SMALL-CAR DRIVERS HAVE BIGGEST MOUTHS - FACT

A News poll study of nearly 4000 Aussie drivers has found that drivers of small cars are more prone to getting aggressive on the road, and of those - the biggest culprits are women.

"We found that drivers of small cars are most likely to display rude or aggressive driving techniques," said David Skapinker, director of corporate affairs at insurer AAMI.

"Things like tailgating or screaming abuse at other drivers or even giving them the old two-finger salute."

Mr Skapinker said young female drivers of small cars were more likely to display aggressive driving behavior than men.

"Now that doesn't mean that they (women) are any worse drivers than men," he said,

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mall car syndrome" is rife on Victorian roads, according to a study by car insurer AAMI.

Spokesman David Skapinker said drivers of two or three-door hatches and sedans were more likely to be aggressive on the road.

"Drivers of small cars are significantly more likely to gesture rudely and deliver a mouthful of verbal abuse towards another driver, and they're also significantly more likely to tailgate than drivers of larger cars," Mr Skapinker said.

"We've all seen them on the road, the little hatch or small sedan, darting in and out of traffic and getting upset when another driver either takes them to task on their conduct or for simply driving at the speed limit."

The worst offenders were women aged 18-24, as they were more likely to own a small car, the study found.

Drivers of small cars were also more likely to drive after taking illegal drugs and check emails and text messages while driving.

Nine per cent of vehicles on Victorian roads are small cars. Of their drivers, 35 per cent have made rude gestures to other drivers, 49 per cent have yelled and sworn and 20 per cent have become so angry they have tailgated another driver.

Student Shannen De La Motte, 19, of Bundoora, who drives a Mazda 323 Astina hatch, admitted it was tough to keep her temper under control.

"I get particularly annoyed with slow drivers, and those not paying attention at lights," she said. "I think small car drivers can be more aggressive because they can weave in and out of traffic."

"But demographically they're also the most likely to purchase these cars."

The study, backed by AAMI, suggests drivers of smaller cars are more likely to use reckless tactics or display rude gestures, perhaps to compensate for the size of the car.But Mr Skapinker says there is likely to be a more demographic-based theory to explain the phenomenon - young people are more likely to buy smaller cars because they are cheaper.

"Young people obviously have less experience on the road and don't necessarily understand the consequences of their actions," he said.

The research, based on a survey of 3740 drivers over the age of 18, found that 46 per cent of drivers of small cars admit to gesturing rudely compared to about a third of large car drivers.Almost 60 per cent of small-car drivers said they had verbally abused other drivers, but only 47 per cent of large-car drivers said they had succumbed to verbal abuse on the roads.