Young drivers in the 18 to 34 age bracket are the most likely to be involved in road rage incidents, while drivers who are aged 55 or older are the least likely group to be involved in angry exchanges.
Tailgating seems to be the most common contributor to road rage. Tailgating is where a motorist drives too closely behind the car in front, and was accountable for around three quarters of road rage incidents in the past year.
Such incidents can lead not only to rising blood pressure and in extreme circumstances physical injury, but can also result in the offender causing damage to their car, thus leaving them even more frustrated and with a potential hike in their car insurance premium. MoneyExpert found that half of those who have been affected by road rage were subject only to verbal abuse, but a considerable portion also had their cars damaged maliciously.
As Sean Gardner from MoneyExpert.com noted, it is likely that most drivers will lose their tempers at some point while driving, either from being cut up at a roundabout, or after being exposed to the dangerous antics of reckless drivers. As a result, there is some sympathy for those motorists who are victims of other people's bad driving. However, when drivers cross the line and let their tempers get the better of them then that is the time when the victimised driver will want to have a car insurance policy that protects them from road rage incidents.
Some insurance companies, such as women's car insurance provider Sheila's Wheels, will not only cover the cost of any damage to a car if its owner falls victim to another motorist's road rage, but it also offers counselling if the driver feel traumatised by the event. Other providers offer monetary compensation, and will provide cover as standard for personal injury and car damage resulting from incidents of road rage.
Meanwhile, the RAC has found a notable difference in the way people act when they are driving compared to when they are not in their car, claiming that the impression of safety which being in a car provides makes people bolder and more likely to let their tempers flare, with almost half of motorists admitting to becoming hot headed much more quickly when they are behind the wheel.
The RAC also found some disparity between the number of people who consider themselves good drivers when compared with their perceptions of other drivers; almost all drivers were found to consider their own driving style as either 'considerate' or 'very considerate', but when asked about the driving styles of others, less than half thought that other drivers were considerate.
Some of the responses that people said they give to drivers who they consider have done them a wrong deed on the road include slamming on the brakes when someone is tailgating them;, getting out of the car at traffic lights to have a confrontation with the other driver, ; giving them a dirty look;, issuing a rude hand gesture, while one driver was so upset that they threw a Chinese take-away at the offending party!
However, it's not all doom and gloom on the roads, as the research showed more people will make the effort to thank other drivers for being courteous, perhaps by letting them out of a junction for instance, than the number of people who said that they would sound their horn if they were annoyed by another driver.
Acting director of the RAC Foundation, Sheila Rainger, urged drivers to keep their cool on the roads or else face the prospect of possible damage and a claim on their car insurance policy. For the sake and safety of other road users, she said, it is better to recognise that they are not God's gift to motoring and to quietly go on their way.
Article Source: http://www.insurancearticle.com
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