Every day motorists find themselves being wound up by the annoying habits of other drivers, whether it be merging into a lane at the last second or slowing down to look at an accident, the road is full of potential situations that can cause irritation and angst.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that a recent study found that in 2017, 80% of British drivers suffered from road rage. Select Car Leasing conducted an independent national survey of 1,200 UK motorists, to lift the lid on the most frustrating and annoying driving habits on the road, and here’s what they said.

1) Parking over two spaces

Coming in at the top of our survey on annoying driving habits, is parking over two spaces. Known to many as ‘Clarkson Parking’ after former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson’s infamous parking techniques, it has become a trend in recent times with car enthusiasts taking to social media to show off atrocious parking efforts. For regular motorists, the feeling of driving around in circles in a busy car park to find a space, only to come across a car parked across two bays, is an all too common frustration.

2) Driving 10mph below the speed limit

We’ve all been there. It’s a busy Monday morning on the road, you’re desperately trying to get to work on time and you get stuck behind a driver driving 20mph in a 30 zone. As fate would have it, the car in front is going to exactly the same place as you, which means you’re stuck behind them for your entire journey. In certain instances, driving too slowly can be dangerous and can result in anything from a verbal warning to a £5,000 fine, depending on the circumstances.

3) Slowing down to look at an accident

The phenomenon, known as rubbernecking, is the act of slowing down to get a better view of a car accident. This causes several problems, one of which is that the ‘rubbernecker’ holds up everyone who is trying to get on with their day and creates traffic jams that need not exist. In fact, more accidents can be caused as motorists have to deal with unexpected braking and accelerating when passing the accident. As frustration builds while waiting for the accident to pass, everyone then accelerates at light speed to get back on the open road. Not the safest driving environment.

4) Braking suddenly

It’s a common scenario. The traffic is flowing and you’re making steady progress to your destination when suddenly the car in front of you slams its brakes on for no apparent reason, giving you very little time to react. This is most evident at roundabouts. When approaching a roundabout, there will be a car in front of you. You’ll look to your right to see that there are no other cars on the roundabout, but the car in front of you will slam its brakes on and come to a halt nearly ending up in a rear end collision.

5) Merging into a lane at the last second

On a busy motorway with roadworks taking place, the traffic is often reduced to using one lane until the roadworks are cleared. Road etiquette dictates that once you have seen the merge lane sign with 500 yards to go, motorists in the affected lane should begin to move into the adjacent lane. However, to avoid the queues, some unscrupulous motorists will wait until the last second before swapping lanes, making an enemy of everyone behind them.

6) Changing lanes depending on traffic flow

It’s natural for motorists to want to get to their destination in the fastest possible time, but it’s important to do it with other drivers in mind. On every motorway in Britain, there will be one driver who simply can’t wait like the rest of us, leading them to aggressively change lanes as the traffic inches forward. It can be one of the most satisfying feelings on the road when you pass a regular lane swapper getting stuck in a slower lane after prematurely moving out of yours.

7) Honking your car horn unnecessarily

A car horn can be a valuable asset on the road, but is it really necessary to use it for every little thing? Often thought of as the car’s first collision avoidance system, the horn has become the tool of frustrated and irate motorists up and down the country. There is no data available on exactly how many accidents that honking your horn avoids, which is meant to be its primary function.  The horn has now become a tool  for road rage and to switch the burden of evasion from the honker to the honkee.

8) Not saying thank you

When you do someone a favour on the road, letting them out at a junction or pulling between some parked cars in a busy street to let traffic flow from the other direction, you at least expect a thank you. When that thank you doesn’t arrive, it feels like your honourable action has been overlooked.

9) Hogging the middle lane

Middle lane hogging is the act of remaining in the middle lane when it appears to be totally unnecessary. The highway code states that you should always drive in the left-hand side lane when the road is clear. I you need to pass slow moving traffic by moving into the middle lane, you should return to the left-hand lane once you are safely past. Middle lane hogging causes congestion during busy periods as traffic is forced into the outside lane to pass a lane hogger. Motorists may also find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to move from the left-hand lane to the outside lane to avoid undertaking a middle lane hogger.

10) Not waiting at a zebra crossing

Not waiting for pedestrians to cross a zebra crossing rounds off our top 10. Everyone on the road is generally in a rush, and for some this seems to include accelerating as they race pedestrians  approaching the zebra crossing, to to avoid being forced to stop and slow down their journey for 20 seconds. This can even be the case if pedestrians are already halfway across the zebra crossing.