Tesla Owners Seem Most Likely To Be Victims Of Road Rage

In the true spirit of the holidays, those hitting the highways in the coming weeks would be well advised to be of especially good cheer toward Tesla drivers. Why? As it turns out, those piloting either of Elon Musk’s electrified rides are reporting more frequent incidents of road rage directed at them than those behind the wheels of other brands.

According to The Guardian, Tesla owners have been frequently heckled, flipped off, cut off, and even blocked from using public charging stations, as has been documented by the vehicles’ multiple cameras. In fact, there’s a YouTube channel devoted to documenting traffic incidents involving Tesla vehicles, many of which can be ascribed to road rage.

Owners say they seem to be harassed most often by pickup truck drivers harboring anti-electric-car attitudes as part of the country’s ongoing culture wars. Many find they’re treated with far less vitriol when driving their otherwise nondescript internal-combustion-engine cars than when they’re pounding the pavement in their Teslas.

Some Teslaphiles feel they’re being treated rudely on the road due to ill will directed toward the company’s increasingly eccentric CEO. A poll conducted this past July found that 54 percent of those responding viewed Musk negatively. At that, the Guardian reports that as Musk leans ever rightward politically, especially with his recent purchase of and shenanigans with Twitter, staunch liberals are beginning to throw the proverbial stones in his direction.

Those planning to head over the river and through the woods this season in a Tesla should be mindful of the possibility of this sorry state of affairs. Published data suggests that the most common aggressive behavior in this regard is honking a vehicle’s horn to express anger or frustration, followed by changing lanes without signaling, and yelling/cursing at another driver or pedestrian.

A survey compiled by the website GasBuddy.com found that U.S. motorists can expect to encounter the most aggressive drivers in Tucson, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, Nashville, TN, Orlando, FL, and Birmingham, AL. The same survey found that the most courteous charioteers in the nation populate the roads in Portland, OR, Cincinnati, OH, Seattle, WA, Las Vegas, NV, and Rochester, NY.

Experts say the best way to respond when another driver seems to be venting his or her anger in your direction is not to react at all. If another driver cuts you off or is otherwise driving aggressively, slow down and give them room to pass. Do not respond with obscene gestures or equally hostile actions. If you inadvertently cut off another driver, try to apologize by making a suitable hand gesture.

If you feel you’re in danger because of another driver’s actions, use a cell phone to call police or drive to a police station if there’s one within proximity to get law enforcement involved. Never exit your vehicle to confront the other person if you’re at a traffic signal or are otherwise stopped.

As it is, the weather outside looks like it will be frightful for much of the nation in the days ahead, so it’s especially critical to ensure this year’s holiday car trips remain safe, sane, and sober.