The worst habit of Gold Coast drivers

Holiday traffic may be abysmal, but there’s no excuse for this deadly driving habit dubbed ‘toxic male ute syndrome’.

It’s been a terrible, tragic start to 2023 for the Gold Coast.

Residents are reeling from a spate of horrific deaths, both in the air and on our roads in a series of transportation accidents.

While we pay heartfelt tribute to those lives lost, driving around the city this week makes me wonder how much personal responsibility we take for ensuring the safety of others.

There’s no denying that holiday traffic has been abysmal. It took me more than 25 minutes to travel from Mermaid to Burleigh along the Gold Coast Highway and I have to admit that by the time I reached my destination I was absolutely fuming.

There is just something about being stuck at every red light that makes me, and so many other motorists, see red.

But that doesn’t mean I’m allowed to be an aggressive driver. I grudgingly allow other cars to merge, stick to the speed limit and ensure I leave space between my own car and others before me.

Holiday traffic is no fun for anyone – but that’s no excuse for bad behaviour on the roads. Picture: Nigel Hallett.

Unfortunately, I have no control over what’s happening behind my car.

Gold Coasters, what is the issue with tailgating?

It does not cut any meaningful time off of your travel, it endangers the lives of all those around you and it’s just incredibly rude.

Further to this point, if I ensure I leave space between my car and that in front of me, that does not mean it’s time to squeeze your own car in between.

This is not just a matter of manners but of real road safety.

But it turns out there is a psychology to tailgating, and holiday driving brings out the worst of it, according to Monash University Accident Research Centre senior research fellow Amanda Stephens.

“If you are frustrated before getting in the car, you are likely to be easily frustrated while driving, blame other drivers more for your circumstances, and express this through aggressive driving,” she says.

“Tailgating and speeding are examples of this aggression.

“The problem is, when you are angry, you underestimate the risk of these behaviours, while over-estimating how much control you have of the situation.

“A study of real-world driving shows both tailgating and speeding increase the odds of being in a crash more than if driving while holding or dialling a mobile phone. Drivers who are tailgating or speeding have a 13 to 14-fold increase in odds of being in a crash, compared to when they are driving more safely.”

Studies have unsurprisingly shown that tailgating dramatically increases the odds of being in a crash.

But in my own, unscientific, experience, there is more to the psychology of tailgating than just frustration.

In fact, it’s a phenomenon dubbed by one social media commenter as ‘toxic male ute syndrome’ and it’s described perfectly in the following statement:

“When I drive my girlfriend’s hatch, I get tailgated regularly. Almost daily. When I drive my ute, I almost never do. I can think of one instance in years (but) I drive the same in both vehicles.

“The tailgaters themselves are usually (but not always) utes or 4wds.

“This leads me to believe it’s a psychological thing. Either being in a bigger car makes you feel insulated and you aren’t worried about hitting a smaller car, so you’re more likely to tailgate a hatch.

“Or you assume the hatch is being driven by a female or a ‘weak’ male, so you feel more comfortable trying to intimidate them.”

That’s been precisely my experience … except my mix of vehicles is the husband’s ute versus my ‘soccer mum’ Mitsubishi.

But regardless of the reason, it’s time to do more to stop this on-road aggression.

In Queensland alone, more than 7000 injuries and fatalities were attributed to tailgating between 2019 and 2020. However, only 3120 drivers received an infringement notice for the behaviour in this period.

Our roads are now (justifiably) littered with cameras to catch us running red lights, speeding and using our phones … so why not add tailgating to the list?

In the meantime, try not to wait for the long arm of the law to catch you … just drop the aggression, be a good person and - most importantly - a safe driver.

This city needs a break from the bad news.