Blog

Most drivers in the country have witnessed acts of road rage, and more than half have admitted engaging in it, according to a recent survey.

The survey, conducted by Leger on behalf of RatesDotCa, found 83% of Canadian drivers reported observing acts of road rage in the past year, including honking, tailgating, rolling down the vehicle window to yell, and exiting the vehicle to confront someone. But only 56% of the 1,545 surveyed licensed drivers reported engaging in these acts themselves.

“These numbers are up from 2022, with the number of drivers observing road rage incidents increasing five percentage points, while the number of those engaging in acts of road rage also rising five percentage points,” RatesDotCa said in a statement.

Men more likely to confront

The survey found both men and women show similar frequency when it comes to how much they engage in road rage (57% compared to 55%). But men are significantly more likely to be involved in confrontational person-to-person behaviours, including rolling down the window to yell at someone (11% of men compared to 6% of women), stopping to exit their vehicle to confront another person (5% compared to 2%) and cutting off another driver (17% vs. 13%).

Younger drivers are angrier than others on the road, the survey found. Seven per cent of young drivers aged 18 to 34 reported stopping and leaving a vehicle to confront someone in the past year compared with 2% of those aged 35 and older.

Road rage can be deadly. Consider:

• In April of this year, according to CBC News, a 21-year-old Mississauga died after crashing into another car during a road rage incident. Police responded to a six-vehicle collision on Highway 400 in Innisfil, Ont., where police say two vehicles were "road raging" while travelling southbound. Then, the 21-year-old driver crossed the centre median of the highway and hit a pickup truck travelling north, according to OPP, causing his car to roll. He died of his injuries.
• In May, four people were injured, two seriously, after a road rage incident led to a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 403 in Mississauga. According to CTV News, police said some type of altercation broke out between the occupants of two vehicles, which resulted in one driver cutting the other off, slamming on their brakes, and coming to a full stop in live lanes of traffic. Other motorists also got caught up in the chain-reaction collision. One vehicle, flipped onto its side and two other vehicles ended up in the ditch. A 35-year-old driver was charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm and stunt driving.

Not specifically a criminal offence

Road rage itself is not explicitly defined as a specific criminal offence under Canadian law. However, many of the aggressive and violent behaviours associated with road rage are crimes. According to Filkow Law, these offences may include:

• Dangerous Driving: Engaging in driving behaviour that poses a significant risk to the safety of others, such as excessive speeding, reckless maneuvers, or deliberately causing collisions.
• Assault: Physically attacking or threatening another person during a road rage incident, which can be charged as assault.
• Assault With A Weapon: Using a vehicle as a weapon in the course of an assault is assault with a weapon.
• Assault Causing Bodily Harm: Assaulting someone and causing them any injury is assault causing bodily harm.
• Aggravated Assault: Assaulting someone and causing them serious injury or endangering their life is aggravated assault.
• Hit and Run: Hitting the other driver’s vehicle and then leaving the scene of the accident.
• Mischief: Intentionally damaging or vandalizing another person’s vehicle or property, such as damaging the windshield or side mirror.
• Uttering Threats: Making threats to cause harm or kill another person.
• Criminal Negligence Causing Injury: Driving in a manner that is negligent and injuring someone.
• Criminal Negligence Causing Death: Driving in a negligent way and causing a death, such as striking a third party or pedestrian during a road rage incident.
• Murder/Manslaughter: Dangerous driving where the driver causes death may be charged as murder or manslaughter, depending on the circumstances.

Many provinces also have traffic laws that prohibit driving associated with road rage.

A convicted offender may face fines, a criminal record, driving prohibitions, and even jail time – not to mention suspension or revocation of a driver’s licence. There are also applicable fines and demerit points that may be applied.

Breach of insurance contract

Generally, for the drivers, violent acts from road rage would fall outside the scope of auto insurance. For example, section 55(7.1) of B.C.’s Insurance (Vehicle) Regulation says an insured driver breaches their insurance contract if they intentionally commit an act of violence with a vehicle “unless the insured is a mentally disordered person at the time of the act.” Insurance companies may take legal action, affecting the offender’s premiums and coverage.

But victims of road rage may have their damage insured, depending on the coverage.

An offender involved in road rage incidents may also be sued civilly for property damage or bodily injury.

In Ontario, dangerous driving accelerated post-pandemic, a 2022 CAA South Central Ontario and DIG Insights study found. Speeding was the most common dangerous driving behaviour observed, followed by aggressive driving, unsafe lane changes, and distracted driving.

- With files from Canadian Underwriter, RatesDotCa

RELATED READING:

What is high risk insurance?

Understanding demerit points