MOTORING CORNER : “Road Rage”

There is what is known as “Road rage”. It is a common phenomenon or terminology used to refer to anger on the road, sparked by the action(s) of one road user such that, it infuriates one or more road users. Stories about motorists attacking one another in parking lots and intersections seemed to increase. So what does the term “road rage” trigger in our minds? It’s one of those phrases everyone many of us may have heard, though there may be no clear or universally accepted definition that would be used. Some people may use terms like “road rage” while others may call it “aggressive driving” but both go for the same phenomenon. The adversity of road rage varies from country to country and from region to region. This may be aggravated by the traffic situation in any given area, the character of the people (violent or peaceful). As might be argued that, aggressive driving includes the whole lot from cutting someone off on purpose to tailgating to making obscene gestures and cursing at other drivers, others might claim road rage refers only to incidents where violence erupts between drivers, passengers and any bystanders or even all vehicle occupants. For sure, road rage is an undesirable fact that could turn into a dangerous phenomenon that could occur to any road user, as a person responsible for it or a victim of the same (it normally takes two to tangle). What really baffles many is the fact that, In most jurisdictions, road rage is not a specific crime. Many aggressive driving maneuvers fall under the category of traffic violations, but there are only a few countries that try to define aggressive driving or road rage as an illegal activity. One reason for this is that lawmakers often find it difficult to quantify road-rage behaviors. For example, a law might state that it’s illegal to follow a car too closely. But what is too close and who makes that determination? Without providing specific parameters, the law is completely prejudiced. Let us take a very close look at road rage in its widest aspect, from driving assertively to violent confrontations between drivers. We’ll examine the reasoning behind road rage, common behaviors associated with road rage, ways to avoid getting into heated arguments with angry drivers and how to establish and lessen your own road rage. There what one may call the “Road Rage Mindset”, driving a motor vehicle may sometimes come with its own pressure’ it’s intrinsically dangerous because even if you’re the best driver in the world, there are a lot different factors that you cannot foresee, like weather, traffic, accidents, and road works. Imagine all those other people on the road? Some of them are bad drivers; their actions are not only dangerous but also infuriating. Some of them even do things specifically to make you angry or prevent you from getting to where you need to go; these keep pressing your mind beyond its maximum tolerance level! just before switching into road-rage mode, leading a driver to make irrational decisions very quickly. This might prompt you into the thought that what they are engaging in is stupid or dangerous, you think you should show them or even punish them. It is true; driving can sometimes be a risky and emotional enterprise. For many of us, our cars are an extension of our personality, and it might be the most expensive possession we own. When we drive, we’re aware that there’s potential for injury and property damage. Driving might be an expression of freedom for some, but it’s also an activity that tends to increase our stress levels, even if we’re not aware of it at the time. Driving is also a shared action, we use the same roads, drive under the same rules and regulations, weather conditions, head to same destinations e.tc. You might think of driving in terms of your own individual experience. But once you pull into traffic, once there, you are part of a society of other drivers, all of whom have their own driving skills, destinations, personalities etcetera. Psychologists think that, one important factor in road rage is our tendency to concentrate on ourselves while overlooking the joint aspect of driving. It is very easy to recognize another driver’s actions in terms of how it affects us, which in turn makes it easy to get infuriated. Experts think that, the main cause of road rage is not due to traffic jams or more drivers on the roads but how we perceive aggressive driving. To make matters worse, for years psychologists suggested that the best way to relieve anger and stress was to express your frustration (true), because if you do not, you might “explode”! However, studies show that venting doesn’t help relieve anger at all but might transfer the anger to others. In a road rage situation, venting can help escalate an incident into a violent encounter. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that violent encounters happen occasionally. Almost everyone is predisposed to engaging in irrational actions while driving. motoringcorner@live.co.uk

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MOTORING CORNER : “Road Rage”