Do people in the UK get road rage? Best insult you've heard?
Posted by MsMcSlothyFace@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 119 comments
wondering if drivers in the UK are as aggressive as drivers in the US. i swear, they're so territorial and take it way too personally.
wondering if you've ever been shouted at, whats the best insult another driver has yelled at you?
Robberg118@reddit
Joke: mum at breakfast asks little Johnny if he prefers grandma or grandad driving him to school. Little Johnny says grandad. When mum asks why, he says that when grandma takes him he doesn't see any blind bastards, pricks or wankers.
Silent_Doubt3672@reddit
I used to love saying 'cunt badger' when i was angry with other drivers.
The other day, driving through brimigham someone made the 'wanker' sign at me and my friend....like thats so 90s š¤£
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
I have a new favorite insultš
Silent_Doubt3672@reddit
Feel free to use it in abundance š¤£š¤£
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
I might be in my own world here but to me swearing isnt road rage.
That's getting out the car for a barney or deliberately driving like an idiot around you.
Bit of swearing though? Nah.
coolfunkDJ@reddit
My dad calls everyone āWazzacksā and itās very amusing.
FakeyName88@reddit
I donāt get road rage, I get road passive aggressiveness
finintymonkle@reddit
We lost our most famous road rager yesterday.
RIP Ronnie Pickering (though Iām betting he was probably a gammon reform/brexit voter š¤®)
Every-Somewhere-6971@reddit
Yes, but the important difference is we are not going to get shot by either the driver or the police!
honestlyVERYhonest@reddit
Yea, im unlikely to get harmed muttering "you stupid fucking cunt" to myself quietly so the driver doesn't overhear.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Not even exaggerating-i dont even look at someone if they cut me off, or something like that. I live in an open carry state and people are crazy, especially if they have an american flag decal or a trump one.
RealLongwayround@reddit
āAn armed society is a polite societyā apparently.
Iād hate to see those people being impolite.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
People with anger issues shouldnt be able to buy a gun, yet here we are
RealLongwayround@reddit
We are in a country that forbids the ownership of almost all handguns, automatic weapons and many more.
honestlyVERYhonest@reddit
Yea, good for you. Just scream at them in your vehicle to get the anger out, then move on.
ArmWildFrill@reddit
Most of the time anyway ;)
mr_nitie@reddit
As long as people are courteous and patient i'm fine. Indicate, acknowledge when I've let them though with a little wave etc.
But I'm grateful for British gun laws. As if anyone beeps their horn at me, normally as soon as the lights turn amber, not even green. There would be a shotgun to the testicles for them.
TheLostWaterNymph@reddit
Itās not usually hollering out the window it be aggressive beeping of the torn and flipping the bird usually
Due-Resort-2699@reddit
I find UK generally really civilised , but by God if someone doesnāt indicate / signal at a junction or roundabout there will be a very aggressive tut and possibly even a shake of the head
TheRealSlabsy@reddit
I've found that š gets people more infuriated than š. It's wonderful.
CunningOctopus@reddit
My husband wags his finger which seems to get some people going 1š
fantomas_@reddit
Hah! Yes. I've been doing this for years. A middle finger says that I'm angry. A thumbs down shows that I'm disappointed. Men in particular get apoplectic at the thumbs down.
'i have assessed your decision making and have found it to be lacking." šš½
jaydubyah100@reddit
Ooh Iām going to try this!
Ok_Contest3903@reddit
Drove through France and Belgium last summer and sweet Jesus. Cars a cigarette paper behind your bumper on the motorway, drivers gesticulating wildly.
Thin_Pin2863@reddit
I found Peruvian drivers to be absolutely exceptional at avoiding last-minute collisions. This is mostly due to how frequently they put themselves into such a position though.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Haha š
Sad_Firefighter_8407@reddit
I think you will find the best insult in the history of British road rage was "who?".
Ronnie Pickering was the one.
ArmWildFrill@reddit
He's just died RIP
Of a heart attack. Exactly how you'd expect him to go. He was at home though, not red-faced at the lights
OutlandishnessOk2617@reddit
Apparently he hasnāt died, his family issued a statement saying he is very much alive.
