Angry aggressive drivers for no reason cause more anxiety!!

[Jessie1995]

I have driving anxiety but realised one of the main things that triggers my anxiety when driving is angry agreesive drivers.. anyone else feel this way??
I feel like in the last year or 2 everyone has got a lot angrier on the roads and more impatient!!
last few days I’ve had ( mainly men in vans 🙈) tailgate, sound their horn, swear etc at me for no actual reason!

these are some of the reasons for this week:
I was driving 30mph in a 30mph zone and he didn’t like it but instead of simply overtaking just tailgated and shouted at me instead!

I was turning right where you have a little box to go into with the arrow and there wasn’t any room for me to fit in the box so I waited behind the cross line incase the lights changed to red! Man behind did not like that and wanted me to go forward not sure where too & where he thought he was going too!?

And today there was a car reversing out of a space onto the road I was travelling on. They were 1/4 of the way out when I approached them so I stopped and let them out the space and also let a man cross infront of me whilst I was waiting as he was waiting to cross! But then I get tooted at from the person behind me??

Anybody else have situations like this? I’m finding it hard to just ignore when it’s a daily occurance over nothing!? Fair enough if I cut someone up accidentally I’d maybe expect something but those 3 examples from my week I’m not sure justify me being tailgated sworn at or tooted at!

had to rant as it’s really not helping my anxiety at the minute 🙈🙈🥲

Just ignore van drivers. They think they're the only road users and don't understand that they're traffic just like everyone else.

People are arseholes on the road. You are driving really courteously and some drivers don't like that as it holds them up. Their problem, not yours. Just ignore

You're not wrong.
There are some very aggressive drivers.
I need to fit my cam to send footage to local police. It's getting crazy

Yup little car "chasing" me beeping it's horn going crazy riding my bumper really beeping flashing lights I think there is something really wrong with my car (because why else is the driver doing that?) So I slowed down thinking maybe my wheel is dropping off or something 😂 turns out he wanted to get past totally counter productive on his part because we were on a narrow road nowhere for me to pull over cars coming towards us and I slowed down all he achieved was high blood pressure

Dickhead

Book a refresher driving lesson and use it to get the instructor to confirm you are doing the right thing in these situations and it is the aggressive driver who has the problem not you.
If you have confidence in yourself you will find it easier to not get stressed by the idiots. It is clear they are being idiots but it is making you question yourself rather than roll your eyes and not give them a second thought as a more confident driver would.

DH has a round trip of 500 miles weekly. Uses a mix of 3 vehicles... SUV, 3 door Clio, and a Motorbike. He's commented many times on how the 3 different vehicles are treated by people, especially van drivers.

People are a lot more aggressive towards him in the clio for example. He's not sure whether its the size, or the assumption that the clio is more likely to have an older, female driver.

I drive 4 to 5 hundred miles a week. Central and greater London, round the M25 and down to the south coast. I'm a sensible steady driver and drive to the conditions. I can't remember the last time I was beeped or sworn at. You've probably just been unlucky, but I'd second the PPs suggestion of a check/refresher lesson if this is happening to you on a regular basis.

Yeah, I too experience this almost daily- it's very unpleasant. I am a Micra driver and so @PuttingDownRoots 's post above is probably quite accurate! I do 30 mph in built-up areas and also struggle to turn safely imo as they speed behind me even though I slow down and indicate in good time. I end up beeping my horn to warn them that I'm turning. I usually try and pull over with tailgaters, if I can. It's definitely got worse over the last couple of years.

I've noticed this when I had to hire cars that are a lot smaller than my car.

Other drivers are more aggressive unless I have a passenger.

Wouldn't it be great if horns were banned! I cannot remember the last time someone used one for the (only) reason they are meant to be used - to warn of danger. They're just horrible.

I think most people are miserable, and miserable people are stressed and drive horribly.

It is also very localised. I live in North Yorkshire and my parents are in Essex and the drivers up here are noticeably more chilled.

Yup to this. I used to have to hire cars for work and was given all sorts of them.

The most likely to attract this behaviour are the smaller and cheaper cars. The bigger or more expensive the car was, the less likely it was that anyone behaved like this.

Ignore them, OP. Alternatively, I find the retro hand signal for 'wanker' is most therapeutic. Even if performed below the window line so no one knows except me (shamefully, not always).

