Nearly 80% of motorists are intimidated by other road users. Worse still – especially for learners – this figure rises to nearly 90% of drivers if aged 17-24. That’s according to a survey by Aviva carried out as part of the recent Road Safety Week.

Tailgating is cited by 51% of drivers as the most common form of intimidation; that obnoxious tactic where a motorist drives too close to the back of your car, typically because they want to get past ‘asap’. The second biggest form of intimidation is being overtaken at high speed (37%) followed by undertaking (27%).

Inevitably, being on the receiving end of obscene gestures, a beeping horn and other toxic ‘behaviours’ comes in on 23%.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 62% of those surveyed also admitted to being intimidating themselves while driving. For instance, 16% fessed up to making rude gestures, 18% to flashing their headlights in anger, and 19% swearing at other drivers.

Old age rage

A common stereotype of motorists is that the young are the most likely to be hotheaded when behind the wheel while older drivers are more calm and collected.

However, according to Aviva, it’s actually the reverse with those aged 17-24 least likely to feel road rage (25%) compared to 33% of 74-84 years old and 34% aged 65-74.

Biggest offenders

The top 10 motoring intimidations according to Aviva are:

10. Not letting me merge on to a motorway or dual carriageway 18%

9. Swearing towards other drivers 19%

8. Cutting off or blocking your vehicle 20%

7. Sudden braking 21%

6. Flashing headlights 22%

5. Honking aggressively 23%

4. Making rude gestures 23%

3. Undertaking on the inside 27%

2. Overtaking at high speeds 37%

1. Tailgating 51%.

Curbing tailgaters

With one in eight accidents caused by tailgating, some of us may feel the urge to tap our brakes or reduce speed to indicate to the tailgater to back off.

However, such actions could lead to a crash as the tailgater clearly isn’t thinking about road safety at that moment – but simply intimidating or getting past you.

Stay calm

The advice is to stay calm and don’t feel tempted to increase your speed above the limit to try and placate the tailgater. If you’re on a dual carriageway, do pull into the inside lane to let them past. If you’re on a single lane road, you may wish to pull over. If the driver persists – and if you can do so safely – call the police.

If you are tailgater, bear in mind that tailgating is illegal and you can be done for careless driving and receive a fine as well as points on your licence. Surprisingly, 30% of the surveyed drivers didn’t realise this according to Aviva.

Summing up, Aviva’s Martin Smith, Motor Claims Manager, says: “Tailgating is dangerous, intimidating and can cause accidents, especially during periods of wet weather and icy conditions. By keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, it enables you to have enough time to stop if necessary and prevent a potential collision.”

Know Your Code

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