new study ranked Wisconsin as the fifth worst state for road rage.
- Many local drivers say they aren’t surprised by that statistic.
- Road rage was worst in Wisconsin in 2020 with 54 deaths.
No matter where you're driving you run the risk of encountering road rage and here in Wisconsin, the risk is greater than many other states. A new study ranked Wisconsin as the fifth worst state for road rage.
So how did our state get placed fifth worst in the country? The study by Simmrin Law Group used the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s motor vehicle crash data focusing on drivers involved in deadly crashes caused by road rage between 2017 and 2021.
I wanted to know what our neighbors thought so I went to an Appleton rest stop and asked drivers if they're surprised to hear this.
Here's what truck driver Eduardo Moreno had to say.
“Yes and no because I mean I'm going off of my experience of driving these big rigs. I mean this is easy enough to drive but you have a 53-foot trailer not a whole lot of people think about you as far as how much space you actually need to move around and do whatever you need to do,” said Moreno.
He said while getting his CDL, he was taught to expect aggressive drivers but that doesn’t make it any easier.
“Whatever the case may be it’s just people tend to do things their own way without considering how it’ll affect other people,” said Moreno.
Appleton residents Bao and Mersadis weren’t surprised about the ranking either.
“No not really,” said Bao and Mersadis.
Being ranked fifth means nearly 5% of drivers involved in deadly crashes were linked to road rage and 2020 was the worst year for these incidents. There were 54 drivers in deadly crashes because of aggressive driving.
All the neighbors I talked to agree on one thing: They wish it happened less.
“Just slow down. Don't do it,” said Bao and Mersadis
“Whenever I have a road rage moment instead of flipping them the bird let’s say I'll say a prayer for them,” said Moreno.
Experts said Colorado is the worst state for road-raged driving then Connecticut, Indiana, Alabama, and then Wisconsin.
