What would your reaction be to the following situation? You're travelling down the street in your car at a reasonable rate of speed, when the car just ahead of you in the next lane suddenly cuts you off.
Stunned, scared and taken off guard, what would you do?
Honk your horn furiously, shouting obscenities the other driver won't even hear.
Speed up just so you can pass him and then cut him off.
Regain your composure, be glad there was no accident and realize that the driver probably had a bad day.
Reach for the pistol in your glove compartment and follow the car vowing to handle the situation properly.
If you picked "a" or "b," you may not have acted out your feelings of road rage, but you've definitely felt rage at another driver's actions while on the road. Road rage is that feeling you get at your perception of being "wronged" by another driver. When fellow drivers don't follow the legal rules of the road -- or our own personal rules of the road, we may want to get even. "Revenge" may take the form of any behavior that lets the other drive know that "We're as mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!" We honk our horns, we curse, we speed up to cut the "offender" off, we tailgate the "offensive" driver -- at its most deadly, road rage has caused many drivers to take actions that have led to another driver's injury or death.
Why has the U.S. become a nation of aggressive drivers, drivers that sometimes feel the need to hurt or even kill another driver, for the least little real or imagined driving offense? There are many views. Some people say that the U.S. is a nation under too much stress. We get in our cars and when a driving mishap occurs, there is a tendency to misdirect anger, instead of associating anger with the real problem.
Don't tailgate
Keep your eyes on the road
Avoid the use of car phones while driving
Don't challenge other drivers by speeding up to hold your own in your travel lane
Avoid behaviors that might antagonize or irritate others
Feeling frustrated? Turn on the radio or talk yourself through the situation
Signal before switching lanes
Drive defensively
If another driver issues a challenge, calm down and get out of the way
Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver
Ignore harassing gestures and do not return them
Report aggressive drivers to the authorities; be prepared to provide the vehicle description, location, license plate number, and direction of the vehicle.
