‘Extremely worrying’: Kids in frontline of road rage rise

Angry drivers hurling abuse and tailgating other motorists have increased across NSW, with 21 per cent of the incidents witnessed by children.

Angry drivers hurling abuse and tailgating other motorists have increased across the state, with 21 per cent of the incidents witnessed by children.

NRMA road rage data released today shows more than 94 per cent of drivers in NSW and the ACT have witnessed aggressive behaviour while driving in the past 12 months.

Almost half of drivers surveyed had been victims of road rage, with 21 per cent having children in the car at the time, while more than 24 per cent admitted to perpetrating road rage.

The number of drivers who witnessed road rage grew by 15 per cent since 2021, with tail-gating the most common form of road rage witnessed by 71 per cent of those surveyed.

The number of drivers who witnessed road rage grew by 15 per cent since 2021

Excessive horn beeping was noted by 67 per cent, and more than 60 per cent witnessed angry hand gestures such as flipping the bird.

Four per cent reported witnessing physical assaults., while 19 per cent of drivers have now installed dash cams in their cars.

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NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the data was “extremely worrying”. “Far too many of these cases have kids in the car,” he said.

‘Extremely worrying’.... NRMA’s Peter Khoury. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“This data demonstrates there is a clear connection between road safety and people getting mad behind the wheel – we know tailgating is extremely dangerous and it causes crashes.”

Safer Australian Roads and Highways president Peter Frazer said incidents had steadily increased in the past 20 years.

“The main cause of road rage is selfishness – it’s just endemic ” he said.