83% of drivers have witnessed road rage, but only 56% admit to engaging in it
Toronto, ON (July 1, 2024) – A recent Leger survey conducted on behalf of RATESDOTCA revealed that 56% of Canadian drivers have engaged in or been involved in a form of road rage in the past year. And 83% have observed at least one display of road rage, up five percentage points from 2022.
What does road rage look like?
Road rage generally refers to aggressive or violent behavior exhibited by drivers in response to perceived offenses or frustrations while on the road.
According to the Leger survey, these are the most prevalent forms of road rage Canadians are witnessing and engaging in:
- Cutting off another driver: 63% have witnessed it, 15% have been involved in it.
- Tailgating: 61% have witnessed it, 16% have been involved in it.
- Honking: 57% have witnessed it, 38% have been involved in it.
- Flashing lights: 48% have witnessed it, 20% have been involved in it.
- Obscene gesturing: 45% have witnessed it, 15% have been involved in it.
- Brake-checking or tapping brakes: 41% have witnessed it, 16% have been involved in it.
- Rolling down the window to yell at someone: 35% have witnessed it, 8% have been involved in it.
- Getting out of the vehicle to confront someone: 20% have witnessed it, 3% have been involved in it.
Survey results reveal that younger drivers (aged 18-34) are more likely to engage and/or be involved in road rage behaviours while driving. For example, 7% of young drivers say they’ve stopped and exited a vehicle to confront someone, compared with 2% of those that are 35+.
And the issue appears to be growing: road rage incidents have worsened since the period of calm brought about by pandemic-era lockdowns. Between 2022 and 2023, drivers reported a 5% increase in road rage behaviors.
How to deal with road rage
- Practice mindfulness and deep breathing to regulate emotions.
- Allow ample travel time.
- Avoiding multitasking while driving.
- Practice empathy with other drivers; every driver might be facing their own challenges.
- Give others the benefit of the doubt: Instead of assuming the person had hostile intent, reframe the action as a possible mistake made by them.
- Consider the bigger picture by questioning if the incident will matter in a day, week or a month
For more information, including details of what is making Canadian drivers angry, how urban gridlock is exacerbating the problem, and how it is growing year over year, read the RATESDOTCA blog post: The roads are heating up.
About RATESDOTCA
RATESDOTCA is Canada’s leading rate comparison website that offers a quick and simple digital experience to compare the widest selection of insurance and money products in the market. More than 10 million Canadians rely on RATESDOTCA every year to get a better rate on car, home and travel insurance, mortgages and credit cards. RATESDOTCA aims to help Canadians make better insurance and money decisions so they can save time and money to spend on what really matters to them. For more information, visit rates.ca.
Source: RATESDOTCA
Tags: driving habits, driving safety, Rates.ca, survey
