Distracted drivers are far more annoying than speeders or slow-pokes, according to a study released by the travel website Expedia.

In a recent survey of 1,001 adult drivers in the United States, Expedia found that 69 per cent of respondents ranked other drivers who text or talk on the phone as one of the five most annoying behaviours to see on the road.

Texting or talking on a cellphone while driving is illegal in every province in Canada, unless the driver is using a hands-free device. Many U.S. states have similar bans, but such laws are difficult to enforce.

Tailgating, or drivers who follow too closely, was the second-most common annoyance for American drivers, with 60 per cent of respondents reporting frustration at the practice. This was followed by 54 per cent of people who said they were annoyed by those who eat, read or apply makeup while driving. Drivers who weave down the road or straddle the lanes ranked fourth and those who drive well below the speed limit were fifth.

Other significant annoyances included drivers who change lanes without signalling, cars that hog the left lane, drivers who don’t let others merge and people who drive well over the speed limit. Liberal horn-users, drivers who don’t offer a courtesy wave and drivers who inch up at red lights also appeared among the Top 10 most annoying behaviours.

A similar 2012 survey by insurance provider Kanetix revealed that 79 per cent of Canadian respondents experienced some form of “road rage.” Sixty-one per cent of Canadian drivers admitted to speeding as a way of expressing their anger, followed by swearing at traffic delays (39 per cent) and following other vehicles too closely, or “tailgating” (23 per cent).

Distracted driving was also the top annoyance among Canadian drivers in the 2012 Kanetix survey.

Earlier this month, a Saskatoon man was beaten in front of his family after three men in a pickup truck followed him home in an apparent act of road rage incident. In a separate incident, a California woman was shot in the eye with a BB gun on May 17.