Road rage habit blamed on parents

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A rise in road rage incidents in the UK and resulting claims on car insurance policies has been blamed on young drivers copying their parents’ bad behaviour behind the wheel.

Research found that the group most likely to succumb to road rage are inexperienced motorists aged between 18 and 29 and 61% of this group admitted to suffering personality changes while driving.

Some 40% of drivers in this age group blame their parents for their erratic driving behaviour, saying they inherited their road rage tendencies from seeing their mothers and fathers at the wheel.

They said that other motorists’ reckless driving was most likely to trigger road rage, followed by slow drivers and queuing traffic.

While 22% of drivers simply shrugged off incidents, 52% reacted by swearing, shouting, making rude gestures and flashing lights.

The research highlighted a division between the sexes and age groups, with men more prone to road rage than women, and drivers aged 60-plus the least likely to be affected by other road users’ behaviour.

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