Road rage is a serious problem in the United States. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, aggressive driving is a contributing factor in 54% of fatal crashes. Since most people rely on their vehicles to get around, they often have to spend a lot of time on the road to get where they need to go. If you feel fatigued after driving for a long time, if the driver has a lot of stress in his life, it is easy to cause road rage if only one person needs to perform poorly in traffic. How does road rage affect your driving skills and judgment?
To answer this question, you first need to understand what road rage is.
What Road Rage Is
Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior displayed by a driver. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats, or dangerous driving methods directed at other drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists to intimidate or release frustration. Road rage can lead to arguments, property damage, assaults, and collisions that can result in serious personal injury or even death. Road rage behaviors include honking, turning, tailgating, checking brakes, and trying to fight.
How does road rage affect a driver?
Road rage affects your driving skills and judgment, and can lead to violent altercations or accidents. When people are angry, they tend to ignore everything else and focus on the person who makes them angry. Having this type of tunnel vision can be dangerous when you’re driving. When you focus on the driver who annoys you, you may not notice other vehicles or obstacles in the road. Getting angry while traveling can also make you react by speeding and ignoring some of the basics of safe driving.
Road rage can also affect your judgment while driving. The adrenaline rush and stress you feel can lead you to make bad decisions during stressful moments, including speeding, following too closely, or engaging in other erratic maneuvers. These types of things can endanger the lives of you and those around you on the road.
Below are some common health issues that are common in road ragers, according to psychologist LeeChambers.org.
- Increases Blood Pressure
- Cardiovascular Health Issues
- Stroke
- Stress
Who is most likely to experience road rage?
It is no exaggeration to say that anyone who drives a car experiences road rage. Everyone who has ever driven the steering wheel probably remembers a time when they got pissed off while driving. WebMD points out that about the prevalence of road rage, about half of drivers admitted to having committed road rage in the past year. Additionally, environmental issues such as being honked by another driver are likely to cause road rage, or as Psychology Today points out, traffic congestion can cause road rage.
When roads are full of cars and the weather is hot, drivers are more likely to be involved in road rage incidents than on days when the roads are less congested, and the weather is cooler. And when drivers are going through a breakup or are facing job stress, it’s easy to get caught up in road rage incidents. Additionally, people who use drugs or drink alcohol and then drive may be more likely to develop road rage.
How to Avoid Aggressive Driving and Drivers
When you drive, you should remember that you should control your emotions. If other people on the road behave in a way you don’t like, remember that you don’t have to react the same way. Do not follow other drivers, block lanes, or react when others are driving hard.
If you encounter an aggressive driver, ensure your doors are locked, and your windows are kept closed. Leave enough space between your vehicle and the car in front of you. This can help you maneuver around the car in front of you for safety. If you can, close the road and drive to the police station.
If you cannot escape, call 911 to report what happened. You should never associate with aggressive people to avoid escalating the situation. If you can, stop using your camera or smartphone to record what happened. However, do not attempt to record anything while you are currently driving. Also, record the license plate number and other details that might be useful.
We recommend using Geshowit car accessory, which can help reduce road rage problems. If you can’t control your emotions while driving, you can use wave and flick gestures to release your dissatisfaction with this fun car led light. Geshowit car led lights’ “peace and love” gesture can help calm angry drivers when you encounter aggressive drivers.
