Understanding Road Rage and How to Prevent It

Rage. How many of us have experienced it on either the giving or receiving end at one time or another? Rage is an emotion that is discussed more frequently than jealousy, pride, envy and a multitude of other emotions. Webster defines rage as: "Violent and uncontrolled anger" and a "fit of violent wrath." Rage is what's happening, and it's happening everywhere.

Road rage is at the top of the list. Over 1/2 of drivers who are subjected to another person driving aggressively respond aggressively, which ups the risk of a more serious confrontation. The statistics are as follows: Men respond more aggressively to other drivers than women (54% vs 46%). Age plays a factor, persons age 18-24 are twice as likely to respond aggressively than drivers 65 and older (68% vs 30%). People with children are more aggressive than people with no children (59% vs 45%). Last but not least, it seems people using cell phones while driving are more aggressive than non users (59% vs 38%).

There are many things that factor into road rage. Stress on the job and at home. The volatile economy. Too many things to do and too little time. More people driving. My personal favorite, road construction, can always be counted on to bring out the road rage in even the most calm, cool and collected people. Here in Ohio, it seems that those orange barrels appear as early as March and aren't taken down until late November. As soon as the orange barrels go up, there's accidents - which adds to the problem. As soon as the barrels come down, people here are having to re-learn the art of driving in snowstorms and on ice.

There are some things you can do to prevent a serious confrontation. First, stay calm while driving and adopt the attitude that the world won't end if you're late. Second, use your turn signals, make sure you have plenty of room before changing lanes and always keep a safe distance to avoid tailgating. Third, avoid making obscene gestures. If someone cuts you off--just slow down and give them plenty of room. If the other driver continues their aggressive behavior try to get away from them safely. If that fails, call the police or drive to a police station. If they are following you, never drive home or get out of your car until you know it's safe.

From 1990-1996 AAA compiled records that confirmed 10,037 people were injured during road rage incidents and 218 people were killed. Changing your attitude and following the simple rules listed above could save you from being a statistic.