What's driving road rage?

What do you think when you hear the term 'road rage'? Is it aggression when someone cuts you off or annoyance when a driver in the right lane insists on driving under the speed limit?

While anger is a normal part of the human experience, 'road rage' is a term that's become popularised to describe anger and aggression that occurs specifically when driving.

What are the road rage statistics?

For a nation known as being easy-going, Australians seems to transform into spitting fist-shakers when behind the wheel.

The NRMA's 2021 Courteous Driving Survey, which included 2154 people, found 71 per cent of drivers in NSW and the ACT had experienced road rage in the past year. Perhaps most alarmingly, more than a quarter (26 per cent) of these incidents took place with a child present.

Among those surveyed, 84 per cent admitted to committing road rage themselves. Blasting the horn, making rude hand gestures and yelling abuse topped the list for types of road rage at 65, 54 and 24 per cent respectively. No participant said they had physically assaulted another road user.

What driving habits irk us the most?

While getting behind the wheel when angry is never a good idea, occasionally that anger begins when the wheels are already in motion. Things that really made drivers’ blood boil were the types of problems we all experience today including:

1. Drivers who don't give the 'thank you' wave
2. People who slam the brakes unnecessarily
3. People who merge without indicating
4. Drivers who cannot keep a constant speed
5. People who drive under the speed limit
6. Those that don't allow others to merge
7. Drivers who cut someone off
8. People who text and drive
9. Tailgaters, and;
10. Drivers who use the right lane incorrectly.

While it looks like a fair chunk of road rage triggers are caused by poor driving standards on our roads, it's important to remember that road rage is a choice for which you're responsible, and is a choice that shouldn't be blamed on the driving behaviours of others.

Related: Nine tips to be a better driver

Common forms of road rage

While swearing profusely about the IQ levels of people sharing the road might be seen as an acceptable form of venting, tailgating and the practice of brake checking people are not. According to the 2021 Courteous Driving Survey, motorists deem the following behaviours as types of road rage:

1. Physically assaulting another road user,
2. Getting out of your car to confront someone,
3. Tailgating in anger,
4. Yelling abuse,
5. Stalking another driver,
6. Cutting someone off on purpose,
7. Beeping the horn in anger, and;
8. Rude gestures.

While surveyed drivers said road rage had led to them to feeling annoyed, stressed, anxious, intimidated, angry and scared, only 3 per cent said they reported the incident to police.

However, with the emergence of dash cams and smart phones, motorists who let road rage get out of hand can easily be in someone's lens.

How not to be swept up in driving anger

1. Give a friendly wave when someone lets you in
2. Stealing someone's parking spot is a no-no
3. Always indicate so other drivers know what you're doing
4. Unnecessary horn beeping is never appreciated
5. Refrain from obscene gestures and verbal abuse
6. Let other drivers in when they're trying to merge
7. Don't tailgate fellow drivers
8. Don't block intersections
9. Always give way when required.

Stay cool and you’ll have a better chance of keeping your car and other motorists in good stead, ultimately arriving safely at your desired destination.