Road rage is a phenomenon best left alone.Yet something seems to happen to normally rational people when they get behind the wheel. Maybe they feel invincible or think the anonymity of being in a car gives them carte blanche to be plain stupid.

No one knows why people do the things they do, but in the fall of 2000, Progressive Insurance conducted a study to find out just what kinds of activities really take place in the car. "The purpose was to basically find out what people are doing in their automobiles," says Scott Beller, Progressive’s project manager for Virginia. "A lot of accidents tend to develop because people are doing things in their auto other than driving."

Such as? Virginians like to eat, according to the studies Ohio-based Progressive made for each state. More than 70 percent of the 600 Virginians polled admitted to eating a snack or even an entire meal while driving. Our No. 2 favorite activity? Yappin’ on the cell phone, which about 40 percent admit to doing. About 15 percent of us shave or apply makeup while 7 percent read. That’s not a typo, 7 percent of drivers actually read a newspaper or book while driving. If you do the math, you’ll notice that these activities add up to more than 130 percent, which means at least some people are talking with their mouths full or reading while shaving.

Where are you most likely to get flipped the bird? Hampton Roads. In Tidewater, more than 43 percent of drivers said they express their anger or frustration by gesturing, speeding, shouting or swearing, or cutting off other drivers. Drivers in the Roanoke and Richmond regions are a bit more courteous, with 38.8 percent and 37.7 percent respectively expressing their anger by the above means. Drivers in Hampton Roads and Richmond are equal-opportunity ragers, with men and women responding equally. Out west, women are more likely to shout or swear, while men like to speak with their hands.

Beller says he wasn’t surprised by the survey results, and when it comes down to it, "We have no control over what people do in their cars." But the survey did point out the need for public education. Although it’s a no-brainer, some folks unfortunately need to be reminded that, "You’re more likely to have an accident when you’re not paying attention to the road."