Justan0therthrow4way@reddit
Hahahaha Iāve never seen this and thatās the best thing Iāve seen for a while.
Whole-Strawberry3281@reddit
It's fake news that he died
ArmWildFrill@reddit
I know man I made a comment elsewhere and on the twat's facebook page who I think started the rumour.
Why would someone say he died? What a twat. I bet he's looked up Ron Pickering and didn't look at the date
All the reports seem to come down to him. Yorkshire Live printed the story from his family saying he was fine. I am sorry I propagated it
AndrewHinds67@reddit
I can't see anything about him dying. Do you have a source?
ArmWildFrill@reddit
Someone on FB started a false rumour. My hungover brain did not do enough due diligence
https://archive.is/Q4m4D
Wonderful_Discount59@reddit
The other way I might expect him to go would be being run down while trying to fist-fight someone in the middle of the road.
Or if his wife finally snaps and brains him with a rolling-pin.
arioandy@reddit
Shame
freebiscuit2002@reddit
Ron Pickering the BBC sports commentator has let himself go.
Sad_Firefighter_8407@reddit
I just rewatched the event. I had entirely remembered it as him being alone in the car. Wild that he had a passenger who just sat there stone silent. I guess she was the long suffering wife who was desensitized to the fury whirlwind.
ArmWildFrill@reddit
There's always a wife who sits there thinking "Oh no, not again!"
I've had a guy freak out screaming threats while his wife sits there cringing. Awful.
PuntTheRunt010@reddit
Did he actually die yesterday or is that a sick rumour?
plums12@reddit
the only source i've found is a fucking facebook post so i'm not believing it lmao
SOLOcelt13@reddit
I had one the other day where I guy shouted out the window āIām going to F**k your mumā nice or what? Felt like I was teaching at school again! Classic response from one kid to another!š
L00ny-T00n@reddit
Do you Know who I am? I'm Ronnie Pickering
ArmWildFrill@reddit
https://youtu.be/r0dcv6GKNNw
RIP
L00ny-T00n@reddit
Did he die?
PennyPitstop68@reddit
No
ArmWildFrill@reddit
RIP Ronnie Pickering. The King of Road Rage died of a heart attack :(
https://youtu.be/r0dcv6GKNNw
PennyPitstop68@reddit
Nope fake news
docju@reddit
Itās particularly common among Welsh singers.
Dense_Imagination984@reddit
It's all over the front page.
docju@reddit
Someone at my school at the time insisted the line was āitās all over the friendās pageā and wouldnāt relent even when we told him it made no sense and someone brought in the album that had the lyrics printed in.
Funny-Salamander4691@reddit
Hearing the C word is a universal experience on UK roads
"You C" "Stupid C" "F** C" "You stupid F* C*"
There are others of course but the above are the most ubiquitous.
Nym_Nightingale@reddit
My husband about calls everyone on the road except himself bellends. Especially when people don't take the correct lane in a roundabout.
dtr1981@reddit
Once opened my window and gave some shit to someone who was holding the traffic up infront of me, when I looked, it was a copper in uniform in an unmarked car .... Yes I quickly shut up
Dramatic-Energy-4411@reddit
Someone illegally overtook me, swerved back in, hitting the front of my car. At that point, I shouted "nice job you cock munching spunk trumpet." I imagine the video got shared around the office when I had to send it off to the insurance.
AdRude6514@reddit
My daughter got cut up on a roundabout and called the other driver a stupid bitch, this was on one of those unusual British hot days so her window was down. The lady's face in the other car was a picture to remember, my daughter was mortified because she's British.
EggsnBacon95@reddit
Main character syndrome again. In what world would you think road rage is unique only to the US ?
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Rude. Not MCS, folks in the UK seem more polite (most of them anywayš) I've only seen 2 videos of road rage from brits.
Dont jump to conclusions about someone's character based on where they're from. We hate that orange shit talker too
EggsnBacon95@reddit
I mean you still haven't answered my question to you. Why would you assert road rage is unique to just the USA?
I'm interested in where that sentiment originated from.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
"folks in the UK seem more polite (most of them anywayš) I've only seen 2 videos of road rage from brits."
abyssal-isopod86@reddit
So because you've only seen two videos you think that it doesn't exist here?
