Road roulette: Aussies bad driving exposed

Nearly 1 in 4 Aussies (24 per cent) have been in a car crash or near miss caused by bad driving in the past year, according to new research.

That’s approximately 5.2 million drivers who have had a dangerous encounter or close call on the road in the past year... and even more Aussie have witnessed driving behaving badly.

The Australian survey of 1004 respondents, conducted in September 2026 by comparison site, Finder, found that speeding or going too fast for the conditions was the most observe dangerous driving behaviour.

Almost half of Australians (49 per cent) say they’ve seen another driver going too fast for the conditions in the past 12 months.

Running red lights happens far too often it seems, with 32 per cent of those surveyed having seen someone run a red light, while 23 per cent had witnessed road rage, such as aggressive gestures or brake-checking.

The data paints a grim picture and as car insurance expert Ceyda Erem explains, dangerous driving has become disturbingly common on Aussie roads and can lead to higher insurance premiums for everyone.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow to see your insurance go up when you're a good driver, but we all pay the price for the mistakes of others,” she said.

“Road rage, running red lights or checking your phone for a few seconds can have life-changing consequences.

“The frightening part is that you can be driving perfectly and still end up paying the price for someone else’s bad decision.”

Erem said poor driving behaviour leads to more accidents, more claims, and ultimately, higher premiums.

Other poor driving habits that came in the study included failing to indicate, indicating late, and tailgating followed closely, with 45 per cent of drivers witnessing a lack of indication and 42 per cent seeing drivers tailgating.

An additional 41 per cent had seen dangerous overtaking, while more than 1 in 3 (37 per cent) had seen someone using a phone while driving or refusing to let another driver merge.

To help avoid accidents and keep your wallet from paying the price, Erem says drivers can take simple steps.

“Slow down, leave space and stay focused. You can’t control how everyone else drives, but you can give yourself a better chance of getting home safely,” she says.

With data also showing that 14 per cent of Aussie car owners don’t have car insurance, she says making sure you do is another step in the right direction.

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