Atlanta ranks No. 4 for most aggressive drivers

For anyone who has ever sat in Atlanta’s rush-hour traffic, it’s easy to understand how frustration can set in. The minutes tick by, while cars barely inch along, with no end in sight.

No wonder Atlanta landed in the top five of GasBuddy’s recent study of “Top Cities with the Most Aggressive Drivers.” In fact, Atlanta drivers are 20.26 percent more aggressive than the average U.S. driver. Only Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Sacramento ranked higher than Atlanta.

Overall, Georgia landed in the top five U.S. states with the most aggressive drivers, taking the No. 3 spot in 2018. Statewide, an aggressive driving event occurs every 8.2 minutes while drivers are going an average speed of 44 mph.

According to the study, frustrated drivers on congested roads engage in such aggressive driving habits as speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking. In Atlanta, drivers ranked No. 5 for both hard-braking incidents (11.41 percent) and speeding incidents (46.82 percent); however, it dropped down to No. 13 for rapid acceleration incidents (1.20 percent).

GasBuddy

Not surprisingly, the study found these aggressive actions were more frequent on Friday than any other day of the week, with 14 percent more aggressive driving events occurring on Friday compared to the average across the United States. With 6 percent fewer aggressive driving events, Wednesday is the least aggressive day.

As if dealing with rush-hour traffic wasn’t bad enough, these aggressive actions also are quite costly for drivers. Per the study, speeding, rapid acceleration, and braking can lower gas mileage by as much as 40 percent, which can cost drivers as much as $477 per year in additional fuel consumption.

Unfortunately, given the current state of Atlanta’s infrastructure and transit options, the city and its drivers are likely to retain this high ranking for the foreseeable future.

• These are the cities with the most aggressive drivers [GasBuddy]
• GasBuddy reveals U.S. states with most aggressive drivers [GasBuddy]