Melbourne Chat

[left]Driver rage against traffic congestion [/left]

A recent survey has shown that 77% of drivers say traffic congestion is the main cause of road rage and 86% of drivers believe drivers are becoming more aggressive. The survey was conducted in Australia by a local insurance company.



"The AAMI survey results show most Australian drivers believe aggression on the road is increasing, and that traffic congestion is a major contributor to the problem," said AAMI Public Affairs Manager Geoff Hughes.



"Although most drivers agree road rage is a problem, only one in five (18%) admit to being an impatient driver themselves."



Most Australian drivers (92%) have experienced some form of road rage or aggression from other drivers. Of those who have experienced road rage, the majority have been on the receiving end of rude gestures (79%) but disturbingly, two-thirds have experienced more threatening behaviours such as tailgating (67%) and one in five (18%) have been forced off the road.



"Although two-thirds of drivers say they have been tailgated, only one in ten drivers (10%) admit to tailgating another driver," said Mr Hughes.



"Four in ten drivers admit they have yelled/sworn at another driver for doing something that was rude or dangerous (41%) and a similar proportion (42%) have gestured rudely or yelled at another driver.



Hopefully we can all learn to cool off and take a few deep breathes before we wind down that window to hurl an insult!



More information can be obtained at the AAMI website: aami.com.au

funny how no one admits to being a road rager! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[quote name='glen' post='874' date='Nov 21 2006, 10:05 AM'][left]Driver rage against traffic congestion [/left]

A recent survey has shown that 77% of drivers say traffic congestion is the main cause of road rage and 86% of drivers believe drivers are becoming more aggressive. The survey was conducted in Australia by a local insurance company.



"The AAMI survey results show most Australian drivers believe aggression on the road is increasing, and that traffic congestion is a major contributor to the problem," said AAMI Public Affairs Manager Geoff Hughes.



"Although most drivers agree road rage is a problem, only one in five (18%) admit to being an impatient driver themselves."



Most Australian drivers (92%) have experienced some form of road rage or aggression from other drivers. Of those who have experienced road rage, the majority have been on the receiving end of rude gestures (79%) but disturbingly, two-thirds have experienced more threatening behaviours such as tailgating (67%) and one in five (18%) have been forced off the road.



"Although two-thirds of drivers say they have been tailgated, only one in ten drivers (10%) admit to tailgating another driver," said Mr Hughes.



"Four in ten drivers admit they have yelled/sworn at another driver for doing something that was rude or dangerous (41%) and a similar proportion (42%) have gestured rudely or yelled at another driver.



Hopefully we can all learn to cool off and take a few deep breathes before we wind down that window to hurl an insult!



More information can be obtained at the AAMI website: [url="http://www.aami.com.au"]http://www.aami.com.au[/url][/quote]







The formula for road rage is simple. I've driven it for twenty years ten in Adelaide and the last ten in Melbourne



It goes thus



Step 1/ Governments and police scapegoat hooning as the SOLE cause of the road toll. (To the toal neglect of everything else that causes crashes)



Step 2/ With the police crackdown on people driving thier cars like cruise missles people stop driving them like cruise missles and start driving them like battering rams instead.



Step 3/ This results in road hogging. ie failure to indicate, failure to give way, slow vehicles hogging the right lane. (HOw long since you've heard of a vehicle booked for failure to give way? Yet they change lanes right on top of you every day. Melbourne taxis have become the worst offendors.



step 4/ This road hogging causes road rage. Drivers HAVE to use thier horns, and use them aggresively, to stop the road hogs barging out in front of them. Thisisn't actually road rage. It's road safety.

nice one!!!!! some of the lane changing (dodging and weaving) i observe on the freeway is absolutely insane.



i use the monash freeway quite a bit and i have to be glad i make it to work in one piece!!! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



and the last few times i caught a cab during peak hour i was also glad to survive as my taxi drivers were nuts!

Warfare on the freeway!



Happens a lot around here too, especially when 4WD truck "thingys" stay in the right (wrong) lane holding up traffic <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/dry.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Sounds like home to me. <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> I'll just have to get used to smiling and waving people in from the other side of the car.



Real simple rule I have when driving - leave enough time to allow for other people to not leave enough time and try to make up for it by driving like hyperactive kids. I just smile and wave people in.



I took a mate's favorite saying when he came up here for a visit - "No hurries, no worries" - and turned it into the mindset I have while driving.



And Powerzone - we have the same issue here with SUVs and other over sized vehicles. They seem to have two speeds: "I'm gonna push my way into your front seat from behind" and "My foot's to delicate to apply pressure". I just avoid them all.



Though I do have to confess - I enjoy going exactly the speed limit when someone is tailgating. Drives them nuts when I smile and wave.

hahaha i will try the waving thing next time i have a tailgater! <img src='http://www.melbournechat.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />