We know it’s a couple of months away, but set yourself a calendar reminder:
Stay off the road at 6 p.m. on Fridays in August.
That’s when the number of road rage incidents in America goes through our sun-baked, stuck-in-traffic SUV roofs.
At least that’s the conclusion of the folks at the Auto Insurance Center, who scoured through some 65,000 Instagram posts hashtagged #RoadRage and crunched some numbers.
August was the worst, followed by July.
Now, granted, an analysis of Insta posts hardly a scientific study makes. (You’d want to take into account other factors). But still, it’s a pretty interesting snapshot.
For instance, it’s no surprise that when temperatures rise, tempers flare — especially when you’re trying to get home to get your drink on and you’re having to dodge all those vacationers and their campers cramping your commute.
As far as a specific city goes, Los Angeles rages the worst. No surprise there: People practically live in their cars in the city of (traffic) lights. New York is second, and coming in at No. 3: Mt. Pleasant, North Carolina. Talk about a misnomer!
But what really threw us for a loop is another finding in the study — the state where motorists are most aggravated: Hawaii.
Yes, Hawaii. The peaceful paradise, the vacation dream spot, the idyllic honeymoon destination.
The center logged 5,872 posts per 100,000 drivers in Hawaii. That’s even more than California.
What gives?
For one thing, Hawaii consistently ranks among the most traffic-congested states. And while Hawaiians are a pretty leid-back lot, but they do not like to be crossed.
“I don’t like people cutting in front of me,” resident Koel Maruame told our affiliate KHON. “To be honest, I’m one of them!”