Drivers' behaviour on the road has a ripple effect

17 December 2015

Story from the Road Safety Knowledge Centre.

A new study has concluded that aggressive behaviour on the road by one driver causes others to behave in a similar fashion.

The study, released last week by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the tyre manufacturer Goodyear, found that drivers’ choices of behaviour on the road trigger what is described as a ‘ripple effect’.

In a survey of nearly 9,000 drivers from 15 European countries, 87% of those surveyed agreed that considerate driving by others can prompt them, in turn, to be considerate to other drivers.

Conversely, 55% admitted that when irritated or provoked on the road by one driver, they may be more likely to take it out on another.

The report suggests a ‘simple act of kindness or one of aggression can initiate a chain of events creating an environment that is either comfortable and safer, or stressful and more dangerous for drivers’.