Road rage on the rise: Drivers stressed and violent post-Covid

Road rage incidents have dramatically increased in the past two years, with experts saying a pandemic hangover could be one reason people are getting so aggravated behind the wheel.

It appears years of Covid have handed us another unwanted gift — incidents of road rage have dramatically increased after the pandemic left us with a short fuse.

New research by Budget Direct and Monash University has revealed 38 per cent of Australians say they have been shouted at, sworn at or been on the receiving end of rude hand gestures made by other road users.

This result is up 10 per cent since the 2021 survey.

The worst culprits for road rage, according to the survey, are male drivers. The report found a total of 51 per cent of male drivers admitted to aggressive behaviour on the road.

Alarmingly, the proportion confessing to harming or threatening to hurt another road user or someone in the car with them doubled in the two-year period.

Tori-Lee Hellsten sustained facial fractures after an alleged road rage attack.

These women were filmed fighting at an intersection at Moorebank last year.

On Friday, police launched an appeal to track down a driver involved in a serious road rage incident at Fairfield.

Investigators are on the hunt for the driver of a black Ford Ranger displaying red P-plates, after a man was found with serious leg injuries on the side of the Cumberland Highway following the alleged road rage incident.

These men were filmed fighting at Dundas. Picture: 7 News

Chiara Sofia’s car windshield was repeatedly punched at Byron Bay.

Amanda Stephens, from Monash University’s Accident Research Centre, said the reason why more people were getting so aggravated behind the wheel could be due to the pandemic hangover.

“We don’t leave our stressors at the car door, we travel with them, so if people are more stressed or frustrated in general then this can influence how they drive,” she said.

“We may also be getting used to dealing with on-road stressors and frustrations again that we didn’t have during the pandemic, like long commute times.”

Ms Stephens said road rage was usually the culmination of several events and there isn’t a single trigger like honking.

“Definitely stress or frustration can make us less tolerant drivers both general anger or stress, or something that has happened while driving,” she said.

“Events can carry over from one driving situation to another too so, for example, if you have a frustrating or anger-provoking encounter, you are more likely to be less tolerant for the next one.

“Tiredness is another factor — in fact, if you find yourself feeling less tolerant of other drivers than usual, this can be a sign of driver fatigue.”

In July, Tori-Lee Hellsten was attacked by a man after beeping her horn at him. She was left with serious facial injuries that required surgery.

Paseto Motu was convicted of scaring a family of five from the northern beaches in a road rage incident at Roseville. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Davin Nassir was convicted over a road rage attack in which an axe was brandished from a moving vehicle. Picture: Monique Harmer

In a video posted to TikTok, Ms Hellsten said she was on the way home from Macarthur Square shopping centre when the man started driving far too close behind her.

She said the man jumped out of the car and walked to her open driver’s window before punching her in the face.

“As I turned around I felt a blunt force hit my face, my glasses flew off into the back and I felt instantly that there was something wrong with my nose and I just started bleeding profusely out of my nose,” Ms Hellsten said.

At the time, Detective Inspector Andrew Mackay said: “The young lady has fractures to her facial bones. It’s very shocking, it’s disgusting behaviour.”

Just last week, a man in Byron Bay punched a woman’s windscreen repeatedly, causing it to smash.

Ms Hellsten posted evidence of her injuries to TikTok.

Chiara Sofia was “parked in her car and minding my own business” when the man allegedly reversed a car towards her and blocked her at about 12.30pm on December 27.

The woman said she asked the man to “politely” move forward before she alleges he “became full-on aggressive, throwing insults left, right and centre” before smashing her windscreen.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident but are yet to identify the man involved.

There are several offences a person can be charged with after a road rage incident, including predatory driving, dangerous driving, assault and, in the most serious cases, attempted murder.

A teenage boy from Sydney was charged with attempted murder last month, after an alleged road rage incident.

While the allegations in that case fall into the more extreme category of road rage, Ms Stephens said these types of incidents were “uncommon”.

“The more minor behaviours (like swearing or gesticulating at another driver) are common,” she said.

“Then there are the riskier behaviours that usually involve changing how we drive the vehicle, such as speeding, tailgating, dangerous overtaking — usually about half of all drivers will have done these at one point.

“And then the very extreme behaviours that involve physical assault are uncommon, with a very small percentage of people saying they do these.”

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