Crime is up significantly as technology company finds UK drivers are increasingly stressed by personal lives
Road rage incidents have increased by more than a third in the UK since the turn of the decade – and new research claims problems in drivers’ personal lives and not just problems on the roads are behind the rise.
The number of police reports of crimes caused by road rage or aggressive driving increased by 34% between 2021 and 2025 (the newest data available), and Department for Transport (DfT) data reveals 10% of the 1454 deaths on Britain’s roads in 2023 were linked to aggressive behaviour.
Now, a new study has investigated the causes of driver rage. Road safety technology company Ooono found that 33% of UK drivers are stressed by a lack of sleep, 29% by work pressure, 27% by financial pressure, 24% by family or relationship pressure and 21% by health concerns.
“While road rage is often dismissed as bad driving, this research shows it’s much more personal than that,” said Ooono’s UK chief operating officer, Sean Morris. “By the time people get into the car, they’re often already carrying stress from work, family or financial worries. The road is where that pressure comes out and, unfortunately, it’s coming out as anger.”
While growing stress is clearly a contributory factor, the UK’s changing road environment can’t be discounted as a cause. According to the latest estimates by the DfT, 336.9 billion vehicle miles were driven on Britain’s roads during the year ending June 2025, a 0.9% year-on-year increase and not far short of the number recorded in 2019 (prior to the Covid pandemic and before many businesses offered working from home days).
The number of roadworks and streetworks has also increased. There were 2.2 million works carried out in England between 2023 and 2024 and over the past 10 years there has been a 30% increase in utility streetworks alone.
A recent study by Autocar of a typical streetworks project calculated that, between 6am and 6pm over the course of five days, it was responsible for delaying drivers for a total of 270 hours.
Surveys have found that drivers aged 17-34 are most likely to commit acts of road rage.
Lisa Murphy, a registered therapist, told Autocar that “basic relaxing breathing techniques” are a good way to stop feelings of road rage. This is important, she said, because even brief moments of frustration behind the wheel can cause drivers to lose control.
Most Common Rage Triggers
Percentage
Tailgating
33%
Incorrect or lack of indication
30%
Traffic
27%
Sudden lane changes
24%
Middle-lane hogging
24%
Source: Survey of UK drivers by First Response Finance, November 2025
