Motoring: Road rage ‘affects more women than men’

NEW research has discovered women drivers are angrier than men.

A study of 1,000 UK drivers by Hyundai Motor UK reveals women are, on average, 12% angrier than men when they’re behind the wheel.

Researchers found driving sparked ancient ‘defence’ instincts from when humans were hunter-gatherers. 

These evolutionary traits kicked in during the test when women were either undertaken, shouted or beeped at, had to deal with a back-seat driver (women 14% angrier) or were faced with a road user who failed to indicate (women 13% angrier).

In all test scenarios, women were more likely to respond with anger than male drivers.

The experiment, conducted by Patrick Fagan, behavioural psychologist from Goldsmiths University London, ‘sense tested’ the 1,000 drivers to see how sound, sight, smell, touch and taste provoke emotional responses in different driving scenarios.

The study found there are two dominant emotions: happiness – intrinsically linked to a sense of freedom when driving – and anger when drivers feel out of control. 

Other key findings include:
•    The primary reasons for our continued love affair with driving are the freedom it gives us (51%), mobility (19%) and independence (10%)
•    If you want a man to open up, take him for a drive. Just under a third (29%) of men said they find it easier to have a conversation in the car; with 14% adding that a chat made them a better driver
•    54% of Brits said the thing that made them happy in the car was singing – which perhaps explains why Carpool Karaoke has resonated with so many people
•    When the researchers looked at what makes us happy behind the wheel, 84% of people said “empty roads”, 78% said “the countryside” and 69% “the seaside”
•    Music also makes drivers happy. Eight out of 10 people nearly always listen to something while driving with Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody top of the driving charts. Pop (70%) and rock (61%) are the most popular genres

Explaining the results, Fagan said: “Psychologically, women score higher than men on emotional and verbal intelligence, and on the personality trait of neuroticism. 

“Evolutionary theory suggests our early female ancestors had to develop an acute sense of danger for anything that threatened them and their young if their cave was undefended while men were out hunting. That ‘early warning system’ instinct is still relevant today, and women drivers tend to be more sensitive to negative stimuli, so get angry and frustrated quicker.”

Tony Whitehorn, Hyundai Motor UK’s President and CEO, added: “We are constantly striving to better understand what impacts people’s behaviour when they are driving and this research has certainly revealed some interesting, and somewhat surprising results.  By examining drivers’ emotions, our aim is to help them get a better drive both today and in the future.”

Hyundai and Fagan have used data from the research and cutting-edge technology to create the world first Driving Emotion Test (DET).

This unique experiment involves facial coding technology, eye tracking analysis, galvanic skin response and a heartrate monitor to record how specific stimuli impact our emotions when we’re driving. The results are then fed into specially-created software to provide subjects with a unique DET score.

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A 1964 Aston Martin DB5 – like the one used in the Bond film Goldfinger – has become the first ever classic car sale completed via social media.

The car was sold for £825,000 by international auctioneers Coys on the next-generation platform Vero. The sale also marked the largest known transaction made via Apple Pay.

The car is one of the highly sought-after right hand drive silver birch models with red leather trim. It has undergone a full restoration – including engine rebuild, suspension and gearbox overhaul following 20 years in dry storage, during which time it was not used.

The buyer, who has remained anonymous, bought the DB5 with Apple Pay directly from the Coys profile on Vero after seeing it at the Paris Motor Show.

Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys, said: “The proud new owner saw the DB5 at the Paris Motor Show, he was overjoyed to see the car of his dreams and didn’t want to lose it… he was keen to quickly get in front of the queue, so a few days later he hit the ‘Buy Now’ button on Vero to guarantee the purchase, leaving two other collectors disappointed in his wake.

“This is an exciting achievement for Coys’ digital presence, which signals a new era for classic car sales.”

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THE work of Liverpool-based Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has been given the royal seal of approval by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

William and Kate were shown the firm’s new Mono at the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute (NGI).

BAC founders Neill and Ian Briggs were keen the show off the car and invited William to take to the cockpit of the single-seater, which is constructed using the innovative and lightweight material graphene.

The Mono is built from 1,250 unique components from 100 suppliers, 95% of which are based in the UK.

It is the first car in the world to use graphene in the production process, with a composite making up the rear wheel arches and providing weight-saving and body-strengthening benefits.

BAC has enjoyed success all around the world and has exported the Mono to 28 countries across five continents since its launch in 2011.

Co-founder and director of product development Neill Briggs said: “It was truly an honour to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and a particular privilege to seat Prince William inside the Mono. We are incredibly proud to be British, and to meet members of the Royal Family was a surreal experience that just shows how far this company has come.”

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THE Benjafield’s Racing Club gathered at club member Jonathan Turner’s home at Bowcliffe Hall for the one-off Yorkshire Buccaneer event.

Local enthusiasts and car owners enjoyed a day of Yorkshire-themed action at the unique Motor Sports Association (MSA)-approved rally, with 41 historic cars on display.

Every year the club hosts a special event based in the home county of a randomly chosen member. Mr Turner was selected this year and he welcomed fellow club members to his home for a day of pre-war motoring with a strong Yorkshire theme running throughout the day, from the Yorkshire tea served at the start line to the Yorkshire pudding served at the evening banquet.

The Benjafield club’s sole ethos is to emulate the spirit of the famous Bentley Boys, 25 of the 40 cars taking part were vintage Bentleys including Mr Turner’s own 1925 3-litre ‘Number 10’ factory team car, fresh from its recent return from racing at the 2016 Classic Le Mans event.

William Medcalf also competed in his Bentley 4½ litre, the first of 18 produced by Bentley Motors.

However, the event wasn’t just about Bentleys, with other notable cars including an extremely rare Alfa Romeo 8C. These helped push the total value of the cars driving around the Yorkshire countryside to more than £35m.

Starting at Bowcliffe Hall, the drivers headed to Bramham Park for a special gravel stage before heading to RAF Churchfenton where special permission was granted to close the runway for some high-speed runs along the tarmac normally reserved for aircraft.

More gravel stages followed ahead of an afternoon of hillclimbing at Harewood before the competitors headed back to Bowcliffe Hall for a black-tie dinner.

Winners of the event were:
•    Overall Winners: Olaf and Marjot Pothoven, in a 1934 Bentley
•    Second Place: Jeremy and Sian Brewster, in a Le Francis
•    Fastest Hillclimb: Robert and Jane Abrey. in a Bentley 6½ litre

Mr Turner said: “What a pleasure it was to enjoy Yorkshire with like-minded people, and to see 41 rare and valuable cars being used as they should be. I’m proud of my home county and it was an honour to show Benjafield’s members from as far afield as Slovenia and Spain what we have to offer.”

Benjafield’s Competitions Captain William Medcalf said: “The Yorkshire Buccaneer was a fantastic day, for those taking part and those who came to watch. There was plenty of spirited driving, but all the cars made it through the day without incident. We’re grateful to all who came and brought the huge array of historic cars and really used them with gusto, and look forward meeting up again next year.”

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