The continued hot weather and everyday stressful situations are said to be fuelling aggressive driving on the UK’s roads, according to research. That sea of taillights at rush hour has drivers seeing red in more ways than one as drivers spend an average of 10 hours a week stuck inside their cars.
Statistics have revealed that over the past 3 years a staggering 5,283 people were either killed or injured through aggressive driving as a contributory factor as reported by Department for Transport Statistics.
Research undertaken by the scrapcarcomparison website has highlighted motorist’s lack of time management as the biggest contributor to aggressive driving. Running late for work or an appointment and not allowing yourself enough time are the most common forms of drivers becoming frustrated and driving carelessly. Traffic, being stuck behind a learner driver in rush hour and drivers blocking the roads have been revealed as other major headaches.
Hot weather can increase your blood pressure, plus a lack of fluids can also cause dehydration leading to poor decision making. In addition, everyone who has been cooped up inside a car with their family for a long journey to Cornwall knows only too well how stressful that can be. Add in some summer roadworks, an angry pack of time trial sportive cyclists, perhaps a caravan driver rigidly observing a 40mph limit, and you have recipe for risky, perhaps openly aggressive driving.
A spokesperson for scrapcarcomparison.co.uk says aggressive driving involves deliberate behaviours that put people and property at risk.
“The hot weather is great but not when you are stuck in your car in traffic. Drivers want to get from A to B quicker and sometimes this leads to frustration. Speeding, running red lights, tailgating, cutting off other drivers, and weaving through traffic are all common traits of aggressive driving. And if a driver moves beyond acting out in frustration and actually tries to use their vehicle to do harm, aggressive driving becomes “road rage, a criminal offence.”
132 people were killed in the past 3 years by aggressive driving whilst a further 886 were seriously injured. A further 4,265 received some form of injuries requiring attention.
The spokesperson continued: “Most insurers won’t cover an accident resulting from deliberate or reckless behaviour, and a road-rage incident on your record can substantially raise your insurance premiums.”
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