Some of them do give you a bit of warning though. A BMW or Audi you expect to be driven by someone with anger, if a man because of real or perceived inadequacies about a particular body part.

Yes, BMW and Audi drivers are invariably aggressive and speedy! Particularly the white cars for some reason (my own theory! )

I’d second a PP’s advice concerning an advanced driving course - if only to give you confidence in your own driving.

It sounds from your descriptions like the other drivers are all in the wrong but equally is it possible your anxiety is making you overly hesitant?

Not going forward into the box on a crossing is understandable if your lights been on green for a while - but not moving forward when the lights just changed is being over cautious.

Same with the person reversing into the road - you have right of way so really shouldn’t have stopped unless not stopping would have caused an accident - it’s like those people who stop a flow of traffic to let someone out of a side road to be nice when really it just causes more traffic build up.

30 in a 30 is obviously correct and legal - but were you driving a steady 30 or does your anxiety make you continuously check and apply the brakes? Thereby making you unpredictable to follow - still no excuse for shouting and tailgating you though.

Thank you.
it’s one of those junctions where at certain times of day you don’t get a green arrow to go so you simply wait for a space in traffic to go right. Which basically allows 1/2 cars through. There was already 2 cars in the box so I simply could not go anywhere I was not going to sit half across the line and it go red just for some van driver who clearly couldn’t see I couldn’t go anywhere!

understandable regarding letting someone out when it’s my right of way however they were already 1/4 of the way out into my road so I’d have had to swerve around them so easiest thing was to let them out really! So I thought haha!

and the 30 in a 30 I always do pretty much the exact maybe 29/30 I don’t tend to go slow then fast like I do see some people doing I think some people just don’t like people who stick to the speed limit!

from other peoples post I’m assuming it’s more the fact I am in a small car! But I may get some extra advanced lessons just to give me the confidence to not let me think it’s my own driving and to just ignolre others!
thank you

I’ve done around 600 miles this week. On two NSL dual Carriageway I’d say at least 50% of drivers were doing 50/60mph (no reason not to do 70mph), there was right lane hogging galore, straddling lanes, cutting roundabouts. Sitting in the right hand lane because there is a lorry 2 miles ahead, or because they’ll be turning right in 2 miles time. Then people doing 40 in the 30, 40 and 50 areas, of course.

General standard of driving in this country is woeful. I try to drive mainly at night to minimise the number —of absolute idiots— I share the road with. 😡

If your speedo shows 30, you’ll probably be doing 27. There’s a tolerance built in. So if you want to drive at 30, your Speedo needs to read over 30mph.

Thank you but I still don’t think this means I deserve to be tooted, tailgated and sworn at for simply doing the speed limit according to my Speedo!

Just be aware of it. It multiplies up. You think you’re doing 70 but could only be doing 64.

Isn't it depressing that men think they can bully and toot small cars because they think a women is in there? Pathetic really and really cowardly that they wouldn't do it to other men.

I drive a small car and get treated so aggressively I'm thinking of changing my car. Constantly tail gated even though I drive at the speed limit and keep up with traffic, I'm pulled out on constantly too.
I agree people just have no courtesy or patience in general.

We have two cars. One a very small run around and one larger suv family size car. I find I get horribly treated in our small car. It's so noticeable that we are thinking of changing it for a bigger car simply to feel safer. I drive the same in both cars.

I’m a van driver- nice to see people tarnishing us all with the same brush. I do 800-1000 miles a week. Sure some people are impatient and of course some people are dicks, but I have a bigger issue with idiots who sit in the middle lane. I saw a woman in a car yesterday all over the place hit another car because she wasn’t looking. People who are incapable of motorway driving and think the all the traffic should cater to them, I could go on. It’s not just van drivers. I get major anxiety from old people going through red lights!

I know how you feel OP . I haven’t experienced the same as you but often have drivers who seem to think I am driving too slow purposely driving super close behind and it’s really stressful trying to concentrate when they do this. Also had someone beep at me and stick middle finger up cos he thought I was too slow. The road had speedbumps and was 20mph!

also I get a similar irritated reaction often in supermarket. People are so so quick to be annoyed if they think you are in their way. It’s a really horrible way to go about your day and makes the world so unfriendly. I was in M&S and there was an older lady sort of blocking the pudding section with her trolley and another woman was so annoyed about it rolling her eyes and tutting. She looked at me like she wanted wanted me to join in bullying the poor old lady. I don’t know what is wrong with people.