Driving me mad: why we get road rage

Simon considers himself a calm, conscientious, conflict-avoidant type of person. But in the car, his personality flips — and it scares him.

It can be hard to admit, but many of us do experience road rage.

So what is it about being in the driver's seat that makes us so quick to anger? And does the type of car a person drives have anything to do with their propensity for aggression?

Today, we're talking about road rage; owning up to times we've lost our temper and finding out what we can do about it.

You can catch up on more episodes of the All in the Mind podcast with journalist and presenter Sana Qadar, exploring the psychology of topics like stress, memory, communication and relationships on the ABC Listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.

Guests:

Dr Amanda StephensSenior Research Fellow,Monash University Accident Research Centre

SimonAll in the Mind listener and business owner

Credits:

• Presenter/producer: Sana Qadar
• Senior producer: James Bullen
• Producer: Rose Kerr
• Sound engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan

More information:

Estimated car cost as a predictor of driver yielding behaviors for pedestrians

Higher social class predicts increased unethical behavior

The fast and the furious: Research shows that owners of high-status cars are on a collision course with traffic