In other words, they're everywhere. The question is what took us so long to see it. Part of the difficulty in gauging the problem has been in defining it. Only recently have law-enforcement agencies and insurance companies reached a consensus on what constitutes aggressive driving. That can include drivers who are tailgating, weaving or blinding other drivers with high beams - all mainstays of the modern drive.
Experts use the term to refer to physical assaults stemming from traffic disputes.
No agency can say exactly how bad a problem road rage is. That's about 30 a year. Aggressive driving is far more prevalent - and deadly. About 290,000 people died in traffic crashes of all kinds on American roads from 1990 through 1996. For as much as we love our cars, we hate traffic.