Women rate aggressive driving behaviors in new safety campaign

A campaign to curb deaths on Utah roads is making a unique attempt to appeal to men.

State of play: In a new Zero Fatalities ad posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, multiple women are asked whether guys flipping off other drivers gives them "the ick" on a 1-10 scale.

What they said: "10/10 when a guy flips someone off … it's very embarrassing."

• "It's a 10. It's not attractive."
• "It shows immaturity."

Why it matters: A series of high-profile road rage incidents in recent years have led to crashes and deaths, and even prompted legislation to reduce aggressive driving behaviors .

• Men are more likely than women to exhibit aggressive driving behaviors, like going 15 mph over the speed limit on the freeway, tailgating and making rude gestures or honking at a driver, according to data collected by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety .

Zoom in: "The frustration and the aggression has reached an all-time high," UDOT spokesperson John Gleason told Axios.

• "It's ugly behavior — aggressive driving is not attractive," he said.

Context: Between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends is the deadliest time of year for Utah drivers.

• Eighty-five people died during that period last year on Utah roads, KSL NewsRadio reported .

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include comments from UDOT's spokesperson.

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