Study

Aggressive driving climbs in many cities over holidays, says GasBuddy

Tucson ranks number one for holiday driver aggression; Minneapolis is "nicest"

Dec 9th 2023 at 11:00AM

For drivers living in Tucson, Ariz., it might be safer to walk to the pizzeria on New Year's Eve instead of to drive. Alcohol has nothing to do with it.

On the other hand, residents of Minneapolis should have no qualms about taking the car to pickup a pie.

Those suggestions follow the results of a rather unscientific survey taken by GasBuddy to assess driving habits in the US during the holiday season. It found that drivers “are up to 48 percent more aggressive on the roads” during that time of year.

The study ranked the top 50 U.S. metros from most to least aggressive, placing Tucson at the top of the "naughty list," and Minneapolis as the city with the "nicest" holiday drivers, rising six spots from seventh place in 2022. You can see some of the other most and least aggressive cities in the image at top.

How was the study accomplished? Well, GasBuddy ‘"Drives" is an opt-in, in-app feature that tracks users' trips and provides a fuel efficiency score by recording aggressive driving habits; those “naughty” habits include hard braking, fast acceleration and speeding. The team looked at 8,149,863 of these recorded trips, or "drives," across 50 metropolitan areas from November 23 to the 26, over the Thanksgiving weekend, measuring the number of events of speeding, hard braking and fast acceleration.  The organization averaged the amount of aggressive driving events in each city to reach a total, which was then compared to the national average. 

“Driving during the holiday season can be stressful, but it's important to remember to stay calm and courteous on the road," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Additionally, aggressive driving can negatively impact fuel efficiency, causing drivers to waste money that could be spent on holiday celebrations or gifts for loved ones.” 

We would also add that you should be thoughtful and safe on the roads during the holidays to make sure you get home safely to enjoy them with your loved ones.

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