Young men really are the most aggressive drivers, AAA survey says

While this headline may not sound like news, it's always nice to see anecdotes backed up by data. Yep, it turns out old folks are shaking their fists at us for a reason; drivers aged 39 or younger are the most likely to speed and engage in other aggressive and dangerous behaviors, with men being more likely to engage in risky behavior pretty much across the board, with just a couple of exceptions.

The latest survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety asked drivers a number of questions about various aggressive, distracted and impaired driving behaviors. Respondents were asked to report whether they'd engaged in any of them and how dangerous they perceived them to be. They were also asked how likely they believed any related infractions would result in consequences, and whether they believe those behaviors carry positive or negative social stigmas.

When it comes to behaviors considered characteristic of aggressive driving, including speeding (15 over on a highway or 10 over in a residential area), weaving or other risky passing/merging, tailgating and engaging in road-rage-style theatrics, men were universally more likely to have partaken. The only exceptions were red-light running and cutting off other drivers; men led those categories only very slightly, to the point where there's effectively equal blame to be assigned.