Admiral Reveals Road Rage Causes One In Ten Motorists To Attack Others
Released on: October 27, 2011, 11:45 am
Author:
Admiral
Industry:
Financial
Admiral has revealed that Britain is a nation of irate
motorists with nearly three quarters admitting they get angry with
other motorists when they're behind the wheel, according to a new
study into road rage. Even more worrying, more than one in ten have
followed another driver and a similar number have even attacked another
driver as a result of road rage.
The poll of 3,000 UK motorists by car insurance specialist
Admiral has revealed while 72% of drivers admit they feel road rage, more than three
quarters (76%) act by shouting at other drivers and more than half (52%) make
offensive gestures.
It's not just your stereotypical aggressive male drivers who see red behind the
wheel. The results reveal road rage affects both genders and, although women are
more likely to feel angry when driving, it is men who are the most likely to shout
or gesticulate at motorists who annoy them.
Admiral managing director Sue Longthorn said: "Sadly road rage doesn't just
manifest itself in shouting and gesticulating. More than one in ten (13%) of the
drivers we questioned said they have followed a driver that has annoyed them while
nearly one in ten (9%) admitted they have attacked another driver. The same number
(9%) said they have been attacked by another driver themselves.
"It's bad enough letting yourself be annoyed by other road users, but following
them or even worse, attacking them is crazy. You have to ask yourself is it worth
getting that upset at other drivers? Will getting angry achieve anything other than
raising your blood pressure?"
It seems the roads have become more hostile places than they were five years ago.
Nearly half (47%) of those polled said they think other drivers are more angry than
they were five years ago. However, drivers certainly aren't as critical when
looking at their own driving habits; less than a fifth (18%) feel they are angrier
when driving now than 5 years ago.
Longthorn added: "Vehicles can bring out the darker side of our personalities.
Many of us will know someone who is mild mannered most of the time, but who, inside
the confines of their car, can become easily enraged by another driver's, sometimes
harmless, actions."
This view is backed up by Admiral's research which found that two fifths (42%) of
drivers wouldn't consider themselves to be an angry person but do get angry and
frustrated when driving.
Admiral found what gets motorists' blood boiling the most is when other drivers
drive too close or cut them off. General rudeness of other road users, driving too
slowly and people who get distracted are three other instigators of road rage in
motorists.
More than half of those polled also said they are much more likely to get road rage
if they're in a rush, driving on inner city roads, in traffic jams or at
roundabouts.
However, it's not all bad news. Although a large proportion of motorists do see
red when driving, three fifths (63%) said they think it is wrong to show road rage
and almost one in seven (68%) said they feel guilty when they do.
About Admiral:
Admiral, (a trading name of EUI Ltd) launched in 1993, and is part of Admiral Group
plc. It was set up to target those motorists who traditionally pay higher than
average premiums, including those under-35, living in cities or driving hot hatches.
It now offers its unique Admiral MultiCar policy for households with two or more
cars.
Admiral writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being
Admiral Insurance Company Ltd, Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited and Great Lakes
Reinsurance (UK) plc.
The Admiral Group employs over 4,500 people in the UK and has more than 2.8 million
customers in the UK.
PR Contact:
Natalie Grimshare
Admiral
Capital Tower
Greyfriars Road
Cardiff
CF10 3AZ
029 2043 4333
www.admiral.com
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