Majority of Canadian drivers admit to exhibiting road-rage behaviour while driving

Do you find yourself getting aggressive behind the wheel?

A recent survey from InsuranceHotline.com found that 95 per cent of Canadians admit to aggressive and road rage-like behaviour while driving, but 94 per cent of Canadians consider themselves to be courteous drivers.

The behaviours Canadians admitted to include: speeding, following too closely, tapping their breaks when being tailgated, and weaving in and out of traffic.

Based on the results, it seems Canadian drivers aren’t as courteous as they believe themselves to be—many admitted to frequently honking at other drivers in frustration and even flipping them off.

“The way drivers perceive themselves to be courteous versus how they behave, even if only occasionally, is contradictory,” Anne Marie Thomas, insurance expert at InsuranceHotline.com, said in a news release.

“You can’t be a courteous driver on one hand while on the other your behaviour is aggressive at best, or borders on road rage,” she continued.

Additionally, 28 per cent of respondents admitted to seriously considering more aggressive and impulsive actions, such as throwing an object at another vehicle, physically confronting another driver, or trying to frighten a driver by following them for a while.

Of these, 38 per cent were under the age of 35, compared to just 25 per cent who were over 35, while 35 per cent were men and just 21 per cent were women.

“It is clear people can be provoked into driving dangerously given that the vast majority of respondents admit to some form of aggressive and road rage-like behaviour,” Thomas said.

“Speeding, tapping one’s brake to ward off a tailgater, weaving in and out of traffic and following too closely are all unsafe manoeuvres that can lead to a collision putting everyone’s safety at risk,” she added.