November 18, 2008

This week (17th – 21st November), is Anti-Bullying week on the UK’s roads.  The RAC is encouraging drivers to bone up on their knowledge of the Highway Code in order to facilitate this.

Driver bullying is more commonly known as ‘road rage’, and often arises when people drive badly and inconvenience other road users.  That the reaction of the other road users is both extreme and unnecessary is not under debate, but if it’s occurence can be made less frequent by better driving the roads will be a more pleasant place to be. 

Drivers become over confident as they gain more familiarity with life behind the wheel and there is a tendency to feel that driving skills are better than they really are.  Being over confident can lead to actions and reactions being less honed than is ideal, which in turn can lead to accidents.  Other ‘lazy’ driving techniques can slip in, such as middle lane ‘hogging’ and driving with fog lights on when the fog has cleared.  These practices can infuriate other road users, which in turn can lead to aggressive and bullying behaviour.

People being unsure of both what to do in certain situations, and how other drivers are likely to behave, can cause similarly stressful circumstances, leading again to frayed nerves.  Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, as well as older drivers, may feel intimidated. A good working knowledge of the Highway Code can help everyone to do the right thing and to be confident on our roads.
The Highway Code is widely available with quizzes and versions for different road user groups.  Visit:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070190

For a Highway Code Quiz created by the RAC Foundation for National Anti-Bullying Week, why not take 5 minutes to test your knowledge?

http://www.theory-tests.co.uk/home/

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