What causes road rage?

15 September 2023  By: Ruth Callaghan

On a social media thread on Reddit, drivers swap strategies for combatting road rage.

One driver believes changing his music selection reduced the volume of anger he would experience behind the wheel.

Another says that by forcing himself to drive a few days a week in the slow lane, he is reminded that aggressive driving doesn’t necessarily mean arriving earlier.

A third talks about “radical empathy”, and says his turning point came once he started imagining any inconsiderate driver who cut him off in traffic probably had somewhere really important to be — or needed the loo.

While the confession thread is largely positive, it’s striking how the drivers report being overwhelmed by emotions that have spilled out into anger on the road.

In swapping their strategies for calmer commutes — podcasts are a popular option — these recovering road ragers offer each other support in addressing what can be a dangerous mix of anxiety, frustration and fury.

But not all aggressive drivers are as willing to change, and for anyone who drives regularly on WA roads, honking, tailgating and intimidation are all-too-familiar sights.

“We're seeing increased levels of aggressive behaviour on the roads, where people are getting frustrated and that has a lot of impacts,” says Will Golsby, RAC’s General Manager External Relations.

“Firstly, from a road safety perspective, it’s extremely dangerous because people who are angry can make poor decisions on the road and that can have an impact on everyone else, whether that’s the driver of another car, a pedestrian, a cyclist or those working on the side of the road — really all road users.

“But you also start to see people moving in and out of lanes, cutting off other cars while trying to get ahead, as well as more tailgating, and the frustration that comes with that.

“It’s counterproductive, because you can get ‘phantom’ traffic jams, where the stop-start behaviour of drivers is as disruptive to the flow of traffic as a crash.

“All that does is heighten the frustration and annoyance of everyone.”

More drivers admit to rage on the roads

The incidence of road rage appears to be on the rise.

Will Golsby says that in 2022, 80 per cent of RAC members reported having witnessed drivers being aggressive towards others on WA roads, an increase from 69 per cent in 2021.

In August 2023, one in 10 RAC members reported being a victim of a road rage incident in the past year.

And perhaps more concerning is the high proportion of drivers who admit engaging in aggressive driving.

An Australian study conducted in 2019 of nearly 3,000 drivers found 60 per cent reported making angry gestures at other drivers, 70 per cent conceded sounding their horn in anger and 18 per cent admitted engaging in more extreme behaviour such as chasing someone on the road.

Among younger male drivers, extreme aggression was reported by more than one in three.

While most encounters are minor, leaving bad feelings rather than bent fenders, some of those extreme incidents spiral into deliberate collisions, physical altercations, assault and even worse.

In August 2023, a 70-year-old motorcycle rider was charged over allegations that he assaulted a 91-year-old car driver in Perth’s south, allegedly accusing the older man of cutting him off in traffic.

In the same month, a man’s leg was crushed between two cars in Nedlands after a brawl between drivers on a major street.

Early in 2023, a Perth man was stabbed multiple times and hospitalised after an altercation with another driver.

It came just a few days after a man was fined for arming himself with a pole and attempting to assault a delivery driver.

What triggers violent outbursts?

Dr Steven Love, of the University of the Sunshine Coast, has spent years studying aggressive behaviour on the roads and says understanding the reasons for aggressive driving can be complex.

It can range from behaviours like speeding or breaking of road rules, which might be motivated by frustration, to more reactive behaviours like tailgating, which occurs in response to other drivers on the road, to interpersonal aggression, such as pursuing another car, or assault.

“The road is a place where people hold differing beliefs about speeding, attitudes towards laws, perceptions of risk, experiences with driving, road cultures, and driving capabilities, and this creates friction,” he says.

“One of the primary issues with aggressive driving is that the behaviours are initiated instantaneously and can be an unconscious response to emotional impulses.

“Therefore, the ability to manage anger is largely dependent on how well you can recognise and self-regulate the impulses and thoughts that are driving the behaviour.”

His work has included looking at so-called ‘trait aggressive drivers’, who tend to exhibit low patience, are more prone to speeding, and who can be triggered by slow or thoughtless drivers.

Depending on their mood, the circumstance and the environment, such as whether there is heavy traffic, the likelihood of one of these drivers acting aggressively, and the level of that aggression, can sharply increase.

Far from being worried about their aggressive actions, though, many of these drivers believe they are justified in their angry response, given a perceived error of someone else on the road.

“The three interactive traits that stand out are antisocial tendencies, poor self-awareness, and impulsivity,” Dr Love says.

“It’s been found that those who exhibit anti-social traits are more likely to attribute their aggression towards others as justified, and a necessary method of teaching others a lesson.

“People with these traits have also been demonstrated to be more likely to lack insight into their anger, in that they are more likely to engage in aggressive driving behaviour without awareness, and without inhibition.

“Having an awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings can help people identify when their behaviour is being negatively influenced and implement strategies to self-regulate their anger.”

Digging in on aggression

While some aggressive drivers become remorseful when confronted with their actions, those with poor self-awareness do not.

They instead dwell on all the things the other person is thought to have done wrong which ‘forced’ them to act in this aggressive way.

“In our recent study, a lot of people reported that they reflected on their behaviour following aggressive driving incidents and used this to help improve their reactions in the future,” Dr Love says.

“In contrast, trait-aggressive drivers, who tended to hold anti-social beliefs, appeared to be less likely to reflect on their own aggressive behaviours, but more likely to ruminate on how others made them feel angry.

“Rumination can be quite harmful because it strengthens the justification for anger and increases the propensity for out-of-control anger, the next time a trigger is presented.”

For other road users, feeling the fury of an aggressive driver can be terrifying.

Those who have encountered road rage speak of being afraid to venture back to the location where it happened or being more nervous about getting back on the road. Some describe depression or trauma after the event.

While they are not responsible for the outlandish response of an aggressive driver, Dr Love says everyone should be aware that even minor mistakes on the road can be viewed by some as a provocation.

“Anger can be caused by a feeling of injustice, and aggression is a way of communicating that,” he says.

“If you’ve made a mistake that has triggered another driver, a simple acknowledgement of your error should help de-escalate someone’s anger, as they will feel heard.

“However, if you’re in a situation where another driver is putting pressure on you, such as tailgating, I believe the best thing to do is simply move out of their way.

“This sort of aggressive behaviour is also a form of communication.

“Even if you are in the right, it’s sometimes better to concede, as responding in a way that doesn’t de-escalate a situation can lead to further aggression.”

RAC’s Will Golsby agrees that de-escalation is the right response, wherever possible.

“It’s worth remembering a little bit of old-fashioned courtesy goes a long way,” he says.

“There’s a good reason just to stay calm and not get caught up in what’s happening in the traffic around you.

“You don’t want to make this worse, and you need to be aware that frustration and anger will lead to bad decisions which can have a ripple effect across traffic.”

Dialling down the rage

Dr Love says that with better self-regulation, it is possible for aggressive drivers to leave their anger behind.

“Essentially, making an effort to identify and understand one’s own thoughts and feelings is a good first step, as it’s quite difficult to manage a behaviour that’s driven by processes we aren’t even aware of or understand,” he says.

“There are currently a lot of mindfulness-based practices and apps that can help foster this sort of learning.

“Alternatively, a strategy known as positive reappraisal is considered very helpful. Drivers who have success in regulating their anger on the road have reported just ‘letting it go’, taking on the perspective that they have no control over events like this and that there is no point letting the event affect them any further.”

Over on the Reddit board, former road ragers share similar advice.

Leaving earlier so you are not rushing helps, they say, as does breathing through frustration when it occurs. And if all else fails, try one of those podcasts and let the anger take a back seat.

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