Put the Middle Finger Away! (Road Rage)

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Road Rage
Date:	10/12/08 (374 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: I don't think there are any - unless it's to relieve one's frustration

Disadvantages: Causes verbal and physical violence

On your way to work, or back home, or to an important meeting, you get stuck in an awful traffic jam. And I mean really stuck. You are obviously getting increasingly angry, when you suddenly notice that the driver in the car next to yours smiles at you and gives you a friendly wave. And the guy behind you finally stops honking his horn like a maniac. You begin to relax thinking: 'What's the rush, after all?!' And then you......wake up.

Unfortunately, courtesy on the roads probably ended before it even appeared. When you get into your car, you must be prepared for virtually everything as it is becoming more and more dangerous and stressful to drive nowadays. It would not be unreasonable to assume that each of us has once witnessed, as a driver or passenger, a fit of aggression from another driver. Many of us, we have to admit, have succumbed to negative and distinctly unfriendly emotions while involved in a particularly difficult and stressful situation in a car. Aggression on the road is manifested not only verbally, but can even lead to physical violence.

These incidents are not unusual in today's world which I have found out in the last two days while driving around Warsaw. Having lived here for 14 months and only used the car about 5 times for emergencies I have felt quite happy and less stressed using public transport. However the last two days I have used the car to get to the other side of the city to try and do some Xmas shopping. I had forgotten just how mental Polish drivers are and how unsafe it is driving on the city's roads. I have never felt so stressed, agitated and unable to concentrate. The shopping expedition was a waste of time as I couldn't focus on the job in hand and came home on Monday with a kilo of oranges and nothing else. Yesterday I left the house at 11am and somewhere along the way took a wrong turning, got completely lost and arrived home at 4pm. During those five hours my head was reeling from the sight and sounds of honking, screeching of brakes, old ladies, shaking fists and shouting at drivers who don't stop at crossings, music blaring from open windows, police cars chasing around like they are on a Hawaii Five O set and ambulance sirens bleeping every 30 minutes - total bedlam! With my stress levels reaching the top of the Richter scale I decided to leave the car in the underground parking never to be used again and have decided to take a closer look into the phenomenon referred to as 'road rage' or 'aggressive driving' - what it is, where it comes from, how to avoid it and how to protect yourself from it.

The notions 'road rage' and 'aggresive driving' can be used to refer to the same phenomena, though some people may differentiate between these terms. In general, they refer to various types of aggressive behaviour by drivers. It is believed that the term 'road rage' originated in the United States in the 1980's - it was first used in a Los Angeles Times article. While there is no official data regarding the scale of the problem in the US, it is estimated that every year about 1,500 people are seriously injured or killed in road rage related incidents. And the number keeps rising. In 1999, aggressive driving was recognised by the US as one of the five biggest dangers that drivers can encounter (along with, for instance,weather changes). There is little data on the extent of road rage in the United Kingdom, but the number of reports of aggressive drivers is also significant. According to a 2003 survey, over 40% of Polish drivers experienced aggressive behaviour from other drivers. 70% of them admitted that they often get irritated by the way other people drive their cars. Road rage can certainly be described as an international problem, charactersistic not only of industrialised and highly motorised societies, but also those less affluent ones in which driving-related frustration, and thus aggressive behaviour, is caused primarily by the terrible quality of the roads and the incredibly huge numbers of all kinds of vehicles (from donkeys to cars) trying to get wherever they're going. Practically everybody can turn out to be an aggressive driver at some point. Statistics show that the majority of offenders are young (between 18 and 26), poorly educated males with criminal records and drug or alcohol problems but it doesn't mean to say that women, older people and successful individuals with no criminal past can also succumb. So beware, for a friendly looking older lady may turn into a demon behind the wheel.

There are certain things that are almost guaranteed to provoke road rage, for instance:

* Obscene gestures such as 'showing the finger' which can easily irritate other drivers

* Stubborn tailgating - it is not only dangerous, but it can frustrate the most peaceful person

* Horn or headlight use to show disapproval of somebody else's driving

* Mobile phones - people who talk on the phone while driving are perceived by others as unfocused and thus irritating on the road

* Changing lanes without signalling

* Car alarms that are not turned off immediately

* Parking your car so that it takes more than one parking space or blocks another vehicle in any way

