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Slowpokes and crooked parking: Survey reveals top driving ‘icks’

Some drivers' behaviour can be downright confounding.

Some drivers' behaviour can be downright confounding. Photo: Getty

Remember that time you were driving in the right lane on the freeway, only to be stuck behind someone driving 20 kilometres below the speed limit?

Or when you had the triumph of finding a space in a jam-packed car park snatched away when someone else slid in at the last second?

Feeling any buried rage bubbling up? You wouldn’t be the only one.

A YouGov survey commissioned by eBay Australia revealed Aussies’ top 10 driving ‘icks’ (something they find unpleasant or offensive).

Driving too slow in the right lane took the top spot, with more than half of Australians labelling it a driving ick.

Other popular pet peeves included not parking within the lines  and when fellow drivers used their high beams too much.

The survey also found select driving habits annoyed some generations more than others.

More than half of Baby Boomers “pay particular attention” to other drivers’ liberal use of high beam, while Gen Z and Millennial drivers dislike ‘cringey’ bumper stickers more than other generations.

And eBay highlighted previous data which found Queensland was the state where residents buy the most brake pads. It may be the biggest thrill-seeker state in Australia (high-speed travel can lead to brake pads wearing out faster).

This comes after Compare the Market research released last year found Queensland had the most residents (32 per cent) reporting they had witnessed or experienced road rage.

Overall, more than a quarter of Australians had either witnessed or experienced road rage.

Although some driving behaviours can be frustrating, road rage counts as a distraction for drivers, so the findings underscore the need for restraint.

“Not only is distracted driving the leading cause of accidents, but common road rage acts such as abuse, speeding, tailgating and even changing lanes erratically, can be considered punishable offences by the law,” Compare the Market general manager of insurance Adrian Taylor told The New Daily.

“It’s best to think twice before letting your anger get the better of you on the road.”

If something particularly dangerous is happening, or a crash has occurred due to road rage, he recommended making note of the vehicle’s registration details once safe to do so, and notifying the police as soon as possible.

“In these instances, the use of dashcams can be really helpful in recording any other details about the incident, such as the exact location and time it occurred,” Taylor said.

“Also, in cases where you may have been involved in an incident, it can be a great supportive document to show that you were not at fault if you need to file a claim.”

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