Cov named one of the worst in UK for road rage

NEW RESEARCH BASED ON FOI DATA REVEALS HOTSPOTS FOR ANGRY DRIVERS

COVENTRY has been named as one of the worst cities in the UK for road rage, new research has revealed. Our city ranks third on the list of the most foultempered drivers in the country.

Road rage can include anything from an angry motorist giving the middle finger or shouting, right up to a physical fight in the street. It might be caused by people not paying enough attention to where they are going, driving too slowly or being too close to the car in front.

Motorfinity compiled the Road Rage Index by sending Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to police forces in cities throughout the country asking how many instances of road rage happened there last year. More than half of UK drivers admit to regularly being angry at other motorists while they are driving, says the company.

Researchers found that West Midlands Police logged more than 240 incidents of motorists losing their cool last year across Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. While Cardiff topped the list, with 301 instances of drivers fighting with other road users in the city. Closely followed by Leicester at 291.

As part of the research, Motorfinity also asked police forces for the number of counts of dangerous driving, of which Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton ranked fourth with a total of 178 incidents in 2021. While Oxford topped the list with 480 counts, followed by 363 for Bradford.

Motorfinity CEO Daniel Briggs said: “These results show that some cities are clear hotspots when it comes to angry or impatient drivers. All of the top 10 are very busy urban areas, but it doesn’t necessarily follow that more motorists means more anger.

Instead, the fact that the top few cities are so far ahead suggests that drivers may unknowingly copy each others’ bad behaviour. It’s never pleasant to be on the receiving end of road rage, but it’s also pretty unpleasant to be a regularly angry driver. Motoring should be an enjoyable experience or at least one that people don’t dread.

“Given that road rage is generally considered commonplace, it’s likely that someone experiencing it has also been on the receiving end of another driver’s anger at some point. So it’s worth remembering that a car door probably doesn’t insulate your emotions as much as you first think.”