I've mellowed a lot as a driver as I've gotten older, but even in my younger days, I never felt the urge to rage on the road. Thanks to the rise of both smartphone cameras and the growth of dashboard cameras, you can now witness the worst of the worst on the roads just by browsing YouTube.
Dashcam brand Nextbase has conducted some research that shows that things aren't getting better, either.
The company surveyed just over 1,000 Australians and found that a whopping 78% of us have experienced road rage while travelling.
It gets worse during the holidays, with 48% of Australians finding driving during the Christmas period more stressful than usual. Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents described the roads as hostile throughout the festive season, with another 23% crowning the week before Christmas as the absolute worst time to travel.
So what does this road rage actually look like? Well, according to the research, one in four Australians would shout or make a hand gesture at another driver if they did something frustrating during a stressful festive journey. Half of Australia would apparently be on Santa's naughty list, with 41% swearing under their breath in road rage frustration and 21% sounding their horn in anger.
For those on the receiving end of these outbursts, it's hardly a joyful start to the holiday season. Half of Australians (49%) say these interactions leave them feeling worried, isolated, intimidated, and scared to continue their journey. Another 23% feel angry, while 16% end up upset.
Nextbase ambassador and Supercar driver David Reynolds reckons Christmas stress brings out the inner child in all of us. "There are tantrums and frustration flare-ups on the roads more than any other time of year," he said. "It's more important than ever to plan your journey, leave early and stay calm when driving."
The research also found that more than half (54%) of Australians would feel safer having dashcam footage. Nextbase's Head of Territory for Australia & New Zealand, Ben Sinica, highlighted the company's Witness Mode feature on their iQ and Piqo models, which lets you instantly share live footage with someone you trust.
To help drivers handle these situations better, Nextbase partnered with British psychologist Anjula Mutanda to provide some practical advice. Her tips include recognising your body's threat response and using grounding techniques, avoiding engagement to de-escalate situations, practising box breathing to reduce stress hormones, and taking time to recover before continuing your journey.
Mutanda also pointed out the psychological safety of dashcams. "It can feel reasonable to grab your phone to record someone's road-rage outburst but doing so often escalates the confrontation," she explained. A dashcam captures evidence safely and passively, and knowing you're being recorded can reduce aggressive behaviour by up to 40%.
Nextbase dashcams are available from retailers including Repco, The Good Guys, Bing Lee, Harvey Norman, Ted's Cameras, and Camera House.
The research was conducted online between 12-13 November 2025 by PureProfile on behalf of Nextbase, surveying 1,005 Australians aged 18 and over.
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