Road Rage, Mental Health and Road Safety

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Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information and awareness purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice. Road traffic laws and regulations may change, and individual circumstances differ. Drivers should consult the current Highway Code, GOV.UK guidance and, where necessary, seek appropriate legal advice.

When a Horn Becomes Intimidation: Patience Could Prevent an Accident

Why Impatience Behind the Wheel Can Put Lives at Risk

Driving is something millions of people do every day, yet we rarely know anything about the person sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle in front of us.

They could be an experienced driver, a learner, an elderly motorist, someone with a physical disability, someone living with anxiety, a person recovering from an accident, or someone experiencing symptoms from a neurological or other medical condition.

They could simply be trying to obey the law.

Yet a moment of impatience from another road user, aggressive horn use, tailgating, flashing headlights, shouting, gesturing or attempting to force another vehicle forward, can turn an ordinary journey into an extremely stressful experience.

Road safety should never become a competition over who can get somewhere fastest.

Yellow Box Junctions: Do Not Allow Another Motorist to Pressure You

One common source of frustration occurs at traffic lights and yellow box junctions.

Rule 174 of the Highway Code states that motorists must not enter a box junction until their exit road or lane is clear, subject to the limited exception for drivers waiting to turn right who are prevented from doing so by oncoming traffic or other vehicles waiting to turn right.

Importantly, a green traffic light does not automatically mean it is safe or lawful to enter the box.

Cardiff Council specifically advises motorists:

• Check that their exit is clear;
• Avoid simply following the vehicle in front;
• Remember that a green light does not override the rules governing box junctions; and
• Not to allow another driver to pressure them into entering the box when a clear exit is unavailable.

Therefore, if someone behind you sounds their horn because you refuse to enter a junction that you believe you may not be able to clear, their impatience does not change your responsibility as the driver.

You are responsible for your own vehicle.

The Horn Is Not an Instrument for Expressing Anger

Some motorists appear to treat their horn as a way of saying:

“Move!”

“Hurry up!”

“Get out of my way!”

That is not what the horn is intended for.

Rule 112 of the Highway Code says the horn should be used while a vehicle is moving when it is necessary to warn another road user of the driver’s presence. It also specifically states:

“Never sound your horn aggressively.”

There are also restrictions on sounding a horn while stationary and during certain nighttime hours in built-up areas, except where another road user poses a danger.

Similarly, headlights should not be flashed as a means of intimidation. Rule 110 says headlights should only be flashed to let other road users know that you are there.

Road Rage Can Affect Mental Health

Road rage does not always involve physical violence.

It can include:

• Aggressive horn use;
• Repeated flashing of headlights;
• Driving extremely close behind another vehicle;
• Shouting or swearing;
• Threatening gestures;
• Deliberately blocking another vehicle;
• Repeatedly overtaking and braking;
• Trying to force another driver to move;
• Following another vehicle aggressively;
• Confronting a motorist when vehicles stop; or
• Using a vehicle itself as a means of intimidation.

For someone already living with anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, OCD or another mental health condition, aggressive behaviour from another motorist can potentially trigger significant distress.

Even someone with no diagnosed mental health condition may experience fear, shaking, rapid heartbeat, anger, confusion or impaired concentration following an aggressive encounter.

That creates another safety problem.

A frightened or distressed driver may find it harder to concentrate on the road ahead.

The sensible objective should therefore be to reduce stress on the road rather than create it.

Disability Is Not Always Visible

Motorists should also remember that disability cannot always be seen.

A person who hesitates at a junction may have a perfectly valid reason.

They may have:

• Reduced mobility;
• Chronic pain;
• Neurological symptoms;
• Visual difficulties;
• Hearing impairment;
• Cognitive impairment;
• Anxiety;
• PTSD;
• Autism;
• A condition affecting concentration or processing speed;
• A previous traumatic experience involving a vehicle; or
• Another disability or medical condition which is invisible to surrounding motorists.

Equally, they may simply be exercising reasonable caution.

The Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users expressly recognises that children, older adults and disabled people may be at greater risk. It states that everyone should be considerate and understand their responsibility for the safety of others.

Rule 204 also specifically identifies disabled people among road users requiring particular awareness and care.

This does not mean disabled drivers have different traffic-light rules.

It means road users should recognise that not everybody experiences the road in the same way.

Drivers Have a Responsibility to Other Road Users

Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it an offence to drive without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other people using the road or public place.

Rule 144 of the Highway Code consequently states that motorists must not:

• Drive dangerously;
• Drive without due care and attention; or
• Drive without reasonable consideration for other road users.

Rule 147 goes further by telling motorists to be considerate, patient and understanding.

