Traffic fatalities hit an unfortunate milestone in 2021 as the U.S. saw a 16-year high in roadway deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA). The NHTSA reported the additional fatality increases from 2020 to 2021:

• Fatalities in multi-vehicle crashes up 16%
• Fatalities on urban roads up 16%
• Pedestrian fatalities up 13%
• Daytime fatalities up 11%
• Motorcyclist fatalities up 9%

While a number of factors were at play, including an increase in motorists on the road, could stress have played a role? Studies have found that anger can be positively correlated with "negative cognitive/emotional" driving, aggressive driving and risky driving. While stress plays a role in causing dangerous driving, certain personality traits can reduce the effects stress has on driving behavior. To determine the cities with the most stressed out drivers, HiRoad Assurance Company used the TensiStrength AI tool, which detects stress levels in short pieces of text and assigns a stress score. The above slideshow details the findings and reveals the states with the most stressed out drivers. The analysis of 1.3 million Tweets was done in May 2022.   Although traffic infuriates drivers the most in the cities highlighted above, across the country rain is actually the biggest cause of motorist stress, according to HiRoad, which found slightly more than 56% of Tweets from stressed out drivers complained of rain. Bad weather, snow, other drivers using a cell phones and speeding, respectively, rounded out the top causes of driver stress. So where do the most relaxed drivers in the U.S. reside? HiRoad reported Jacksonville, Fla. had the least stressed out drivers as less than a third of driving-related tweets registered as stressed. Related:

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• 10 states with the safest drivers