* Too slow/fast/careful/careless driving

I could probably list hundreds of other things which happen to trigger aggression or give examples of road rage incidents which were not really preceded by any particular happenings. In fact, the underlying reason for the occurence of road rage is more complex as it generally involves a combination of various factors. These are usually stressors which are present in the driver's life and the actual traffic incident is only the straw that broke the camel's back. A bad day at work, a quarrel with a partner, bad luck at school, lousy weather can all be taken out on a casual road user. But there are also deeper problems which can be stretched practically to all drivers. Human beings are territorial and this territoriality is extended to their vehicles and the space they need to move in. With the constantly increasing number of new road users and new cars, it is likely someone will invade your territory and become an enemy. And as we all know, we aren't usually polite to our enemies. Besides, people nowadays live under huge pressure and in a constant rush. They get tense, but do not release those tensions, which at some point have to explode. And this may happen quite unintentionally through, say, verbal abuse of a fellow driver. Increased congestion on the roads does not make it easy to control your emotions or anger and you may become a victim of road rage for no specific reason or, at least, for a reason which is completely beyond your control. Does this mean you should avoid travelling by car? Not exactly but here are some ways how not to succumb to road rage and at the same time relieve your own stress.

* Consider altering your schedule to avoid the worst congestion. If this is impossible, accept possible delays.

* Improve the comfort of your vehicle - use air conditioning, install a CD player and turn on a relaxing piece of music.

* Make sure your car is regularly serviced so that it is in good shape.

* Concentrate on being relaxed. Do not clench your teeth, take a deep breath and loosen your grip on the wheel.

* Be aware that you cannot control the traffic, but you can control your reaction to it.

* Do not drive when you are angry, upset or very tired.

* Anticipate situations which may irritate you or other drivers

* Before getting irritated by another driver's mistake ask yourself: 'how many times have I made the same mistake?'

* Avoid all conflicts, even if you are right in a given situation - just get out of the way and think: 'I must be the wise one in this situation.'

Remember, it is better to be safe than sorry. You don't want to end up like these characters;

'In Massachusetts, Donald Graham, a 54 year-old bookkeeper, became embroiled in a heated, ongoing traffic dispute with Michael Blodgett, 42. After the motorists antagonised each other for several miles on the Interstate, they both pulled over to an access road and got out of their vehicles. At that point Graham retrieved a powerful crossbow from his trunk and murdered Blodgett with a razor sharp 29 - inch arrow.'

'In Seattle, Washington, Terrance Milton Hall, age 57, shot and killed Steven Burgess, a 21 year old college student, because Burgess was unable to disarm the loud anti-theft alarm on his jeep.'

'In California, Oscar winner Jack Nicholson believed that a driver of a Mercedes-Benz cut him off in traffic. The famous actor grabbed a golf club, stepped out of his car at a red light, and repeatedly struck the windshield and roof of the Mercedes.'

'On 3 August 1995, Robin Ficker, 52, a promoinent lawyer from Maryland, was driving his two sons to see his father at Holy Cross hospital. Suddenly Ficker's 1990 Jeep Cherokee bumped into a newer model jeep in front of him. The driver, Caroline Goldman, was six months pregnant. Goldman reported that when she approached Ficker's car he became very agitated, pointing at her and yelling. Suddenly, he struck her in the face, breaking her sunglasses and giving her a black eye that lasted for ten days.'

http://www.aaafoundation.org

I know they are all American examples and we all know the Americans have a problem with violence but I don't think the UK is any different. Although I have not been personally involved in any road rage incidents I have seen many cases happen on the roads in UK and Europe. My brother who is a lorry driver has been involved in several incidents and on one occasion did seriously become embroiled in a violent situation which he regrets now but at the time nobody or nothing could stop him from retaliating and putting it politely, chinning the other driver. Personally I prefer to use public transport - I feel safer and calmer and it keeps me out of trouble.

Here is a list of the most popular weapons used by aggressive drivers (according to the American Automobile Association) which would suggest to me that people who carry some of these so called weapons must be unhinged anyway before they even get into the car.

* Fist and feet

* Tire Irons

* Baseball Bats

* Knives

* Firearms

* Projectiles such as rocks, coins, cans and garbage

*Defensive sprays

*Their own vehicles (this refers mainly to women)

http://www.aaafoundation.org

Finally, my advice is to avoid situations which might trigger another driver's danger, do not let yourself be provoked by others' behaviour, try to stay cool no matter what happens and remember that every driver can turn out to be a potential maniac with a gun under their seat. Unfortunately murders on the road also happen. Do you really want to take a risk just for the sake of relieving your frustration through showing somebody your middle finger?

Summary: When courtesy on the roads comes to an end