Study Reveals Which Generation Has the Worst Road Rage

A recent study by dashcam service Nextbase determined which generations suffer the most from road rage. Five generations were profiled: Gen Z (ages 16 to 28); millennials (29 to 43); Gen X (48 to 58); baby boomers (60 to 69); and the silent generation (77 and above). Members of each generation were asked about their experience on the receiving end of aggressive driving behavior to formulate their results.

Millennials were found to be the primary instigators. Over a quarter (27.4 percent) of respondents reported being victimized by an aggressive mill. The most frequent methods of harassment employed by the generation, according to witnesses, were physical gestures and tailgating. 48 percent of respondents reported seeing millennials engage in those behaviors.

Generation X was found to be the second biggest road aggressor, with 19.7 percent of participants reporting they've been victimized on the road by that generation. Much like millennials, Gen X seems to be a big fan of tailgating, with 33.3 percent of respondents witnessing this action. The second most frequent offense from Gen X was aggressive speeding, with 22.2 percent of participants experiencing this.

The study also held bad news for younger drivers, with nearly one in five Gen Zers (18.6 percent) identified as the aggressor in road rage incidents. Much like mills and Gen X, Gen Z loves to tailgate. Nearly half (47 percent) of participants reported this behavior. Speeding was the generation's next preferred method of harassment, experienced by 29.4 percent of study participants.

Of all generations, baby boomers and the silent generation are the least likely to indulge in road rage. Only 8.7 percent of respondents reported having seen baby boomers behave aggressively, while only one percent claimed witnessing those actions from the silent generation. The study notes that is a whopping 67.7 percent less than the number of drivers who experienced road rage from millennials.

You can find Nextbase’s complete ranking of generations with the worst road rage below.