Young drivers aping their parents' bad behaviour behind the wheel could be the cause of a rise in road rage incidents, according to a survey out today.

Road rage is most likely to occur among inexperienced motorists aged 18 to 29, with 61% of this group admitting to personality changes while driving, the survey from insurance company Norwich Union found.

Two in five young drivers blame their parents for their erratic driving behaviour, saying they inherited their road rage tendencies from seeing their mother and father at the wheel, the survey also showed.

Based on responses from 1007 people, the poll revealed that reckless driving was most likely to trigger road rage, followed by slow motorists and traffic jams.

While 22% of drivers simply shrugged off incidents on the highway, 52% reacted by swearing, shouting, making rude gestures and flashing lights.

Men (64%) were more prone to road rage than women (55%), but women were twice as likely as men to panic and lose concentration if they were the victims of road rage.

Older drivers (those aged over 60) were least likely to be affected by other road users' bad behaviour.

Nigel Bartram at Norwich Union said: "With more and more congestion on UK roads and driving becoming an increasingly stressful experience, it's no wonder road rage is more widespread than ever.

"However, our research shows how important it is for drivers to try and keep their cool when on the roads.

"Not only will it help make their children better drivers, it will also make their journey easier and less stressful, not to mention safer."