Be it the daily office commute, school bus rides, road trips, or other forms of leisure travel, commuting by road is the most essential form of personal transport. While road travel is fun and convenient, it can leave a sour taste if you end up in heavy traffic, accidents, or road rage. While road rage is often limited to a verbal exchange, or sometimes dangerous driving / riding, it does not take much for it to snowball into a physical fracas, or more rarely, even a full-blown assault involving weapons. Road rage emanates out of random situations and human emotions, therefore is not uncontrollable. In this article we will tell you what road rage encompasses, what are its triggers and how it can be avoided to keep yourself and your loved one’s safe while being on the road.
What is road rage?
Before we tell you how to avoid road rage, let us first understand what all
road rage encompasses. In simple words, road rage is aggressive or
distracted driving or riding, caused when the driver or rider is angry or
irritated. As per some surveys, 80 per cent of drivers / riders exhibit
aggressive driving or riding at some point or the other. According to some
other analyses, up to 56 per cent of fatal accidents were caused due to
road rage in a five-year period. While road rage can be exhibited by both
car drivers and two-wheeler riders, it is the two-wheeler riders that are
prone to suffer more damage if the two vehicles end up contacting each
other. This stays true for both the aggressor and the victim of road rage.
Common forms of road rage
Road rage can be exhibited in various ways. Unfortunately, there are
innumerable ways in which humans react to aggressive thoughts and emotions,
so it is almost impossible to fully document actions that amount to road
rage. Listed below, however, are some broad actions which are indicative of
road rage and should help you identify it quickly if a fellow road user is
involved in such an act.
- Tailgating, or following a vehicle closely on purpose
- Driving too slowly and not letting the other vehicle pass
- Yelling or hand gesturing
- Erratic or sudden braking on purpose
- Excessive use of horn
- Cutting off the vehicle in front on purpose
- Charging on to the driver / rider of another vehicle
- Crashing into the vehicle on purpose
Causes of road rage
To understand how to avoid road rage, let us look at what causes it in the
first place.
Driving or riding in a hurry
Most of us are guilty of this. Whenever we are running late for work, an
event, or a meeting, we tend to ride or drive aggressively. Cutting through
lanes and making our way ahead as fast as possible is all we can think of
in such scenarios. Such kind of riding or driving would not only make you
the aggressor in other road users’ eyes but might trigger someone else and
you might turn out to be the victim. Either way, there is a good chance
that someone will get hurt.
Traffic jams
No one likes being held up in a traffic jam. One might not be in a hurry to
get somewhere but they do not like being stuck in one place or moving
towards their destination at a crawling pace. Traffic jams are annoying,
and it could make one irritable or angry, leading to road rage.
Ego
Well, this one is a rather weird reason for road rage but one of the most
common ones. Some riders or drivers do not like being overtaken, or being
cut through, and they feel the need to reciprocate by going faster and
overtaking the vehicle that just overtook them. They will keep on chasing
the vehicle that overtook them until they are successful in overtaking,
thus disregarding others and their own safety.
The habitual rule breakers
These are few, but they are there nonetheless and they don’t care who falls
prey to their reckless driving or riding. They disregard traffic laws and
are often not afraid of being caught. They will jump signals, overspeed,
and cut lanes. For them, the road is a playground until they learn their
lesson the hard way. Often, they are the ones who cause road accidents.
How to avoid road rage
Willingly, or unwillingly, if you are involved in a road rage situation,
the chances of you getting hurt are very high, which is why it is important
that you take care of yourself and the ones travelling with you. If you are
on a two-wheeler, you have even more reason to be extra careful, especially
if the aggressor is driving a four-wheeler. Also, remember that you could
unknowingly be the cause of someone else being an aggressor, so always be
super watchful of your surroundings and drive / ride thoughtfully. Here are
some ways in which you can minimise your chances of being involved in road
rage.
