Road Rage and What Can You Do About It

You’ve probably heard a story or two about road rage. It could be your friend’s story or just one you’ve heard while visiting a used car dealer. Either way road rage claimed lives and the reason for most vehicle accidents.

I had been shopping for a car and in one of my many visits to my Vernon Ford dealer friend he told me a story about his friend who was driving on a highway when another car sped past him, turn sharply on the right and cutting him off before proceeding to the next exit. His friend, honked loudly and made an offensive sign to the other driver and went on his way. His friend thought it was the end of it, however on the following day while driving the same route. He noticed the same car following him. This time the driver had a male company. They were both young probably in their mid twenties. The other driver drove next to him then the other male on the passenger seat took out a revolver and pointed it at my friend’s face. My friend’s friend almost fainted when he saw that the other man pulled the trigger but thank goodness no bullet came out. The story could have turned into a bloody one. This is just one example of how unchecked anger or road rage can lead to a deadly situation.

The day after I heard this story from a visit at Ford dealers, my sister told me another road incident that almost ended up in road rage. She was driving on the fast lane and decided to switch to the slow lane. While switching lanes, another motorist just rapidly drove past her, almost sideswiping her car and forcing her off the road. This incident just reinforced that road rage is a personal matter and can happen to anyone at anytime.

There are many forms of road rage and all of them are hostile behaviour carried out by angry or frustrated drivers. It may be in the form of intentional tailgating to car shooting as shared from a friend at Ford dealership. The number of road rage is increasing every year. Because of the intensity and resulting damage, psychologists consider this hostile behaviour a mental disorder. Road rage involves a sudden emotional outbursts and improper response that is referred to as intermittent explosive disorder. Some experts believe however, that this aggressive behaviour may be developed or learned especially when a person is exposed to violent and aggressive behaviour form his or her parents or may be exposed to too much violent movies while growing up.

A lot of us are driving everyday to work, to school, to run errands and to those of us who do know that even in the most favourable condition, driving can be stressful. People who drive daily have developed a coping mechanism to the stresses of driving or the stresses brought by other drivers. No matter how we apply defensive driving there is always a danger of accidents. The thought of getting hurt or hurting another human being can bring anxiety. The best option would be still to practice defensive driving and always avoid driving in unfavourable situations as it could lead to road rage. While leaving the Ford dealership, I overheard someone said that you may never control over the situation but you have a control over yourself.