We are all probably familiar with the term road rage, but are we all familiar with how it should be dealt with? Hardly.
Road rage is what occurs when two or more drivers clash on the road. Road rage can be triggered by a number of factors, but is essentially caused by a driver not being happy with another driver’s way of driving, this then leads to a lot of anger, which every person expresses in their own way, some might use verbal abuse, others would take it as far as physical confrontation. In any case, it should not be tolerated and there are several things that you can do to control your own road rage and avoid being affected by another driver’s road rage.
Here are some useful tips:
If you feel angry with the way that another person is driving, do not assume that they are doing it intentionally to annoy you – many factors could be causing the driver to behave behind the wheel the way that they do. The best thing to do is to stay clear of their car and mind your own driving. If you do, however, think that another person’s driving may be posing actual danger to themselves and those around them, note down their license plate number and contact the police.
If you find yourself frustrated with another person’s driving and unable to calm down, consider finding a safe place where you can stop and park your car for a little while and give yourself a couple of minutes to calm down – try conscious breathing and counting to 20 in your head. To take your mind off the situation that caused you to feel rage in the first place, try listening to the radio.
Be aware of what causes you to feel angry in the first place, a lot of the time road rage comes from outside of the road. If you feel overly stressed at work or at home, you are a lot more likely to experience rage on the road, minor issues will be likely to trigger you. Bear that in mind and do not jump to conclusion that your rage is caused purely by another driver, doing that might make you concentrate all your anger on to him/her and lead to lashing out verbally or physically.
Another mistake that a lot of drivers do is look for reaction from the driver that they feel frustrated with. If you find yourself being approached by an angry driver, do not get out of your car, lock your car door and close your windows, you do not need to prove anything by standing up to them. The best idea is to continue driving, if you are stood at a red light, wait for it to go green and in the meantime, avoid any eye contact with the angry driver. If you feel like you are in actual danger and unable to get out of the situation, contact the police and remain seated in your car.