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Violence at the wheel is increasing, and we feel a tension on our roads between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Why do even the calmest of us lose our temper in cars?
A young woman who has her jaw broken because of a honk, a cyclist beaten up because of a wave of the hand, after two years of life in slow motion, violence at the wheel is on the increase.
But beyond these extreme acts, we feel a tension on our roads between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Speed limits, traffic jams, space for cars which continues to decrease in favor of pedestrians and bicycles… the driver is permanently in a state of vigilance, and the aggressiveness increases.
The car, a bubble that isolates and disinhibits
According to the latest Vinci Autoroutes barometer, 65% of French drivers admit to insulting other motorists, and 16% even admit that they are no longer the same person when they are behind the wheel.
According to Jean-Pascal Assailly, psychologist and expert for the National Road Safety Council, behind the wheel, many of us transform ourselves. Because the car has become a bubble that isolates and disinhibits: as on social networks, hidden, we would be more inclined to violence there. The density of traffic is also in question, leading to a “battle for space” which sometimes ends badly.
A report by Olivier Sibille broadcast in “Special Envoy” on June 2, 2022.
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