FOSTER CITY, Calif. – Women drivers curse in front of their children and give fellow motorists the middle-finger more than men, according to a new Insurance.com survey.
But men were twice as likely as women to key someone’s car or turn the high-beams on just to be mean.
Insurance.com commissioned a survey of 1,000 adults asking them about their driving behavior and whether they had any regrets about their rudeness behind the wheel.
Here’s what drivers admit to, with results also broken down by gender:
Honked at someone driving too slowly: 41 percent
(Women: 39 percent. Men: 43 percent.)
Swore in front of the kids while driving: 37 percent
(Women: 44 percent. Men: 30 percent.)
Flipped someone off while driving: 29 percent
(Women: 31 percent. Men: 27 percent.)
Brake-checked a car following too closely: 28 percent
(Women: 30 percent. Men: 27 percent.)
Sped up significantly to prevent someone from passing you: 26 percent
(Women: 25 percent. Men: 28 percent.)
Gone when it wasn’t your turn at a four-way stop: 19 percent
(Women: 18 percent. Men: 20 percent.)
Tailgated someone on purpose because he or she was going too slowly: 18 percent
(Women: 21 percent. Men:16 percent.)
Driven to the front of a merge line, then swerved and cut in: 12 percent
(Women: 11 percent. Men: 13 percent.)
Stolen a parking spot someone else was waiting for: 11 percent
(Women: 9 percent. Men: 13 percent.)
Driven in the breakdown lane around traffic: 10 percent
(Women: 8 percent. Men: 13 percent.)
Sped up to block another car with its signal on: 9 percent
(Women: 8 percent. Men: 10 percent.)
Chased after a car that cut you off so you could glare at/flip off the other driver: 9 percent
(Women: 7 percent. Men: 11 percent.)
Swore in front of elderly in-laws while driving: 9 percent
(Women: 9 percent. Men: 10 percent.)
Dinged someone’s car in a parking lot and driven away: 8 percent
(Women: 8 percent. Men: 8 percent.)
Turned on your brights at an oncoming car just to be mean: 7 percent
(Women: 4 percent. Men: 11 percent.)
Keyed someone’s car: 5 percent
(Women: 3 percent. Men: 7 percent.)
“If you see a driver flipping people off, it’s most likely to be a woman,” said Michelle Megna, managing editor of Insurance.com. “And if she’s swearing, we have a name for her – Mom.”
Swearing and dinging are biggest regrets
One quarter of drivers who admit to boorish driving behavior say they have no regrets. Among those who do, here’s how the regrets stack up:
• Swore in front of the kids while driving: 75 percent
• Dinged someone’s car in a parking lot and driven away: 62 percent
• Keyed someone’s car: 56 percent
• Swore in front of elderly in-laws while driving: 51 percent
• Gone when it wasn’t your turn at a 4-way stop: 51 percent
• Flipped someone off while driving: 47 percent
• Turned on your brights at an oncoming car just to be mean: 46 percent
• Stolen a parking spot someone else was waiting for: 46 percent
• Chased after a car that cut you off so you could glare at them/flip them off: 44 percent
• Driven in the breakdown lane around traffic: 44 percent
• Sped up to block another car with its signal on: 42 percent
• Tailgated someone on purpose because he or she was going too slow: 41 percent
• Driven to the front of a merge line, then swerved and cut in: 36 percent
• Honked at someone driving too slowly: 36 percent
• Sped up significantly to prevent someone from passing you: 36 percent
• Brake-checked a car following too closely: 34 percent
