Expedia 2014 Road Rage Report: Americans Rank "Texters" Ahead of "Tailgaters" on List of Most Infuriating Driver Behaviors

BELLEVUE, Wash., May 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Expedia.com®, the world's largest full service online travel site*, released the results of the 2014 Road Rage Report, conducted on Expedia's behalf by Northstar. Northstar surveyed 1,001 adult Americans to identify the behaviors that are likeliest to elicit road rage, from texting to swerving to speeding and beyond.

This Memorial Day weekend more than 30 million Americans are likely to take to the roads, putting a premium on courteous and respectful driving behavior.

On the whole, distraction is the most infuriating feature of the American driver. People who text while driving incur the most anger. 69% of Americans rate "The Texter" as the most aggravating driving behavior, followed by "The Tailgater" (60%), "The Multi-tasker" (54%), "The Drifter" (43%) and "The Crawler" (39%). Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (69%) report having been "flipped off" by a fellow motorist, while only 17% have admitted to doing so themselves.

"As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day sees a huge spike in the number of drivers on the road," said John Morrey, Vice President and General Manager, Expedia.com. "Expedia rents millions of cars to Americans, so we set out to learn what behaviors on the open road are most welcome, and what behaviors most aggravating. The rule, as with airplanes and hotels, is that shared spaces demand decorum and attentiveness."

The full list of driving behaviors ranked as "most annoying or offensive" includes (percentage identifies behaviors ranked in the top five):

A full analysis of Expedia's 2014 Road Rage Report can be found at http://viewfinder.expedia.com/.

Additional Findings

• Despite the fact that Americans identify texting as the most offensive driving violator, 55% of Americans do admit to using their mobile phone at least some of the time while driving. In addition, 70% of Americans also admit to having been guilty of aggressive driving behavior, including speeding (58%), tailgating (28%) and yelling and/or swearing at fellow drivers (28%). Men are only slightly more likely to admit to aggressive driving than women (74% to 67%).
     
• The rudest drivers are found in the largest cities. 33% of Americans name New York City as home to the least courteous/most rage-inducing drivers. 71% of Americans put New York among the top five rudest driving cities. Los Angeles (22%) ranked second, while Atlanta (9%) came in third. Only 5% of Americans believe Boston features the country's rudest drivers, but 27% of Americans place Boston in the top five.
      
• American drivers do regularly demonstrate courtesy and helpfulness. 55% of American drivers report that they have stopped to help a fellow motorist – one they did not know – in distress. That behavior grows likelier with age: 42% of Americans aged 18-34 report having done so, versus 59% of those aged 35-54, and 64% of those 55 and older.
      
• Gas Price Pessimism vs. Open Road Optimism
  Americans are generally pessimistic as it relates to gas prices. 96% of Americans believe gas prices will rise this summer. Even so, 56% of Americans define a road trip as an "ideal" way to spend a vacation. 30% of Americans have taken an overnight road trip in the past 12 months. More than a third of Americans (36%) have rented a car in the past 12 months, with most of them (70%) renting for leisure.  
      
• The Expedia 2014 Road Rage Report found that 61% of Americans claim to treat their rental cars better than they treat their own cars. 19% claim to treat rentals worse. And 92% of Americans say they "always" refill the gas tank before returning a rental.
      
  Price is the most important feature in a rental car, with 62% ranking it as most important. Size is the second most important feature, followed by rental type (convertible, SUV, sedan or other), style (standard versus premium/luxury) and brand. 42% of Americans claim that they "always" rent the same type of car. When Americans invest in rental car upgrades, they are likelier to do so when they are renting a car for business (52%) than for leisure (42%).
      
• Mobile apps have replaced printed maps. The Road Rage Report revealed that mobile phone maps – Google / Apple maps among them – are the most popular source of driving directions, with 40% of Americans using them regularly. 35% of Americans rely on dashboard GPS systems, while 22% still use printed maps.
      
  Among the 76% of Americans who own and regularly use an app-enabled mobile device, more than 4 in 10 (42%) have downloaded an app specifically to use while in the car. Among road-trip-related apps, Americans place the most value on maps (63%), traffic notification (47%) and weather alert / driving conditions (44%). Mobile devices are also popular for accommodations, with 23% of U.S. drivers using their mobile device to search for a hotel.
      
  The Expedia 2014 Road Rage Report also found that:
      
  • 62% of Americans believe 16 is too young to drive
  • 17% of U.S. drivers have driven in a foreign country on the opposite side of the road
    • 66% would do so while 34% would not
  • 91% of American men and 57% of American women claim to know how to change a tire
  • 85% of American drivers are "always pleasantly surprised" to receive a wave of thanks from a fellow driver
  • The two most popular reasons to honk at a fellow motorist are "if a driver starts to drift into my lane or is about to cut in front of me" (78%) and "when another driver cuts me off" (52%)
  • 62% of Americans prefer "the scenic route" to the fastest route when driving on vacation
  • "Spouse/partner" is the favored road trip companion for 68% of Americans, followed by best friend (31%), children (29%) and dog (14%)
  • "Chips" are the top road trip snack for 36% of Americans, followed by:
    • "Fast food" (31%)
    • "Nuts or dried fruit" (31%)
    • "Candy" (29%)
    • "Beef jerky / pepperoni sticks" (25%)
  • The Pacific Coast Highway is the preferred scenic route for 41% of American road trippers, followed by:
    • Route 66 (33% listed in the top 3)
    • Overseas Highway / Florida Keys (28%)
    • Hawaii Belt (27%)
    • Blue Ridge Parkway (26%)
  • Classic rock is the preferred road trip music for 40% of Americans, followed by:
    • Country (28%)
    • Golden Oldies (25%)
    • Top Hits (24%)
    • Pop (23%)
    • Easy Listening (22%)
    • Hip Hop (15%)
    • Heavy Metal (10%)

About The Study
This study was conducted on behalf of Expedia by Northstar, a globally integrated strategic insights consulting firm, among 1001 adult Americans who hold a valid U.S. driver's license. Surveys were completed between April 29 and May 5, 2014. Sampling quotas were imposed to ensure the sample is representative of the US population in terms of age, gender and region. Assuming a probability sample, the margin of error would be +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About Expedia.com
Expedia.com is the world's largest full service travel site*, helping millions of travelers per month easily plan and book travel. Expedia.com (http://www.expedia.com/, 1-800-EXPEDIA) aims to provide the latest technology and the widest selection of top vacation destinations, cheap tickets, hotel deals, car rentals, destination weddings, cruise deals and in-destination activities, attractions, services and travel apps. With the Expedia Best Price Guarantee, Expedia.com customers can get the best rates available online for all types of travel.

Expedia, Expedia.com, Expedia Rewards, Find Yours and the Airplane logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners © 2014 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50

*Based on a comparison of other full-service online travel agencies, defined as those providing booking and services related to air, hotel, cruise, car and activities to a global customer base. Data based on comScore Media Metrix for Expedia, Inc. Sites, Worldwide, Average Monthly Unique Visitors, Oct '12-Sept '13.

About Northstar
NORTHSTAR is a strategic marketing insights and consulting firm that aligns leading edge, customized research techniques and cultural context with proprietary and proven strategic marketing frameworks and models to drive insights to impact. Northstar's suite of services relate to the most critical elements of brand, customer and marketing strategy, with sector expertise in travel and tourism, retail, automotive, CPG, food & beverage, financial services, pharma / health care, transportation and fashion / luxury.  For more information, please go to www.northstarhub.com.

Web site: http://www.expedia.com/

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SOURCE Expedia.com