On roads which have more potholes than speed bumps, farm animals sitting on the side, people crossing it randomly, 'road rage' is becoming a commonplace occurrence. Almost everyone has been a victim of road rage at some point in their life. Open the newspaper and you can find many news articles on incidents of road rage.
Road rage is defined as aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of a motor vehicle. Mostly it is restricted to a fair bit of shouting, abusive words and a few hand gestures. However, it even has the potential to harm someone physically. There have been cases in the past that have left the road rage victims badly wounded (mentally and physically) after the incident.
Driving is a stressful activity and a grueling commute everyday to work can have a huge negative impact on your well-being and raise your stress hormones long before you get to the office. With millions of commuters starting and ending their workdays with 30 to 90 minutes of noise, exhaust fumes, and slow-motion frustration, the prevalence of road rage has increased considerably in the past decade. Many psychologists even classify it as a mental disorder.
Road rage is caused by a number of incidents. A few of them can be described below:
- Cutting someone off: A driver gets really frustrated when someone cuts him off. This is the most common cause of road rage.
- Tailgating: When a person drives the vehicle really close to the other vehicle's tail that is called tailgating. Tailgating is very dangerous as any sudden reaction can lead to a major accident especially at high speeds.
- Bad drivers: There will always be bad drivers on the road. The ones that don't care about the law or even others life.
There many other conditions that may lead to road rage like traffic congestion, weather conditions, noise levels, time constraints etc.
Every driver has or will at some point come in contact with an angry, aggressive driver. Road rage is an increasing problem, not just in India, but around the world. But there are ways in which you can avoid yourself from being a road rage victim. Here are some useful tips to help you with the same:
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Don't offend: Make sure you follow all the traffic laws. You should indicate every time you want to change a lane or directions. Do not drive in the last lane very slowly. If someone wants to overtake you, pullover and let him go by.
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Be cool: Make sure you don't lose your temper while driving. Keep your problems aside when in front of the steering. You also should not engage in any argumentative conversations with your passengers. Aggressive driving is mostly a result of angry emotions. The car is not the safe place to vent your anger.
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Get enough sleep: The main factor that aggravates short temperedness is physical exhaustion. Physical exhaustion is a result of not getting enough rest in the night. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep everyday. Also, try not to drive when you are too tired. You rather pull to a side, take a nap and then get back to your driving.
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Keep your distance: If you see an aggressive driver tailgating you or flashing light at you, let him go by. Don't make any eye contact with that person as that may provoke him even more. By not engaging in road rage, you will prevent yourself from getting into a fight. If you lose your cool, just take a deep breath and count till ten.
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Make your car a relaxing place: Create a very relaxing environment in your car. Make sure you play some relaxing music rather than loud thumping rock music. Put a pleasant air freshener with a gentle fragrance.
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Don't drive on time constraints: Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the destination. If you are getting very late for work, try and take public transport or let someone else drive on behalf of you.
Keep your cool, show your manners and remember to be respectful and kind when driving. Treat other people the way you want to be treated. That is the best remedy for road rage.
