Do You Feel Intimidated by Enraged Road Users?

By Blind Spot DriveBlog

Do You Feel Intimidated by Enraged Road Users?

Overwhelmed by Angry Motorists?

Tailgating and Driver Intimidated in the UK Driving on UK roads can sometimes feel like navigating a minefield, particularly for new and inexperienced drivers. Recent research shows the issue of intimidated by aggressive motorists is more prevalent than perhaps many might think. Indeed, close to 80% of motorists report feeling intimidated by other drivers’ behavior, with young drivers aged 17-24 being particularly affected-escalating to nearly 90% of drivers in this age group.

This disturbing statistic comes out of a survey by Aviva during the recent Road Safety Week and is pointing to a problem that acquires critical dimensions: the rise of hostile and intimidated road behavior. Among these, tailgating leads, with 51% naming it as the most common intimidated driver’s face on the road. Tailgating is the term used to refer to the act of driving too close behind another vehicle. This creates an element of danger and discomfort for the driver being followed, especially when it’s done in a very aggressive manner-for instance, forcing the driver to maintain or increase his speed or to give way to the driver at his back.

The Forms of Driver Intimidation: Beyond Tailgating

Where the most common form cited of road intimidation is tailgating, this is far from being an isolated one. The Aviva survey brings into focus other forms of aggressive driving behaviors UK motorists face daily. These are:

Overtaking at High Speeds: 37% reported having been overtaken in a really reckless manner by other motorists while traveling well over the speed limit; really frightening and dangerous.

Undertaking on the Inside (27%) – The other more common frustration is undertaking, whereby a driver overtakes another vehicle on the inside lane, which can often be unexpected and unsafe.

Obscene Gestures and Horn Beeping (23%) – Be it the middle finger through the window or an obnoxious honking of the horn, these toxic behaviors help contribute to making so many drivers stressed and anxious when on the road.

Sudden Braking (21%) – Another intimidating practice is sudden and unwarranted braking, which is shocking for the drivers behind, especially as the time they have to react is little.

Flashing Headlights Aggressively (22%) – Other drivers reported that intimidation factors include motorists who flash their headlights with a commanding or threatening approach, suggesting that they should move out of their way.

Added to the regular stress of driving, these aggressive behaviors turn UK roads into hostile territories, especially for the inexperienced driver. This feeling for drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 is heightened because they have less experience and are less confident on the road. If almost 90% of young drivers report feelings of intimidation, then something should be done.

Intimidation on the Highways: A Two-Way Street?

Interesting, however, while many drivers feel victimized through intimidating behavior, the Aviva survey shows a considerable proportion of the number of drivers that actually admitted to being part of this aggressive culture. In fact, an astonishing 62% of motorists they surveyed admitted to having been intimidating to others while driving. This could be due to stress, impatience, or possibly just not realizing how much their actions impinge on others.

For example:

19% say they swear at other drivers while driving, and another 18% admitted to flashing their lights in anger with the aim of pressuring other motorists to let them advance or get out of the way. 16% acknowledged making rude hand gestures, including giving other drivers the finger.
These figures show that with there being many who feel intimidated by other drivers, there is an even higher percentage of those motorists who also continue this mean and hostile environment-a self-perpetuating cycle of stress and aggression on the roads.

Old Age Rage: A Surprising Finding

The most surprising findings in the Aviva survey were the complete reversal of the most common stereotype-that younger drivers are likelier to experience road rage. As a matter of fact, the study uncovered the opposite to be true: more ‘older’ drivers, especially those ranging in age between 65-84, were more prepared to admit to feelings of road rage behind the wheel. Only 25% of young drivers aged 17-24 reported experiencing road rage. By contrast, 33% of drivers aged 74-84 and 34% of 65-74 year-old drivers reported having been angry when driving.
These findings run contrary to the expectation that young drivers are hottest-headed and most likely to lash out, and suggest that perhaps older drivers, who have spent more years on an increasingly crowded and frustrating roads, may be less patient when it comes to traffic and other motorists.