Plan, leave early
Plan your trips well in advance and leave for your destination in time, so
you have a buffer of 15-20 minutes. Check Google Maps to know exactly how
much time it will take for you to reach your destination. Google Maps would
also help you identify areas that have congestion and would assist you in
avoiding using those roads. The goal is to ride to your destination safely,
in time, while abiding by the speed limits. In case you are getting late
despite your best efforts, let the people waiting for you know that you
will be late. A wise person once said “better late than never,” and we
cannot agree more. A meeting can be rescheduled and there is always another
flight if you miss one. The world will not stop if you reach an event late,
but any injury or loss of life can never be weighed in material terms.
Do not provoke
This goes out to the ones who have that overzealous, overly competitive
spirit even in places where it is counterproductive. While it is a boon to
have this quality when participating in a sport, in academics, at the
workplace or at other places where it benefits you, it could bring a lot of
pain on the roads. Overtaking someone and giving them a look as if saying
“look I am better than you!” is not going to win you a cash prize or a
trophy, but it sure might provoke the other person into exhibiting road
rage. They might be minding their own business riding or driving away to
their destination, but you might end up ticking them off by taunting them.
Avoid such behaviour at all costs. More importantly, if you find someone
engaging in such behaviour, back off on purpose and ignore them. Let them
be the winners, there are no awards for bad behaviour on the road, only
injuries and penalties.
No one likes a show off
So, you got that new motorcycle that you have been waiting for. It has got
a fancy design, a loud exhaust and all the bells and whistles you can’t
wait for the world to see. But just because you got a fancy ride does not
mean you go out showing it off aggressively, zipping dangerously past
traffic and revving the engine at full throttle at the traffic signal. By
doing this, you might succeed in getting glances from other road users, but
most of them will not be appreciative. Some might get offended; some might
try to race you to the next signal, and some might just cut you off in your
lane. All of which could lead to a disaster.
Having a bad day? Take a break
Something happened that caused you to be angry or upset? Do not go riding
immediately. Riding can be therapeutic, but you need to have the right
temperament while being at it, so that you can make judicious decisions.
Even the smallest thing will trigger road rage if you are riding with an
irate mind. By now you already know what that could lead to. It is a good
idea to take a breather, cool off and then set out on your journey.
Things to remember if you are caught in road rage
There are times where you could end up getting involved in road rage, even
if you did nothing wrong. There is a good chance you provoked the other
driver or rider unknowingly. If ever such a situation arises, keep cool,
keep your wits about the situation and remember that there are loved ones
waiting for you at home. These pointers should help you mitigate the
dangers of road rage.
- Try to be as far as possible from the aggressor’s vehicle. If need be, stop, and let them move away to a further distance where you do not have any visual contact.
- If the aggressor has stopped to confront you, keep your ego aside and ride off. Confrontation almost never ends fruitfully and will do more harm than good. Your gestures and actions should not be aggressive, and you should radiate a vibe that projects peace, not conflict.
- Do not reciprocate even when you are provoked. It is a smart move to avoid eye contact and carry on with your journey. A polite gesture that suggests you are sorry and do not want any conflict, might help.
- If the aggressor is following you, ride to the nearest police station or stop next to a traffic officer. This will discourage the aggressor to pursue.
- In case the aggressor has caught up with you and is verbally assaulting you, do not reciprocate aggressively. Remember, you do not know this person, and this is probably the last time you will ever see him / her, so do not let there be any place for ego in your cranium. Be polite, do not think twice to say sorry, if it helps the situation to cool off, even if it is not your fault. Remember, it is better to lose an argument than losing a limb or getting an injury. In a nutshell, do not do anything that makes the verbal assault turn physical.
All things said, it eventually comes down to how you keep your cool and wits about the situation. When stuck in road rage, be calm, think straight and you will be able to avoid the dangers. Whether you are the aggressor or the victim, the chances of you getting hurt are equal. Always think about your safety and about your loved ones who are waiting for you back home first. Wish you safe riding!