What?
stolo1966@reddit
Not road rage, but a policeman to a speeding driver once he'd pulled him over... "Having difficulty getting airborne were we sir?"
abyssal-isopod86@reddit
š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£ that actually made me laugh out loud.
abyssal-isopod86@reddit
I'm British.
"It's a car not a tank"
Or
"You could get a tank through there"
Are the ones I have heard the most the entirety of my life and I think they're the funniest.
Interceptor@reddit
This is totally anecdotal, but I've driven quite a bit in both countries, and I have found American drivers generally more aggressive. I think it's fair to say that the British driving test specifically focuses on driving defensively, which I'm not sure is always the case in the US? There seems to be a lot more tailgaiting, I've hardly ever seen anyone 'brake check' in Britain, but I've seen it quite often in the States, and just. abit less general politeness. I've driven in a few places, and while I expected D.C to be busy, I saw pretty similar behaviour in places like Boise, or even out in the country.
Obviously we do get road rage incdents in the UK as well though. Seeing someone stop their van, get out, open the back door, and ask the guy in the car behind if he'd like to get in the back seeing as he was already driving so close was a pretty good one.
freebiscuit2002@reddit
My Virginia test amounted to some onscreen questions, followed by a 10 minute practical exam where I changed lanes successfully, turned right at some lights, stopped at a stop sign, and parked.
So yeah, not much emphasis there on driving behaviour, as such.
racerdeth@reddit
Yeah the UK driving test is one of the most rigorous in the world, and we don't accept a lot of foreign licences to drive on a permanent basis without getting a UK licence.
That being said, most of our drivers are many, many, many years since passing their tests and have had no remedial training or assessment since, and it's only really the last 25 years that we had the driving theory test added too.
MrMucs@reddit
Tailgating and other aggressive driving traits are the main reason I stopped riding motorbikes in the US. Sad really because it was such freedom but its not worth my life. I wish we Americans would learn a little restraint but sadly I don't see that changing anytime soon, its not like our current leaders are setting a prime example
ChampionshipComplex@reddit
I grumbled at a driver pulling in ahead of me without indicating with a mutter - to hear my child in the back seat say "Was he a tosser daddy?" - That's when I realised that I was forgetting to be careful with my language with kids in the car, and they were learning some colourful phrases.
RepublicOfSamsung@reddit
Aimed at cyclists but I've always enjoyed this police letter:
https://www.reddit.com/r/okmatewanker/comments/1f7ucp8/single_file/#lightbox
ForestRiver2@reddit
Varies. I try to be as patient and helpful as I can. Most people are polite. But some drivers really test my composure. I think most of us are pretty reserved though even when angry
CrustyHumdinger@reddit
We have it, big style. Fewer guns, tho'
Mikey463@reddit
I got called a spastic the other day. It made me laugh.
Unable_Corner3053@reddit
I got called a turnipĀ
Ambitious_Jelly3473@reddit
Once beeped my horn at some fella who almost hit me on a roundabout. Wasn't aggressive, just a little toot to let him know I was there, which he took great offence to.
He started following me, flashing headlights, horn blasting, hands waving etc. I pulled into a lay by and he screeched in behind me and jumped out, all of 5ft 6, 10st and in his 50's.
Look on his face was priceless as I levered my 6ft 3, neanderthal looking self out of the drivers seat. His wife was hanging out of the window, "leave it Brian, it's not worth it!!!"
Cause4concern27@reddit
Personally, no. I'm a very chill driver but it does happen. Without sounding stuck up, I strongly believe that the UK has one of the highest standards of driving in the world.
demontosome@reddit
Have you seen the completely fucking shit drivers on the road? Its abysmal. I swear most of them would fail if they had to resit the test. So yes, every single time I go out
Entire-Emotion-819@reddit
I got called baldy once by an irate driver, I noticed he had his kid, so I asked him if his kid had come up with that one, he went red at that, I walked off (I was a pedestrian, he'd turned off a busy road while I was crossing without indicating, all I did was shake my head, and he got angry at me).
