Road rage hits most drivers

Research has suggested the UK has the worst road rage in the world

Nearly nine in 10 UK drivers say they have been road rage victims at least once, a survey of drivers has found.

While 20% said they had experienced road rage more than 10 times, more than 70% admitted committing the offence themselves, according to the study of Max Power readers aged from 16 to 30 years old.

The latest statistics back up a recent Gallup poll which showed Britain was the leading country in the world for road rage, with 80.4% of UK drivers being victims of it.

"White van man", who has an image of being a regular road rage offender, was cited in 13% of incidents in the latest poll.

ROAD RAGE IN UK 29% victims in South East of England 18% in North of England 15% in eastern England 6% in Scotland 5% in Wales

Of those who admitted committing road rage, three in five said they felt "fine" about it, adding that victims "deserved it".

Only 14% showed any remorse and said their bad mood had affected their actions.

The most common action was gesticulating, while in one in seven cases victims faced an aggressor who got out of the car and physically or verbally abused them. Only 7% reported incidents to the police.

Edmund King, a spokesman for the RAC, said: "This survey is a revealing and alarming insight into some young drivers' attitudes.

"Road rage seems to be linked to congestion and stress, as most incidents occur in the busier towns and cities.

Town hotspot

"Drivers should not respond aggressively to irritation on the roads. It may be tough on the streets but that's no excuse for raging against other drivers."

Max Power editor John Sootheran said the research showed Britain's roads were "not friendly".

"While it's shocking that so many young drivers are victims or instigators of road rage, I believe these results only reflect the stressful and hectic lifestyles we lead - particularly in urban environments."

The most common location for road rage is in a town (54%), followed by a major A road (17%) or a motorway (15%).

Motorists in the south of England (29%) are most likely to be affected, followed by the north of England (18%) and eastern England (15%). Least likely to come across it are those in Ireland (3%), Wales (5%) and Scotland (6%).

The aggressors in the rage incidents experienced by respondents were most often driving standard cars (59%), followed by modified cars (22%).