How To Deal With Road Rage
Jul 15th, 2009 by ladyjean
It’s not big, it’s not clever and it most certainly is not cool, but even the most docile of us suffer from a bit of road rage now and again.
Overall, I love driving. There is nothing better than driving along a country lane in the middle of summer, with the sunroof open, windows down, and listening to one of those summer classics at full blast.
But it’s not this type of driving that sends people into a fury is it? It’s the London rush hour traffic; the traffic jams on the motorways; the congested roundabouts and idiots in car parks.
Even I am guilty of the odd bit of anger on the road. Nothing dangerous of course. I’m not out of control, maniacle or about to plough into someone, but there is nothing like having a good old moan about other people’s driving; they don’t have to hear you, they don’t have to see you making rude gestures at them out of the window, hell you don’t even have to make them!
You can just shout profanities at the top of your voice and hit the steering wheel (not too hard mind, some of the older models can’t take it anymore) all in the comfort of your own car, and sadly, it does make you feel better about yourself.
So what is road rage?
The AAA Foundation suggests that the term originated in the United States. The term refers to any display of aggression shown by a driver. Although nowadays, it is used fairly loosely, and describes a variety of acts including giving the finger, a small slanging match between drivers or even a brawl with punches thrown. In fact, in the late 1980s, drivers in the United States were guilty of regular shootings and fights in the street, due to the apparent increase in congestion. It was this amplified violence that the press initially termed ‘road rage’.
There is nothing to distinguish this type of rage from any other form of anger that is experienced on a normal day. But there is no doubt that, for some, driving is fast becoming one of the most infuriating activities we are involved in daily.
In the US it has been reported that there are about 1,200 deaths due to road rage each year. While in the UK statistics from the British Institute for Anger Management show that the UK has the worst figures of any European country, with 80% of drivers saying they have been involved in a related incident and one in four admitting to committing an act themselves! Road Rage is thought to be brought on by stress and anxiety; for some maybe it is a genuine fear of driving itself and therefore it would be a manifestation of the stress brought on by just being in the car. For others it is a way to unleash the stresses of a normal day, and not anything to do with driving at all.
I think it is a combination of all of these things plus just being in charge of your car. Having personal space gives people a feeling of license, responsibility and possibly arrogance. It would be much less common for someone to get as angry at someone on the high street while shopping, not because the people are any less irritating, but because the space that you are sharing is public; causing a scene is therefore more embarrassing and you do not have the excuse of being protective over something that is yours i.e. a car.
The top three most common places for road rage: Roundabouts are terrible for it; lack of indication, lack of general etiquette, speeding, going round and round and round and round and round and round, its enough to make anyone feel sick. It’s a wonder why we still bother with them really, maybe people should stop pointing blame at the drivers and look to the state of the general traffic system!
It’s not our fault that you can’t build an efficient, stress-free driving environment! Cities are a nightmare for driving and anger management. Most of the people driving around have no idea where they are going because either the city has a confusing one way system which even Houdini couldn’t escape from. There are several different one way systems mixed in with ‘normal’ roads or there are several roads, all going in different directions, with signs which are absolutely no help at all.
On top of this everyone is normally rushing and because they have no idea where they are going the whole thing becomes a big mess; I’m getting agitated just thinking about it. Car Parks, the final notch on a driver’s gearstick. There are whole websites dedicated to drivers’ gripes about car parking and car parks. Who knew that even when you are parking your car to leave the troubles of the road behind, or just setting off on your journey, that anger could strike? Why can people not park?
The main causes of anger in car parks are accidents between two careless drivers, people scraping other cars, driving too quickly, parking badly, taking up too much space, parking in the wrong space and pulling out/driving into pedestrians because of a lack of spatial awareness or… eyes?
Is there a cure? Stop driving and walk? I’m afraid I don’t think there is a cure. Experts suggest anger management therapy or maybe even “scented oils in your car” (I’d go so far as to say this is ridiculous. Never mind accidents from road rage, you’re likely to fall asleep at the wheel).
Let’s be honest, you can’t prepare yourself or know when the road rage monster inside will strike. Try to avoid driving when you are already feeling stressed, avoid the three main areas listed above, or just walk… apparently good old mother tature could do with a break anyway!
About The author: Patrick Omari is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Stansted Airport Parking and Airport Parking.