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Have you ever seen that video of the angry pedestrian yelling at a motorist while walking-he runs right into a pole. Love that kind of karma
theriddlr@reddit
'Psychopath' from a bus driver. I realised it was supposed to be "[stay on the] cycle path" after it was pointed out to me. (The bus lane is also a cycle path rightfully)
ALA02@reddit
We tend to employ a sigh, a tut and a selection from our vast array of creative insults and swear words, perhaps sometimes topped off with a middle finger or wanker sign. But yeah; a small selection of society (usually young men, often in white vans or modded corsas) get stupidly territorial and aggressive, although we usually just laugh at them rather than cowering away in case they shoot us like in America.
stu55sy@reddit
Sarcastic slow handclap seems to get the message across
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
A slow handclap is The WORST insult
Seaside83@reddit
A slow shake of the head and a thumbs down out of the window, always seems to rile up the dickhead driver.
"Piss Kidney" and "Jizz Cock" occasionally get used also.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Piss kidney? Hahaha
Cak556@reddit
I personally do not get road rage at all.
A long serving colleague of mine does, and he has spent 25 years commuting about 3 hrs per day in his car.
In his decades of road rage experiments, he has found that the most successful way to enrage another driver, is the following process:
1 - When someone cuts in, tailgates, or performs some other perceived minor driving indiscretion.
2 - Make eye contact with them and shake your head slowly and disapprovingly. As if youāre disappointed in them.
3 - Check to If they start raging, waving their hands or generally seeming pissed off. If they do, then move on to step 4ā¦
4 - As they rage, lock eyes with them and slowly blow them a kiss.
This works so well, he has been followed home on multiple occasions, almost dragged out of his car, had someone try and punch his window in. He says itās a really good success rate! š
First-Lengthiness-16@reddit
Sounds pretty dangerous, does he spend any time actually looking at the road in front of him?
Shouldnāt be trying to make eye contact with people in other cards
Cak556@reddit
I mean yeah - 100% this is a dumb idea, and definitely dangerous. No one wins. But I guess thatās the whole road rage situation summed up. Idiots causing more danger by letting their fragile egos get in the way of sensible drivingā¦
Delicious-Trouble-52@reddit
āWANKPUFFINā - Only by uttered by my partner when sheās exasperated by other drivers antics, usually only audible inside the car.
EitherChannel4874@reddit
"At least offer some lube if you're gonna crawl up my fuckin arse you dopey cunt"
Heard this gem shouted out at a tailgater. Traffic was moving slow so I'm not sure why the guy got so angry but it gave me a good laugh.
Daisy-Fluffington@reddit
Yup, British drivers are just as entitled and selfish as in other countries.
Petcai@reddit
Not a great insult but my best timing ever for a comment. An SUV coming round a bend on the opposite side of the road from me as I waited for the lights, there were parked cars and she slowed down to a crawl, stopped and jerkily navigated through the frankly bloody enormous gap. I leaned out the window as she finally made it through and yelled 'You could get a fucking bus through there!'
That's when the double-decker 42 bus came around the bend after her at 30mph and sailed directly through the gap. VINDICATION!
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Theres your dose of good karma
Akash_nu@reddit
Bellend is the best in any scenario.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
That and muppet are my fav british insults
Weird1Intrepid@reddit
We get the same phenomenon of turning into massive cunts behind the wheel of a vehicle; I'm pretty sure it's a psychological thing of being in control of several tons of metal.
But we generally don't tend to actually fly off the handle at the slightest provocation like Americans do. We just get quietly mad and will probably call you a few choice names from the privacy of our own vehicle rather than try to run you off the road.
I swear you guys across the pond sometimes seem completely incapable of thinking beyond "I have been insulted, I must kill people now" without any regard or care about potentially spending many years behind bars because someone cut you off or accidentally drifted into your lane a bit.
Norman_debris@reddit
Obviously nutters are overrepresented online, but the US just comes across as such a violent society.
MsMcSlothyFace@reddit (OP)
Sadly, we are
nemmalur@reddit
Judging by dashcams, Iād say the middle ground between UK-style quiet anger and American violence seems to be Australia, where they stay in the car but swear loudly and colourfully.
