South Dakota Drivers Are Guilty Of These Passive-aggressive Driving Habits

When was the last time you ran into a passive-aggressive driver? Not the full-blown, steering-wheel-pounding, profanity-spewing type, but the kind that quietly tests your patience one subtle move at a time.

A new survey suggests you don’t have to look very far here in South Dakota.

According to Dakota News Now, American River Wellness surveyed more than 3,000 drivers about passive-aggressive behavior behind the wheel. You know exactly what that looks like: the driver who speeds up the second you flip on your blinker, the one who won’t let you merge, the chronic tailgater who refuses to pass, or the person who treats their horn like it’s part of a soundtrack to their commute.

Get our free mobile app

The survey found that Mount Rushmore Road in Rapid City is the worst offender in the state, ranking 83rd nationally. If you’ve ever driven through that stretch, it probably doesn’t surprise you. You’ve got a little bit of everything: tourists trying to find their hotel, locals trying to get to work, and a steady stream of traffic bouncing between restaurants and shops. Mix in some impatience, and suddenly, you've got Tom Cooper (aka Russell Crowe) from the motion picture "Unhinged" on your bumper.

South Dakota had a couple of other roads that made the list as well. Aberdeen’s 6th Avenue Southeast came in at 96th, while Sioux Falls’ own Louise Avenue landed at 123rd. And if you’ve spent any time crawling down Louise during rush hour, or, to be honest, any hour, seeing it on the list makes perfect sense, even if some of us might argue it deserved a “higher” ranking. Between construction season and out-of-state plates, it can feel like an obstacle course with turn signals.

This new survey also highlighted some of the habits South Dakota drivers are known for: like last-second lane changes, the infamous “letter-inner” move, where a driver allows another driver to sneak out from a parking lot or a side road, often resulting in an accident, and then we are also quite fond of tailgating without actually passing here in the Rushmore State.

These types of behaviors don’t make headlines, but they definitely make your blood pressure tick up a few notches.

The American River Wellness survey revealed that passive-aggressive driving tends to fly under the radar because it does not always look dramatic, but over time, it can create enormous stress for motorists.

Again, see Tom Cooper in the movie "Unhinged" for proof.