Road Rage: The Newest Danger on the Roadways

In Ohio, a mother of two, jockeying with a pregnant woman for position on a highway, purposely slams on her brakes, causing the pregnant woman to swerve and hit a pole. Her unborn baby is killed. The mother of two is sentenced to over a year in prison for vehicular manslaughter of the fetus.

In North Carolina, a driver-education instructor is suspended for allegedly ordering a student to pursue a car that had cut them off and then smacking that car's driver.

In Colorado, a man persuades a teenager who had been tailgating him to pull over. When the teenager threatens him, the man shoots and kills him.

All over the country reports like these are making headlines. Not so long ago, "road rage" was almost unheard of, but today its commonplace to read about incidents of tempers flaring and aggressive actions being taken on the road.

Experts warn that road rage is at epidemic levels on America's highways. In a recent study, the American Automobile Association found a 51 percent increase since 1990 in incidents of motorists behaving in an overtly hostile manner. Like car wrecks and car-jacking, road rage is now considered just another danger associated with being on the road.

What exactly is road rage? It's an angry or frustrated reaction to another driver's actions that usually results in harmful driving activity. It can be gesturing, shouting through an open window, driving with the intent to antagonize, and in the worst cases, assaulting or shooting another driver. In some cases the driver that triggered the road rage was not even aware of doing anything wrong, yet his act created a potentially dangerous situation or invaded the comfort zone of another driver.

The reasons for road rage are difficult to pinpoint. One theory suggests the problem is due, in part, to the increased population and number of motor vehicles on the road. It is estimated that in the past decade the number of vehicles in operation has increased by more than 13 percent, with the miles being driven increasing by more than 35 percent. However, during this same period of time, new highway construction increased by only 1 percent.

According to Dr. Leon James, a social psychologist known on his radio show as Dr. Driving, there is a cultural factor involved as well. "The fact is that our culture has made aggressive driving into a norm, something we can tolerate and engage in freely, even be proud of. By the time adolescents obtain their driver's licenses, they have been exposed to years of aggressive driving as children in their parents' cars and as consumers of car commercials and movies that depict aggressive driving as a norm."

With the continually increasing pace in lifestyle, it seems that everyone needs to get to their destinations sooner. Speeds are increased in order to "make good time," creating frustration, stress, and fear for other drivers.

Perhaps you're not prone to temper flare-ups that cause you to act unsafely. Chances are there's someone on the highway next to you who is. Take the necessary precautions to avoid a dangerous-and potentially deadly-situation. Never underestimate another driver's capacity for irrational retaliation. Be patient and keep focused on your driving.

"The best way to handle aggressive drivers is to not be an aggressive driver yourself," says California Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Kohler. "And the second thing is to avoid those who are behaving aggressively by not reacting to them."

There are other things you can do to safeguard yourself against the hazards of road rage. First and foremost, practice basic traffic courtesy. Avoid maneuvers that require others to have to apply their brakes. Also, stay away from situations that make it necessary to employ unsafe maneuvers. For example, when exiting an expressway, move to the exit lane or the lane closest to it well in advance of the exit to avoid last-second lane changes. Use your signal lights every time you are making a lane change or entering or exiting the roadway. Failure to use turn signal lights is the most common complaint of other drivers. Not only is it a discourtesy, but at times it can be downright dangerous not to use them.

Avoid following the vehicle in front of you too closely. Do not infringe on another driver's comfort zone. It is recommended that you leave four seconds between your vehicle and others' when driving an automobile and four to six seconds for RVs. After passing a slower vehicle, do not return to your original lane of travel until you have created enough of a safety zone between you and the other vehicle.

Don't be distracted by a cellular phone or by conversation with your traveling companion. Rather, stay alert and aware of other vehicles at all times. Do not drive in the far-left lane-this lane is intended for passing. Even though you may be driving the speed limit, others may want to travel faster than you do. It is not your job to enforce the speed limit by holding up traffic. In a metropolitan area, do not travel in the HOV (carpool) lane with your RV. This lane is meant for commuters who have two or more people in the vehicle, and traffic generally moves at a high rate of speed.

If traffic begins to build up behind you, the law dictates that you look for a safe spot to pull onto the side of the road and allow the traffic to pass you. If you know you'll be more comfortable driving slower than the posted speed limit on a heavily traveled highway, look for an alternate route with less traffic.

Do not change more than one lane at a time. If more than one lane change is necessary, move over one lane at a time. Once you have completed the first lane change, stay in that lane until you are sure there will be no conflict with other traffic to change to another lane. Recognize that drivers behind have a difficult time seeing around your RV.

In construction areas where the road narrows down to one or two lanes, don't stay in the lane that is ending ahead until it comes to an end. Doing this creates a bottleneck in traffic, and the people who abided by the construction requirements to converge are penalized by your inconsideration. Instead get in the lane indicated by the signs and markers, and stay there until you have gone through the construction area. Often truckers line up two or three abreast in order to keep other drivers from going to the point of lane convergence and creating a bottleneck in the flow of traffic.

Whatever you do, don't use the excuse that you are only doing what everyone else is doing. Instead, set the example for others and take pride in the fact that you did the right thing. If you are the victim of an aggressive act by another driver, stay calm and don't overreact. Rather, adjust your driving to accommodate. Do not engage in a shouting match or exchanging of gestures. Those actions may enrage the other driver and further escalate the situation.

If you are approached by a driver who is shouting or gesturing at you, don't take your eyes off the road avoid eye contact with the aggressor. Responding will only make the situation worse, so avoid provocation. If you don't react, hopefully the driver will eventually continue on. As the other driver picks up speed, be especially cautious. Take your foot off the accelerator, and keep a close eye on the vehicle in case the driver pulls in front of you and slams the brakes.

Get help if you think an aggressive driver is stalking you or trying to start a fight. If you have a cellular phone, call the police or drive to a safe, populated place, such as a police station, shopping center, or hospital parking lot.

If you don't have a cell phone, use your horn to get the attention of someone who can help. Do not get out of your car, and do not go home. If you travel the highways of this country very much, road rage is something that you will undoubtedly encounter. How you handle that situation may very well determine your health and the welfare of not only yourself but others as well. If you create a situation that causes road rage, don't be afraid to apologize to the other party involved, and above all, take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again.