Over half of drivers in the UK have admitted to regularly getting angry behind the wheel (51%), with a further 1 in 4 drivers (25%) even swearing at others when making a journey.
Experts at car finance company Zuto have conducted research to find out what annoys UK drivers the most, as well as identifying which cities suffer with the worst road rage.
With over half of UK drivers agreeing (52%), the pet peeve that annoys people the most is “cars getting too close behind you”.
Drivers also get angry when others use late or no indicators, with 50% of people selecting this as one of the pet peeves that annoys them the most.
Boy racers, who are often fans of driving fast and aggressively, are another annoyance for many, with these individuals providing rage for 48% of people.
Not only do other drivers frustrate us, but certain aspects of the roads themselves also contribute to our rage. Potholes frustrate over half of UK drivers (60%). This is followed by speed bumps, which annoy almost a third of us (30%).
The Most frustrated cities
The cities where drivers admit to having road rage either most of the time or every time they drive are as follows:
Our anger towards others on the road changes from city to city, with some unable to hide their emotions.
People driving in Leeds may be exposed to more abuse if they make a mistake as 43% of drivers in the Yorkshire city resort to swearing at others when another driver annoys them.
Taking this one step further, 10% of drivers in London would physically get out of their car when annoyed with another driver, the highest in the country.
The Most annoying car brands
Across the UK, the top three brands with the worst reputations are BMW with 1 in 5 of the votes (19%), followed by Range Rover (16%) and then with Mini (11%).
Interestingly, different car brands have different connotations for drivers here in the UK, depending on where you are in the country.
For example, in Birmingham drivers find those with BMW’s the most annoying (21%). However, in Leeds, Range Rovers are seen to be the most annoying (25%).
Commenting on the research, Lucy Sherliker, Head of Customer at Zuto says: “Whilst we can often think of driving as just a way of getting from one place to another, this research proves that it’s often a cause of great frustration for people in the UK.
“Whether it be the driver’s fault or even the roads themselves, driving can make many of us quite emotional at times.
“We would always encourage drivers to remain calm on the roads and look to respect others, no matter how annoying the situation may be!”