Almost four out of five drivers in the United States reports that they have made an angry or aggressive maneuver while on the road in the past year, according to a survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

The organization issued a survey in 2014 to 2,705 licensed Americans who have driven a vehicle at least once in the past 30 days. The results were published in July.

Respondents were given a number of different actions and asked to say whether they had engaged in such behavior regularly, fairly often, rarely, or just once in the past year. Of this group, 78 percent said they have acted out of anger or aggression at least once while on the road.

"Inconsiderate driving, bad traffic, and the daily stresses of life can transform minor frustrations into dangerous road rage," said Jurek Grabowski, director of research at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "Far too many drivers are losing themselves in the heat of the moment and lashing out in ways that could turn deadly."

Drivers were most likely to admit that they have purposefully tailgated another vehicle. A total of 50.8 percent of all respondents said they had done so at least once in the past year.

Yelling at another driver was also a common behavior, with 46.6 percent saying they had done so. Drivers were also likely to self-report that they had honked at another vehicle out of annoyance or anger (44.5 percent), made an angry gesture (32.5 percent), or tried to block another vehicle from changing lanes (24.1 percent).

Less frequent behaviors included purposefully cutting off another driver (11.9 percent), exiting their vehicle to confront another driver (3.7 percent), and deliberately bumping or ramming another vehicle (2.8 percent).

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety used this data to estimate totals for how many drivers in the United States have engaged in the behaviors in the past year. They suggested that 104 million drivers purposefully tailgated another driver, 95 million yelled at another driver, 7.6 million got out of their vehicle to confront another driver, and 5.7 million bumped or rammed another vehicle on purpose.

Men were more likely than women to exhibit each of the behaviors included in the study. They were three times as likely to have exited their vehicle to confront another vehicle or deliberately bumped or rammed another vehicle.

Young drivers were also prevalent among many of the behaviors. Those between the ages of 19 and 24 were most likely to say they have tried to block another vehicle from changing lanes or that they have bumped or rammed another vehicle. Drivers between the ages of 25 and 39 were most likely to report tailgating, yelling, honking, making angry gestures, cutting off other vehicles, or exiting their vehicle to confront another driver.

Drivers in the Northeast were more likely to exhibit road rage than other regions in the United States. The survey found that people in this region were significantly more likely to yell or honk at other drivers. Northeastern drivers were also 30 percent more likely than those in other parts of the country to have made an angry gesture at another driver at least once in the past year.

Respondents who admitted to more aggressive driving habits were more likely to exhibit road rage. The survey found that drivers were more likely to report angry or aggressive behavior if they rated themselves as less careful than other drivers or said they tended to drive faster than others on the road.

Those who admitted to unsafe driving behaviors were also more likely to report that they had engaged in angry or aggressive actions. These included drivers who reported driving 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on the highway, 10 miles per hour over the speed limit in a residential zone, or going through a light that had just turned red when they could have stopped safely. Those who reported speeding on the highway in the past month were four times more likely to admit that they have deliberately cut off another vehicle within the past year.

AAA says the survey results are surprising given that most of the respondents viewed aggressive driving negatively. More than half of them said road rage was a more prevalent problem than three years earlier, while nearly two-thirds said aggressive drivers had become a more serious problem in the same period. Almost 90 percent said they feel that aggressive drivers are a serious threat to their personal safety.

"It's completely normal for drivers to experience anger behind the wheel, but we must not let out emotions lead to destructive choices," said Jake Nelson, director of traffic safety advocacy and research at AAA. "Don't risk escalating a frustrating situation because you never know what the other driver might do. Maintain a cool head, and focus on reaching your destination safely."

In addition to avoiding aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors, AAA recommends that drivers should strive not to offend others on the road. These include driving maneuvers that would force another driver to hit their brakes or swerve.

The organization says drivers should also try to be more tolerant and forgiving of other drivers. Oftentimes, an action by another driver that offended you is not intentional or personal.

Avoid provoking a conflict with another driver. Do not make eye contact or rude gestures and keep a safe amount of space around your vehicle. If another driver confronts you and you feel unsafe, report the incident to the police.