New research reveals that younger British drivers are more likely to get angry behind the wheel than older motorists.
Some 16 percent of Gen Z drivers – i.e. those aged between 18 and 28 – said they experience road rage multiple times a day behind the wheel. In addition, 15 percent of Millennials (now aged 29-44 years old) reported the same.
By comparison, only 11 percent of Gen X drivers, aged from 45 to 60, admitted to having several incidents of road rage per day.
The oldest drivers in the survey, Baby Boomers, were the least likely to get angry. Just five percent of those aged between 61 and 79 said they had multiple road rage experiences each day when driving.
Older drivers keep calm and carry on
The survey of 1,000 UK motorists was commissioned by Saga Car Insurance. It found this pattern was continued when incidents of road rage were expanded to include weekly occurrences.
Some 60 percent of Gen Z drivers, and 59 percent of Millennials, said they experience road rage at least once a week.
This compares to 37 percent of Gen X drivers and 32 percent of Baby Boomers who say the same.
For younger generations of motorists, traffic was identified as the biggest non-driver-related cause of road rage. From Saga’s survey, 38 percent of Gen Z, and 40 percent of Millennials, ranked it among their top three causes.
Older motorists were more likely to be made angry by poor road surfaces. Almost half of Gen X and Baby Boomers respondents put them among their top three triggers.
Tips to avoid the ‘red mist’ taking over
The research by Saga follows the publication of the latest Department for Transport (DfT) data on reported road casualties, highlighting the serious implications of road rage.
Younger drivers involved in road traffic collisions were twice as likely as older motorists to have ‘being aggressive, dangerous or reckless’ recorded as a contributing factor.
Almost a quarter (24 percent) of young drivers in serious or fatal collisions saw these behaviours play a part, compared to just 12 percent for other motorists.
Lisa Murphy, a registered therapist, said: “When we’re in our cars, we can develop a perceived sense of safety because we’re in a familiar setting and we’re separated from the outside world by the windscreen. The problem is, we’re not as safe as we think.
“In the short term, learning some basic relaxing breathing techniques or other physical relaxation methods can be useful. Remember: prevention is better than cure, so practice these daily. Don’t just pull them out when you’re already too far gone and the ‘red mist’ is rising.”
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