Road rage has nothing to do with driving or cars, the head of the Irish Association of Anger Management has said.
A new European Union study of 12,000 drivers has found 80% of respondents noticed a drop in their concentration, and half admitted to taking hands-free calls behind the wheel.
While 20% admitted to getting out of the car to swear and shout at another driver.
The French are the worst offenders, with the highest number of drivers who feel they become more aggressive on the road.
They share joint first place with Greece in the self-reported poll.
The Swedes were mostly likely to drive too fast, and the Spanish were the keenest to use their horns.
Peter Devers is director of the Irish Association of Anger Management.
He told The Hard Shoulder: "Road rage generally just doesn't happen when they get in the car, of course, or the person cuts in front of us when we're driving.
"It's probably fueled by the argument we had with our wife or our husband before we get in the car - or maybe giving the kids a bollocking, or our football team loosing for example".
"The incidents before is a precursor, the emotional accelerator pedal has been pushed to the ground before the incident happens".
"The reality here is anybody could be angry... but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, in the right way, in the right place.
"That's actually really difficult to do.
"If I'm having a really crap day and I'm in the car and then you cut out in front of me, of course it's human nature that you might get the brunt of it.
"The degree of my reaction to you might be amplified because of what's happened earlier".
He has this advice: "If people are getting hot headed in the car, they need to be leaving a little bit earlier."
"People need to leave earlier, give themselves plenty of time so when they meet a jackass like me in the road they've got another five minutes to get themselves together".
"When you're in that place... the chances are I've already regressed into a part of my brain that's back to the caveman."
"The key is to catch it before we end up in that place".
