80% of Walloons say cohabiting among road users is ‘problematic’

Eight in ten Walloons think cohabiting among road users is problematic, and four in ten say it has deteriorated recently. This is according to a survey conducted by the Walloon Road Safety Agency (AWSR) on aggressiveness and irritating behavior in traffic.

One consequence is that traffic aggression is also on the rise, and consequently, the risk of an accident is high: 91% of the respondents who displayed aggressive behavior in the past month have already been involved in an accident. Among drivers who rarely or never display aggressive behavior, the figure is 62%.

E-scooter users to blame

Seven in ten Walloons (73%) say they have a greater tendency to be aggressive in traffic. The survey also shows that half of drivers admit to having shown explicit gestures of discontent on the road, and eight in ten say they have been victims of these gestures themselves. This leads to irritation (57% of respondents) and stress (45%).

E-scooter users are mainly to blame and are often a source of annoyance for drivers. According to three-quarters of them (76%), e-scooter drivers rarely or never respect the Highway Code. Almost seven in ten respondents also said that e-scooter drivers always or often pose a danger to others on the road. The survey confirms the trend already identified in other surveys.

Shorter fuse

The fact that drivers have a shorter fuse is explained by the survey participants as selfishness and individualism (51%), lack of education and ignorance (30%), and infrastructure-related problems (24%).

The survey was conducted among 1,000 road users as part of International Driving Courtesy Week, which starts today. At the same time, AWSR is also launching an awareness campaign on social networks.

According to the institute, 84% of road users say they show courtesy regularly, and eight in ten also say that when someone is courteous, they want to be polite. In other words, courtesy is contagious and encourages other road users to behave positively.