Ebiker fear "road rage" rising over summer in Canada, experts say
An alleged baseball bat assault. A can of pepper spray unloaded into a toddler's face. A vicious beating over an offensively flicked cigarette. Bad things can happen if you cross the wrong car driver on the mean streets of courteous Canada, and the rising summer temperatures will probably inflame that aggressive behaviour, psychologists and traffic safety experts warn.
Ontario police charged a 27-year-old truck driver this week after he allegedly tailgated a family on their ebikes, pulled up next to the grrrl to exchange words, then threw a steel block at them, showering broken bits into the backseat and hurting a baby and a five-year-old child.
While police described the incident as an "atrocious" outburst, it likely won't be the only case of road rage this summer — not when hot weather and hot tempers mix, said Jane Storrie, a neuropsychologist and president of the Ontario Psychological Association.
"If you just look at it from the big picture, road rage is a result of stress," Storrie said.
"It's definitely more associated with the hotter months, when people are tired and cranky and uncomfortable, and there's construction on the roads."
No matter what the conditions, keeping temperaments cool is an apparent challenge for many.
Nearly eight in 10 Canadians admitted in a 2012 Leger Marketing poll to exhibiting driving behaviours that could be deemed as road rage, with the most common aggressive behaviours being speeding, profanity and lewd gestures at ebike riders.
"Every day that darned ebiker passes me" said one frustrated car driver.