Is road rage on the rise? Austin traffic incidents go viral

Evening rush hour traffic on Interstate 35 in downtown Austin on Tuesday November 29, 2022.

Jay Janner/American-Statesman

If you hang out on the r/Austin subreddit or follow any of the local meme accounts on Instagram, you might have noticed an odd phenomenon this week: some really, really weird stuff happening on Austin's roadways.

First, we had that road rage incident from late last week, in which a man -- suspected to be Ian Brinkmeyer, according to police -- gets out of his car and smashes another motorist's window, prompting a chase down Loop 360 near MoPac. A warrant's been issued for Brinkmeyer's arrest.

Then there's the driver who weaved under a trailer hauling a large concrete pillar...

...and this festive fellow definitely not spreading Christmas cheer...

...and whatever this person is doing on the MoPac service road.

So what gives? Are Austin drivers getting worse, or is there something else to blame?

Road rage and crashes during the holiday season

Statistics show that distracted and aggressive driving actually does increase around the holidays, which could be to blame for the recent incidents in Austin.

According to a recent study from Insurify, the holidays cause all sorts of traffic woes. The statistics show that Thanksgiving Day drivers spent more than 10% more time distracted (a.k.a. using their phones) than usual, and speeding increased by 68 percent. The same study showed speeding spiking by 54.1%, and that number spikes to 119.5% to between 6 and 9 a.m. on Christmas Day. And in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, drivers spend 30% more time distracted, the study shows.

Back in 2018, GasBuddy conducted a study showing that drivers get 175% more aggressive during the holidays, and Texas came in at No. 3 behind Georgia and California for the state with the most aggressive holiday drivers. Most of that aggressive driving consists of harsh braking, followed by speeding and acceleration.

Multiple law firms have shared information about aggressive driving incidents during the holidays , with one citing r easons like increased traffic, increased drunk driving, stressed and distracted driving, failure to maintain vehicles and dangerous driving conditions in winter weather. Another suggest s fatigued driving may be to blame.

Earlier this year, AAA released a study showing aggressive driving is on the rise since 2016, with cutting off other vehicles up 67% and honking "out of anger" up 47%.

"The study found that the more drivers are exposed to aggressive behavior on the road, the more likely they are to drive aggressively themselves. This self-fulfilling cycle of aggressive driving and road rage is fueling a culture where impatience and hostility are becoming the norm behind the wheel," the press release from AAA reads.