From 1969 to 1990 the number of women licensed to drive increased 84 percent. Between 1970 and 1987, the number of cars on the road more than doubled. Even carpooling is down despite HOV lanes and other preferential devices. The cumulative effect, says University of Hawaii traffic psychology professor Leon James, is a sort of sensory overload. As if the United States couldn't produce enough home-grown lousy drivers, it seems to be importing them as well.
Experts believe that many immigrants come from countries that have bad roads and aggressive styles.
It's not just drivers from Third World countries, though. Of Brits who drive for a living, about 21 percent report having been run off the road. In Australia, one study estimates that about half of all traffic accidents there may be due to road rage. The peak moment for aggressive driving comes not during impenetrable gridlock but just before, when traffic density is high but cars are still moving briskly. Unfortunately, roads are getting more congested just as Americans feel even more pressed for time.