Moaning is a national British pass time and when we're not complaining about the weather, it's about that @!&* who cut you up at the local roundabout and drivers who have caused you grief out on the road.
This got us thinking, people always react negatively to other drivers, but the actual specifics are usually along the lines of either swearing, a hand gesture or both at once.
We wanted to take a look into how each region loses their temper, including how they react, whether there may be any trends in the type of car they drive and even what music they listen to.
It's easily forgettable that even minor acts of road rage can land you with a disorderly conduct charge under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, such as giving the middle finger or audibly swearing. Most of the hand gestures used during road rage incidents could potentially land you in legal hot water even if you weren't driving, however as a little breakdown, here's what you can expect to be risking:
| Gesture | Fine & Points |
|---|---|
| Middle finger | Offence CD10 three to nine points. |
| Two hands in the air whilst mouthing frustration | New legislation came into force on 1st April 2018 - £1,000 fine and three penalty points. |
| The frustrated fist | Offence CD20 three to nine points. |
| Two fingers | Offence CD10 three to nine points. |
| One hand waving in disappointment | Offence CD10 three to nine points. |
| Flashing headlights | Offence DD90 three to nine points. |
| Shaking the head | £1,000 fine and three points. |
| Mouthing frustrations | "Disorderly conduct" £1,000 fine and three points. |
| Honking the horn | £30 fixed penalty notice increase to £1,000. |
According to the RAC Report on Motoring, incidents relating to road rage have doubled over the past 12 months. It's becoming more common to witness too, with as many as 30% of drivers reporting that they have personally witnessed an incident involving physical abuse as a result of road rage.
What Causes Road Rage?
Our survey data highlighted four seasonal occasions which aggravate motorists the most, driving during:
- The festive season
- The kids going back to school
- Bank holidays
- All year round
With the festive season being loathed the most (one in five drivers).
The actual actions that cause the road rage are as follows:
- Not using indicators properly
- Using a mobile phone whilst driving
- Driving too slowly
- Tailgating
- Parking across multiple bays
Who Were The Main Culprits?
After sifting through the data, we came to a few different conclusions. At a glance, the data revealed that Citroen drivers are the most susceptible to road rage, with Nissan and Lexus next in line. On the flip side, the most relaxed motorists drive a Bentley, Mercedes and Land Rover. Interestingly, motorists in Edinburgh turned out to be the most relaxed, claiming that they show no frustration to other motorists.
We also took a look into the type of music drivers listen to, with pop music coming out as the go-to genre of choice. It's no surprise really as this is the type of music most radio stations will play during peak commuter times. In second place was Rock music, followed by RNB & Soul in third.
We've broken down the entirety of the raw data into this handy infographic, check out the results below!
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