Why road rage is the summer hit of 2025

Science Fiction author Ray Bradbury once opined that more murders are committed at 92 degrees Fahrenheit (or 33.3 degrees Celsius for us in Canada) than at any other temperature.

While the statement’s not scientifically proven, a new Leger survey commissioned by Rates.ca says drivers’ temperatures are soaring this summer.

It finds 56% of Canadian drivers admit to engaging in road rage behaviours such as cutting off other vehicles, making obscene gestures, and tailgating. That percentage is unchanged from last year.

A full 81% tell the survey they’ve seen other drivers do those same things, which is down slightly from 83% when the survey was conducted in 2024. The online survey of 1,519 Canadians was fielded from Jun. 27 to Jun. 30, 2025, using Leger’s online panel.

Survey findings

As you might expect, many of the respondents are more willing to say they’ve seen other people engage in aggressive behaviours while behind the wheel than admit they’ve done it themselves.

According to the survey:

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• 15% of respondents admit to making obscene gestures, but 41% say they’ve seen other drivers do it,
• 14% say they have brake-checked another driver, while 38% say they’ve seen other drivers do the same,
• 9% report having been in a collision, while 34% say they’ve observed collisions,
• 8% of survey respondents admit they’ve rolled down the window and yelled at someone, while 35% say they’ve seen other drivers do so, and
• 3% say they’ve stopped, exited their vehicle and confronted someone, while 20% say they’ve witnessed this being done by others.

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Further, the survey finds drivers younger than 55 are much more prone to road rage behaviours, at 63%, compared to people 55 and over, at 47%. Drivers under 55 are also more apt to witness road rage incidents, with 83% saying they have, against 78% of survey respondents over age 55.

Plus, there are some regional differences. Drivers in Quebec are more likely to see other drivers flash their headlights (30%), while drivers elsewhere in Canada are more likely to experience obscene gestures (17%), brake-checking (15%), collisions (10%), and yelling from vehicles (9%).

Drivers in urban areas report high rates of certain aggressive behaviours, including cutting off other drivers (58%), tailgating (57%) and horn honking (52%).

While some of these things seem minor, Daniel Ivans, a licensed insurance broker who serves as an expert commenter for Rates.ca, says they can escalate quickly and have negative results.  

“Aggressive driving behaviours like tailgating or brake-checking can result in collisions or charges, which not only put people at risk, but also affect their insurance premiums,” he says. 

Using data from its auto insurance quote tool, Rates.ca offers the example of a 35-year-old male driver in Toronto. Insuring that driver’s one-year-old Honda Civic with one minor conviction could see a $316 increase per month in his auto insurance, a 20% increase. And two minor convictions could mean that driver could see a premium increase of approximately 30%.

Phil Porado

Phil, an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in financial topics, has been managing editor of Canadian Underwriter for more than three years.