It recognises that another driver may be inexperienced or unfamiliar with an area and advises motorists not to become agitated if someone behaves badly. It specifically warns drivers against following another vehicle too closely in order to intimidate the driver.

These are principles every motorist should remember.

Being Late Is Not Another Driver’s Emergency

• Traffic happens.
• Roadworks happen.
• Accidents happen.
• School traffic happens.
• People stall their cars.
• Learners make mistakes.
• Someone unfamiliar with an area may take longer to determine which lane they require.
• A pedestrian may need longer to cross the road.
• A disabled or elderly person may move more slowly.

None of these situations gives another motorist the right to intimidate someone.

If arriving somewhere at a specific time is important, motorists should, wherever possible, allow additional travelling time.

Leaving home ten or twenty minutes earlier is considerably safer than trying to recover lost time by speeding, tailgating, undertaking, aggressively sounding the horn or pressuring other drivers.

Being late for an appointment does not give anyone priority over somebody else’s safety.

Road Rage Can Escalate Very Quickly

One of the dangers of retaliating to aggressive driving is that nobody knows how the other person will respond.

• A raised hand can become an argument.
• An argument can become a confrontation.
• A confrontation can potentially become violence.

The safest response is usually not to participate.

If another driver becomes aggressive:

• Remain inside your vehicle where appropriate;
• Keep your doors locked if you feel threatened;
• Avoid retaliatory gestures;
• Do not deliberately brake or obstruct them;
• Give them space to pass where it is safe;
• Concentrate on your own driving;
• Do not follow them;
• Avoid stopping to confront them;
• If necessary, drive to a safe public place; and
• Contact the police if you genuinely believe you are in danger.

A dashcam may also provide useful evidence where serious driving behaviour needs to be reported.

What About LED “Middle Finger” Signs in Car Windows?

Novelty illuminated signs are sold online that allow motorists to display hand gestures or messages to drivers behind them.

Although they may be marketed as humorous accessories, motorists should be extremely cautious about using them on UK roads.

There are several potential issues.

The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 regulate lighting displayed from vehicles, including what colours may be shown towards the rear, and prohibit lamps from being used in ways that cause undue dazzle or discomfort to other road users.

A device displaying a deliberately offensive or provocative gesture could also create public-order issues depending upon exactly how it was used and the surrounding circumstances. The Public Order Act 1986 includes offences involving threatening or abusive behaviour and, in particular circumstances, displayed signs or visible representations intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress or provoke violence.

Trying to operate a novelty display while driving could additionally distract the driver from the road.

Therefore, although a middle-finger LED sign may sound amusing when discussing an irritating motorist, the safest option is not to install or use one on a road-going vehicle.

The best response to road rage is not more road rage.

Think Before You Beep

Before sounding the horn at the vehicle in front, ask yourself:

Can I actually see what that driver can see?

• You may not be able to see the pedestrian approaching the crossing.
• You may not see that the junction ahead is blocked.
• You may not know whether the traffic lights are changing.
• You may not know whether that motorist has recently passed their test.
• You certainly cannot tell simply by looking at a vehicle whether its driver has a disability, medical condition or anxiety disorder.

A few seconds of patience costs nothing.

Aggressive driving, on the other hand, can cost considerably more.

Road Safety Requires Empathy

The roads would be safer if motorists stopped viewing every slower vehicle as an inconvenience.

Driving should involve observation, judgement, patience and consideration.

• Not intimidation.
• Not competition.
• Not anger.
• Not retaliation.

Every vehicle contains a human being.

• Some are confident.
• Some are nervous.
• Some have driven for decades.
• Some passed their test last month.
• Some are disabled.
• Some are experiencing pain.
• Some are travelling to hospital.
• Some are dealing with anxiety.

And some are simply trying to obey the Highway Code while another person behind them is impatiently demanding that they move.

We should never pressure another motorist into breaking a traffic rule merely because we want to arrive somewhere a few seconds earlier.

• If congestion is likely, leave earlier.
• If somebody hesitates, give them space.
• If another road user makes a genuine mistake, allow them to correct it.
• And if somebody refuses to enter a junction because they believe it is unsafe, respect their decision.

Your destination can wait. A person’s safety cannot.

Sources

• https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/home
• https://highwaycode.org.uk/rule-112/
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/3
• https://highwaycode.org.uk/rule-144/
• https://highwaycode.org.uk/rule-147/
• https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/general-rules-techniques-and-advice-for-all-drivers-riders.html
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/using-the-road-159-to-203
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/road-users-requiring-extra-care-204-to-225
• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/introduction
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/3
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/contents
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/64/contents
• https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/boxjunctions