They cut in without signalling, speed, tailgate, yak on their cell phones and blast their horns in anger.
B.C. motorists are a belligerent bunch. So says a new opinion survey conducted by Ipsos Reid for ICBC. According to the poll, 55 per cent of residents believe drivers in their communities have become less courteous over the past five years. Most people surveyed (82 per cent) had encountered fellow drivers who were late in signalling or didn’t signal at all – the single biggest peeve cited in the survey. Seventy-one per cent reported being tailgated, 68 per cent said other drivers refused to let them merge or change lanes and half said they’d been cut off. But there were also the bad-mannered louts who yelled, swore, made obscene gestures, waved their arms or fists, flashed their lights menacingly, and even (let the road rage begin) stole parking spots.
Who are these motoring miscreants, these behind-the-wheel warriors whose heated emotions can impair other drivers’ ability to concentrate and react on the road, thereby putting everyone at increased risk of crashing?
Certainly not you… right?
Along with drivers behaving badly, the poll also revealed an amusing disconnect: drivers in denial. While those surveyed gave their fellow motorists a “C” letter grade for courteous driving, they gave themselves a stellar “A” or “B” rating. In other words, most drivers don’t believe they’re part of the problem. Next time you get annoyed in traffic, better give that mirror a second look.
-Surrey Leader
