Many people get stressed out on the road, especially when they are in a hurry. The work commute is a time when stress and aggravation levels are particularly high for drivers. Not only is this when stop-and-go traffic is most common, but it’s often also the time when drivers are either running late to work or especially anxious to get home from work after a long day.
To some extent, commutes are stressful by their very nature. Problems arise, however, when drivers start to let their stress affect their driving. Some overly stressed drivers can even let their aggression escalate and engage in road rage behaviors. All of this can be extremely dangerous for others on the road, and it’s a major cause of serious crashes and injuries.
Aggressive or stressed driving can increase the risk of accidents and collisions.
Glendale ranks as one of the nation’s top cities for stressful commutes
Researchers recently ranked the nation’s most stressful commutes by examining a number of variables and factors, including:
- Average travel time for a one-way commute
- Average days per year with precipitation
- The relative chances of getting into an accident during a commute
- The percentage of drivers in the city who drive to work
- The different times at which drivers leave and are on the road
Surprisingly, some of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas actually ranked much lower than you might have expected. The top-10 did not include Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, Dallas, or Philadelphia. In fact, the large majority of overly stressed drivers were in cities of less than one million people:
- Detroit, MI
- Miramar, FL
- Paterson, NJ
- Fremont, CA
- Bellevue, WA
- Pembroke Pines, FL
- Glendale, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- San Jose, CA
- Tacoma, WA
Why are Glendale drivers so stressed during their commutes?
With a population of just over 203,000 people, why are drivers in Glendale stressing out on their way to or from work? Here are the results of the study:
- On average, Glendale residents spent 27.9 minutes on the road traveling one way for their commute.
- It rains an average of 43 days every year here in Glendale.
- Overall, the relative chances of getting into an accident during a commute is 99.4% higher for Glendale residents than for the general U.S. population.
- That statistic is exacerbated by the fact that 85.3% of Glendale residents travel to work by car.
- Of all the cities surveyed, Glendale ranked the worst for the spread of time where drivers are commuting. This means that most drivers are on the road at the same time, making traffic problems far worse and increasing the frequency of accidents.
With 85.3 percent of the workforce spending nearly an hour in the car commuting both ways, it’s easy to understand why drivers are frustrated. However, the real danger exists when drivers allow their frustration to lead to unlawful driving behaviors.
Aggressive driving and road rage
There are many aggressive driving behaviors that you likely see on the roads on a regular basis, especially during your commute. These can include:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Weaving in-and-out of traffic
- Quick acceleration and/or braking
Ultimately, aggressive driving leads to “road rage,” a set of behaviors characterized by aggressive driving that intentionally puts others in danger. Some examples of road rage are as follows:
- Purposely bumping another car
- Cutting off other drivers
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Excessive honking or flashing lights at other drivers
- Obscene gestures
- Yelling threats
- Displaying a weapon
- Following another driver off the road or into a parking lot
Contact our Glendale auto accident lawyers for the help you need
If you encounter an aggressive or road raging driver in Glendale, you should keep your distance and never engage them. If an aggressive driver causes you injuries in an auto accident, you should contact the Glendale car accident attorneys at Blair & Ramirez LLP for help. Call (213) 568-4000 or contact us online for a free no-obligation consultation.