Road rage Britain – drivers fess up

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Almost all UK motorists – that’s a staggering 97% – have experienced road rage behind the wheel, claims new research.

Anger on the roads is most frequently prominent among those living in South West England and the West Midlands, while urban streets and A roads were revealed as bigger road rage hotspots than motorways, according to the Confused.com survey.

When 1,024 UK motorists were asked if they ever experienced road rage, the vast majority (97%) of them said ‘yes’. When they were then asked how often these incidents tended to occur, more than a quarter (27%) said it was ‘on a weekly basis’, while a further 18% said it was as often as ‘three or more times a week’.

Of respondents who said that they experienced road the most often (‘three or more times a week’), those aged 25-34 were the most likely – making up 61% of all those who gave that answer.

This was closely followed by those aged 35-44 (14%) and 45-54 (also 14%). Only 9% of those who experienced road rage multiple times per week were aged 18-24.

Road rage was most prevalent on urban streets (62%), A roads (59%) and motorways (42%) and specific danger highways frequently named were the A417, A38, the M5 and the M6. Roundabouts also appeared often.

Five most common road rage responses:

1. Internalising anger/talking to myself – 74%

2. Shouting at others from behind the wheel – 65%

3. Beeping horn – 43%

4. Displaying inappropriate hand signals towards others – 36%

5. Getting out of the car to confront others – 4%

The research coincides with the launch of Confused.com’s online Road Rage Ranker, which analyses users’ Twitter account timelines – factoring in tweets, favourites and public conversations.

“Road rage is clearly prevalent among UK motorists, with very few of us not experiencing it,” said Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, who believes it’s good to see that most people display their road rage inwardly.

“Perhaps it’s the stress associated with urban streets, like those in busy cities, that contributes to the rage commonly associated with these kind of roads.

“But whatever the cause, drivers should ensure that they remain as calm and collected as possible, so as not to put themselves or other drivers in danger.”