Road rage

There is no such specific offence as road rage, it is a term that has been used to describe various incidents involving motor vehicles, their drivers and other road users. Road rage has been used to describe minor incidents from a gesticulating driver and a driver shouting obscenities to incidents where drivers have been assaulted or their cars damaged by other drivers or pedestrians.

Minor mistakes such as pulling out in front of you or pushing in, in a queue are minor faults that admittedly are very annoying but are something that most of us do from time to time and by retaliating will only make matters worse.

If you have been the victim of a more serious incident where serious threats or damage have been made to you or your car then you need to report the incident to Police Scotland by dialling 101. It is important to have as much information about the offending person and/ or the vehicle involved.

If you are involved in one of the more serious incidents and the incident is ongoing and you are in fear for your safety then call 999.

Please be aware that the police may not be able to report an offender unless there is sufficient evidence such as an independent witness.

• Staged accidents
• Ghost accidents
• Induced accidents

• Be suspicious if a driver appears very calm after a collision and has all their details already written down on a piece of paper.
• Be suspicious of exaggerated claims e.g. after a very minor collision you receive information from your insurer in relation to high repair costs for damage to the other vehicle when only minor damage was caused, cost of hire cars/vehicle recovery when the other driver left the scene in their vehicle, injuries such a whiplash from a very minor impact, injury to passengers when the other driver was alone etc.
• Be aware of passengers or the driver in a vehicle you are following looking backwards/paying a lot of attention to your vehicle – they may be weighing up the best time to slam the brakes on and cause an accident.
• Beware of drivers driving extremely slowly or driving slowly and then suddenly speeding up.
• Don't assume that when a driver flashes their headlights, invites you to proceed or puts their indicator on that it's safe. Use your judgement and wait to make sure it's safe before you go.
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• Be vigilant – it's best to avoid such situations altogether.
• Don't follow vehicles too closely – leave plenty of room so that in the event of something unexpected happening, you can stop safely.
• Try to think ahead and anticipate the actions of other drivers.
• Even if you suspect the accident you've been involved in is a scam, you must comply with your legal responsibilities – please see the link below:

• Be suspicious and don't get too close to vehicles that have stopped in the road for no reason.
• At the scene of an accident never admit liability for anything.
• Get the details of independent witnesses before they have a chance to leave the scene but be aware they may be part of a gang that has set up the scam.
• Insist on calling the police – 101 for the non-emergency number, 999 if an emergency response is required.
• If you suspect a scam it's usually best not to challenge the driver of the other vehicle about it there and then.
• Obtain as much information as you can about the vehicle, passengers (if present), damage to the vehicle, location, time, date, weather conditions, witnesses etc.
• If it is safe to do so, take photographs.
• Never agree to settle the matter informally.
• Tell your insurer what has occurred as soon as you can.
• If you suspect a scam, as well as contacting the police and your insurer, notify the Insurance Fraud Bureau via the link below or by calling the Cheatline on 0800 422 0421