Top 10 Driving Intimidations in the UK

The Aviva survey identified the top 10 forms of driver intimidation faced by UK motorists. Here’s a breakdown of the most common offenses:

Tailgating 51%-The leading cause of road intimidation, tailgating is both dangerous and unnerving, especially in high-traffic areas or during bad weather.

Overtaking at High Spesed: 37% – This can be quite jolting, especially on motorways when an impatient driver overtook at high speed.

Undertaking on Inside: 27% – The driver being passed is nearly always caught off guard in this risky manoeuvre when a driver overtakes on inside lane.

Obscene Gestures: 23% A dirty gesture or insult from another driver will lead to escalation of stress out on the road to feelings of intimidation and fear.

Aggressive Honking: 23% While a horn is designed to alert, it very much becomes one of intimidation when used in a predatory manner.

Flashing Headlights (22%) – This is the most common intimidation tactic, where headlights are flashed to ask the driver in front to speed up or move over.

Sudden Braking (21%) – To abruptly brake for no real reason could give cause for alarm and increase the risk of an accident, especially if out of spite.

Cutting you off or blocking your car: 20%. This is an intentional act to prevent another car from merging to keep that car from cutting off their path and is a threatening action by one driver to another.

Swearing at other drivers: 19%-whether yelled through an opened window or mouthed through a windshield, this type of verbal abuse can very quickly raise tensions between the two drivers.

Not Letting You Merge (18%) – Not allowing another driver to merge into traffic, particularly on motorways or busy roads, is just one more of the daily frustrations and hazards of driving.

The Danger of Tailgating: Why It’s More than Just an Annoyance

Tailgating is particularly dangerous because it reduces drastically the possibility of reaction time for both drivers in an emergency. Indeed, it is estimated that one accident in eight on the road in the UK is due to tailgating, which places tailgating among the leading causes of collisions.

Such actions are intimidating not only to the person in front of them but also pose serious danger to themselves and others around them. In rainy weather or on icy roads, the danger increases when such actions are done on roads because the braking distances increase lengthily, hence increasing the possibility of losing control of the vehicle.

How to Deal with Intimidation: Keep Cool and Be Safe
If you happen to be on the receiving end of aggressive driving, like tailgating, take it easy and just step away from it without responding in an inflammatory manner. Here are some tips on how to deal with intimidating drivers:

Do not accelerate to please the tailgater; this is many times the temptation to let the aggressive driver get off your back. However, doing so might get you to reach a speed that will make you exceed the speed limit or even lose control.

If safe to do so, pull over or change lanes. On motorways, change into the slower lane to let them pass. On single-lane roads, it may be necessary to pull over in case the driver makes one feel unsafe.

Avoid the temptation to “brake check”. Although lightly tapping your brakes to signal to the tailgater to back off may seem reasonable, it can easily result in a rear-end collision. When already following too closely, the tailgater is likely to be unable to avoid colliding with you if you brake suddenly.

Call the police if it gets out of hand. If a driver is being especially aggressive and intimidating to you, then call the police. Give them the car’s make, model, color, and license plate number and give your location so they can take appropriate action.

Legal Consequences of Tailgating
It is also very important that drivers remember that tailgating is not only an annoyance-the act is illegal. In the UK, tailgating falls under careless driving. Motorists found in the practice can face dire repercussions: penalty points on their license, being fined, or even prosecution if the actions lead to an accident.

Surprisingly, Aviva’s survey showed that 30% of drivers were not even aware that tailgating is illegal; hence, many hearings and educative forums need to be conducted to make people aware of this hazardous condition.

Conclusion:

A Call for Safer Roads As Aviva’s Martin Smith, Motor Claims Manager points out, “Tailgating is dangerous, intimidating, and causes accidents, particularly in wet weather and icy conditions. Keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you allows you time to stop if necessary and avoid a potential collision.

In other words, though intimidation on UK roads is indeed an issue that cannot be denied, there are ways both the driver and authorities can take to reduce the prevalence of the problem. Motorists can help by calming down, following the rules of the road, and not being aggressive to begin with. Besides, their awareness of the legal consequences for some acts, such as tailgating, will contribute to the creation of a safe driving environment for all.

Main image by master1305 on Freepik