How To Protect Yourself From Road Rage

Road rage claims thousands of lives a year according to the NHTSA. Chances are, you’ve been the victim or a perpetrator yourself.  It’s a growing problem, especially with the amount of traffic on the roads, and is one that needs to be avoided.

As a driver, you need to be on your guard. You need to ensure you aren’t the guilty party, inflicting furious anger on to other road users, and you need to ensure you don’t cause somebody else to get angry with you.

To protect yourself from developing road rage yourself, you should do the following.

• Don’t get in your car when you are already angry. Calm down before getting behind the wheel, in whatever way works for you, and then get into your car when your emotions are under control.
• To maintain a calm atmosphere within your car, play some gentle music (heavy rock just won’t do). Open a window or two on hot days to let air flow in, and practice calm breathing techniques if you find yourself getting into a fluster.
• Remember that other people aren’t as mindful as you when driving. Should somebody undertake you, pull out at a junction, or tailgate you, remind yourself of the stupidity of others, but don’t let their idiocy affect your driving.
• If you do start to get riled up, pull over somewhere safe and calm down. This is better than retaliating with an angry horn or an outstretched finger, as letting your anger get the better of you could result in you being or causing an accident statistic.

To protect yourself from the road rage of others, concentrate on the following advice.

• Don’t be that stupid driver who makes dumb mistakes. Drive sensibly, stick to road safety regulations, and avoid distractions. The safer you are as a driver, the less chances of somebody taking offense at your presence on the road.
• Practice defensive driving. Knowing that there could be a chance of another road user having a bad day, drive defensively to avoid becoming yet another factor in making their day a misery.
• If another driver does try and engage with you though rude behaviour, ignore them. Keep your eyes on the road, stick to safety protocols, and avoid doing anything to inflame the situation further. If necessary, take a different path, or pull over, and let the other driver carry on their miserable journey away from you.
• To give you backup in case of an accident or other incident, invest in a dash cam. This will record the behaviour of the angry driver in question, and you can use this footage when reporting what has happened to the police, or when you are pursuing legal action.
• If you are injured because of somebody else’s road rage, check the following legal website to find out more about your compensation rights. It’s bad enough enduring the stress of an accident, and it’s even worse when you are out of pocket because of it. A legal team will set you on the path to financial recovery.

Don’t be another statistic. For your sake, and for the sake of other drivers on the road, follow our advice, and practice responsibility when behind the wheel. Let us know if you have further tips, perhaps from your own experience, for our readers. Thanks for reading.