Meriden CT – December 5, 2006 |  Fully one-half of drivers who are subjected to aggressive driving behavior on the road respond with aggression of their own, thus risking a more serious confrontation.

According to a recently released national survey by car insurer Response Insurance, when a driver gets the finger, is cut off or tailgated, 50% of the victims respond with horn honking, yelling, cutting-off, and obscene gestures of their own.

The “Response Insurance National Driving Habits Survey” revealed that 34% of drivers say they honk their horn at the aggressor, 27% yell, 19% give the finger back, 17% flash their headlights, and 7% mimic the initial aggressive driving behavior. 2% of drivers admit to trying to run the aggressor off the road.

“Road rage is a two-way street,” noted Ray Palermo, director of public relations for Response Insurance. “It takes two people to fight. So, if you are subjected to aggressive driving, often the best way to ensure it does not get any worse is to just ignore it.”

When it comes to aggressive responses, men are more likely than women to do so (54% vs. 46%), as are drivers age 18-24 (67%) versus drivers 65 and older (30%). Drivers with children are more likely to respond aggressively (59%) versus those without children (45%), and cell phone users (59%) versus those who do not use a cell phone while driving (39%).

Response Insurance is a direct to the consumer auto insurer focusing on insuring safe, responsible people. The Company regularly provides to the public news and information regarding driver safety and transportation issues. They issue safety tips, reports, analyses, and conduct original research as a public service. This Response Insurance National Driving Habits Survey of 1,000 adults was conducted 8/18-21/05. The survey has a margin of error of + / - 3%. This data is being released for the first time in this news release.