Iceberg Road Rage
Still steaming about your journey to work?
Eight out of ten motorists on Britain's roads has admitted to getting angry at other drivers, and almost half of them confess to giving V-signs and fingers - although they deliberately make sure the rude gestures can't be seen!
And a staggering half of all motorists say they spend miles after an incident plotting how they would take their revenge on the other driver - without having any intention of ever really doing so.
The leading psychologist who conducted the survey reckons that these angry thoughts and hidden hand movements can be more dangerous and distracting than actual violence between drivers on Britain's highways.
Dr David Lewis, the man credited with first coining the phrase 'road rage', has discovered the new motoring menace which he's dubbed Iceberg Road Rage Syndrome.
His survey reveals that not only is Iceberg Road Rage becoming increasingly widespread, but it can prove even more dangerous than the more obvious displays of fury between angry motorists.
While Iceberg drivers rarely resort to abusive words, obscene gestures or actual violence against another motorist, they do confess to thinking angry thoughts about an inconsiderate fellow motorist.
According to Dr Lewis, these angry thoughts still make them a menace behind the wheel by distracting them from the road ahead, and as a result, they tend to drive much more dangerously and far less responsibly.
Eight out of ten drivers surveyed said they frequently muttered angrily under their breath, four out of ten admitted to making a rude gesture but not so that it could be seen, while a third said they brooded angrily about what they considered dangerous or inconsiderate driving on the part of other motorists.
Such angry thoughts can occupy a motorist's mind for a considerable amount of time, with one in ten admitting that their furious broodings continued for an hour or more, and six out of ten admitted they focused on what had just happened for up to ten minutes.
"These bitter ruminations distract drivers and prevent them from devoting their full attention to road conditions and other vehicles ," said Dr Lewis.
"They may also make them drive less courteously and more riskily as they fantasise about taking their revenge on the offending motorists. Bear in mind that, if driving on a motorway, even a 10 minute distraction means someone driving at the legal limit will have covered several miles, while an hour's worth of distraction could take the driver's mind off their task for seventy miles or more ."
"I've called this syndrome Iceberg Road Rage Syndrome because most of it is hidden beneath what may appear an outwardly calm surface. "
sufficiently with errant motorist at the time rather than nuturing or plotting any subsequent thoughts of revenge? 
Perhaps we ought to go a stage further and have lay-bys set aside with a boxing ring, gloves, set of Queensbury Rules etc. in order that said agitants can give each other a really good slap for 10 minutes or so and then shake hands...subsequently rejoining the Queens highway in a more positive frame of mind...
I will admit, I snap all the time in my car, and its all because these idiot drivers do 50mph on the highway in the left lane, or see a car on the side of the road and slam their brakes like there going to hit it, even though the car is atleast one lanes width away. You know the people im talking about, the ones that just look totally clueless as if they dont have a brain when driving. They sit totally upright, two hands on the wheel and just stare forward the entire time, NEVER once looking into their rearview mirror or side view mirrors to notice they are the cause of miles traffic behind them. See, im PISSED right now just thinking about it.
Why do the media not have a campaign about the behaviour that triggers the incident rather than pillory the driver who has just been bullied for the umpteenth time in a slow and tedious journey.
scrutineer said:
There is so much talk about road rage now but one thing seems to always be forgotten that if so many drivers were to drive without the pig-ignorant attitudes seen so often, then the rage would not occur.Deliberately driving up the wrong lane and forcing in,fog lights,middle lane drivers........
Why do the media not have a campaign about the behaviour that triggers the incident rather than pillory the driver who has just been bullied for the umpteenth time in a slow and tedious journey.
Good point.
"They may also make them drive less courteously and more riskily as they fantasise about taking their revenge on the offending motorists. Bear in mind that, if driving on a motorway, even a 10 minute distraction
means someone driving at the legal limit will have covered several miles, while an hour's worth of distraction could take the driver's mind off their task for seventy miles or more ." I should say even a 3 second distraction can kill!
Are there penalties in UK when pulled over by the coppers?
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