Australian road rage statistics revealed in survey

As Australian continues to climb out of COVID-19 lockdown and restrictions a devastating road statistic has been brought to light.

Australian drivers are an angry bunch, with two-thirds of road users experiencing a road rage incident in the past 12 months.

A new survey conducted by car insurer Budget Direct showed an alarming amount of people had been involved in a serious incident on the road.

The research revealed 65 per cent of those surveyed had been shouted, cursed or had a rude gesture made at them by other motorists in the past 12 months.

Even more concerning is one in five said that someone had intentionally damaged or attempted to damage the vehicle they were in.

More than 60 per cent of people said they had been shouted, cursed or made a rude gesture at.

It gets even worse with 23 per cent of respondents admitting that another road user had threatened to hurt them or another passenger.

But it isn’t just other motorists showing aggression. More than a third of those surveyed said that a cyclist had abused them.

Monash University Accident Research Centre driving expert, Dr Amanda Stephens, believes a person’s mood has a lot to do with the way they drive taking out their negative energy on others. And she urges drivers to take part in the “Travel Time. Your Time” campaign which asks motorists to remain calm on the roads.

Not obeying the road rules is a sure fire way to set off an angry driver.

“Most drivers see others as the problem, so it’s really important to focus on our own mental wellbeing during our travel time and commit ourselves to a positive driving experience,” she said.

Dr Stephens is encouraging motorists to be mindful of those and to accept the situation and choosing not to react with negative emotions and shift to positive thinking.

The survey also showed males were more likely to be involved in road rage and Millennial drivers were more likely to intentionally damage another’s car and threaten to hurt other road users than Gen X or Baby Boomers.

Some of the biggest triggers for road rage incidents are potentially dangerous driving such as cutting someone off or forcing hard braking situation with more than 90 per cent of respondents admitting this would get their blood boiling. This was tied with rude drivers that didn’t wave or indicate.

Not giving a wave was another way to set off Aussie drivers.

Other actions that set off road rage incidents were travel delays and in response to someone else’s road rage.