The study analyzed driving habits and aggressive driving deaths in metro areas throughout the country. According to the report, the New York metro region has one of the lowest aggressive driving fatality rates in the country (second only to the Boston metro area.) The lower fatality rates for New York and Boston were credited largely to their transportation advantages over the sprawling, freeway-dominated Sunbelt cities where the rates are highest. New Yorkers typically travel shorter distances, are forced to drive at lower speeds and have options such as mass transit.

But because the report studied "metro areas," outlying suburban areas reaped the statistical benefits of transit-rich inner cities. The slow driving speeds and easy access to transit that New York City offers no doubt brought up the average for the entire NY-NJ region, making many sprawling, automobile-dominated areas in the states of NJ and NY look much better.

The study accurately identified solutions to the road rage problem, including: increasing and expanding transit services, building communities that do not depend solely on automobile travel, and implementing traffic calming measures by designing roads that help reduce vehicle speed and are bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Automobile speed is a major factor in aggressive driving deaths, another reason the NY region fared well - severe traffic congestion keeps speeds down.

Numerous studies document the stress inherent in driving, especially in sprawling environments. One study found that people commuting by car exhibited much higher levels of stress than those traveling by transit when commute times were equal. Many already recognize this: in a nationwide survey of transit users, 59 percent said they take the bus or train in order to avoid stress.

To view the Aggressive Driving Report, visit Surface Transportation Policy Project's website.