DavidinDK@reddit
"What a cunt". From my wife who, as a Dane, seldom swore. Things have changed :)
Aware_Ad_431@reddit
It was a hot day with the windows down and the woman in the car ahead threw a fag packet out of her windowā¦ as I can up alongside I called her a ādirty cowā and she seemed pretty upset.
622114@reddit
I heard the term āfuck sockā used it has become a special term in my life that is reserved for special people
arioandy@reddit
If I wanted Shit I would squeeze your head
Ruby-Shark@reddit
Varies by city. Parts of London are awful.
braiding_water@reddit
Saw a raging delivery cyclist yesterday in Camden who was within inches of striking a group of pedestrians at 11am. āIM NOT FUCKING STOPPING.ā He did stop 10meters beyond the group turning around flipping the bird with a āFUUUUCK OFF!ā And continued cycling. What an ass. I get heās on a vital mission to rush someone a biscuit, but causing serious injury thatās bonkers & lazy. This is what separates adults from children.
smg658@reddit
Years ago someone cut in front of my dad and he followed him home to shout at him, I was so embarassed. I do get annoyed quite a lot if people drive like idiots, I'm more than likely guilty of it too.
seriously_this@reddit
I drive on a fast and mainly two way moorland B road with several overtaking opportunities, twice a day, five days a week.
A couple of weeks ago I was behind a Merc hatchback that was doing around 40 (NSL 50 for me), got speed matched on the overtake and brake checked when I pulled back in behind, he then pulled forward and to the right effectively blocking the road and started to get out. I'm in a liveried 3.5 tonne LWB van and managed to squeeze through the gap he left before he got to my door. I pulled my dashcam SD card soon after just in case he tries to put in a complaint.
Shook me up a bit.
Rowmyownboat@reddit
I lived in the US and drivers there are much, much more aggressive. It isnāt even close. US drivers are fragile, unstable, maniacal goons looking to pick fights with anyone around them.
The other problem they have is that many things are under taken while in the car: makeup, shaving, book reading, newspaper reading, eating, drinking - I have seen all at Interstate speeds - and driving seems secondary.
EldritchSanta@reddit
Worst I've seen was years ago on a country lane. This one was one car wide, with thick hedges on each side.
I was driving along it when I met someone going the other way. Normally, whoever is closest to a passing place backs up.
I knew the road well, and I was at least 200-300 metres from a passing place, but I could see one behind this guy, maybe 50 metres behind. But he wouldn't back up, and he kept trying to get me to back up.
So I turned off the engine, removed the keys, and waved them at him. He looked pissed off, but eventually backed up. As I passed him, he was shouting at me with the window closed, so I waved at him and grinned. That set him off even further, and I made my escape. It was hardly as if he'd be able to turn round and follow me.
tightloops1971@reddit
I find cupping my ear as if I'm trying to hear what they're saying then leaning on the horn every time they try to speak works wonders to wind them up š
Loud-Skin-2223@reddit
"I'm all for equal opportunities, but letting ACTUAL spastics drive is taking the fucking piss!" Not my words, but the words of Shakin' Stevens
C0nnectionTerminat3d@reddit
Not an insult but i had a grown man follow me, for 10 minutes because i had beeped at him for dangerously overtaking. I was 20 years old and im a girl so it was pretty scary at the time lol
ArmWildFrill@reddit
I think Russian drivers seem to take the road rage trophy. They have weapons in their car, usually in the boot
Metal baseball bats, sledgehammers, plus the most insane HGV drivers
OCraig8705@reddit
āFucking indicate you cunt!ā.
noble_plebian@reddit
Not since this morning.
joshiewoshieboi@reddit
I certainly do but I get everything rage ššš
But seriously, yeah, they do. Funniest insult I ever heard was "dog-faced twat" lmfao
Xenozip3371Alpha@reddit
You'll usually hear variations of "you fucking wanker", when someone does something stupid, but that's as far as it USUALLY goes.
Americans have poor impulse control, so actual physical road rage is more common over there, but that's not to say it doesn't occasionally happen over here.
Tuna_Surprise@reddit
Yes. Probably less frequently than the US but to answer your question youād need to compare the statistics not ask a group of people who donāt know.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-48542576
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