NJ merges into the top 5 states for road rage
A study found that New Jersey had six traffic incidents involving gun violence between 2023 and 2025.
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Contrary to popular belief, the New Jersey state bird is NOT the one finger salute, it’s the American Goldfinch - but reports of road rage are on the rise, whether you ’re stuck in rush hour traffic or heading down the shore.
Whether it is drivers letting off steam or telling another one they messed up, horns blast through the air on the busy Wall Township roads.
So, we asked drivers passing through Wall - where does New Jersey rank nationally in terms of road rage?
“I'd say somewhere in the Top 5,” said Luke from Bayonne.
“Honestly, I'm going to go with No. 1 because if it's not us, it's New York,” said Lucy from, Morris County.
“Between Jersey and New York City it's neck and neck,” said Gary, from Virginia.
Actually, New Jersey ranks fifth, according to a new survey by Consumer Affairs, up from sixth last year. New Jersey's strict gun laws ranked 44th in traffic incidents with a firearm, but New Jersey comes in third in the number of speeding, aggressive and careless driving citations.
“Like the common Jersey Slide, cross five lanes and stuff,” said Luke.
Wall Police Chief Sean O'Halloran says the worst thing you can do is engage with another driver.
“Tempers flare out there and it's no surprise to me. We've seen people getting seriously hurt. We've seen people get pepper sprayed, physical fights and weapons being drawn on people,” said Chief O’Halloran.
Perhaps no one in the state has a better view of the anger, aggression, and chaos that can infiltrate New Jersey roads than the owners of Cabinet Creations and Custom Interiors, who set up shop on the Allenwood Circle in Wall four years ago.
“People constantly beeping their horns, putting their fingers out the windows, yelling at people with curse words I'm not going to say on camera,” said Suzanne Graham, the owner of Cabinet Creations.
Her shop even had a temporary drive-thru window when a speeding car ended up inside their business.
“We see accidents all the time. It's just incredible,” said Graham.
For that reason, Chief O'Halloran says, if you find yourself the target of a road rager, stay calm, stay inside and call local police.
“You never know what someone has in their car or they're capable of doing,” said Chief O’Halloran.
