How Bad is Road Rage in South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota?

There's something about being behind the wheel that brings out the worst in even the most mild-mannered of us.

It's called road rage and it can vary from muttering a few choice things under your breath to a full-blown physical altercation on the side of the road.

So where are drivers the most likely to throw a fit in their vehicles?

Not in our neck of the woods.

Recently, Consumer Affairs used these six metrics to measure where road rage is at its worst in America:

• Incidents with gun violence per 100K residents
• Accidents with fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving per 100K residents
• Fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving per 100K residents
• Percentage of accidents due to aggressive/careless driving
• Percentage of fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving
• Aggressive/careless driving/ speeding violations per 100K residents

In the Tri-State (South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota) area, we were all well below the national average.

Drivers in South Dakota fared best, checking in at 47th on the states with the worst road rage. The Mount Rushmore State was one of only three states (along with North Dakota and Maine) with a score of zero in the gun violence category. The state was also seventh-best in the percentage of fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving (25.5%) and number ten in fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving per 100K residents (27.3%).

Drivers in Iowa landed just outside the Top Ten states with the least road rage (#39 overall). The Hawkeye State has the fourth-best rate of incidents with gun violence per 100K residents (0.03) and the ninth-best rate of aggressive/careless driving/ speeding violations per 100K residents (0.34).

Drivers in Minnesota were also below the national average at number 33. The North Star State has the eighth-best ranking in fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving per 100K residents (3.04) and the ninth-best score in accidents with fatalities due to aggressive/careless driving per 100K residents (2.83).

STATES WITH THE LEAST ROAD RAGE

1. New Hampshire
2. Rhode Island
3. California
4. Virginia
5. South Dakota
6. Massachusetts
7. Wyoming
8. Oklahoma
9. Washington
10. Maine

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STATES WITH THE MOST ROAD RAGE

1. Louisiana
2. New Mexico
3. Montana
4. Colorado
5.  Arkansas
6. New Jersey
7. North Carolina
8. Delaware
9. Wisconsin
10. Georgia