How to Prevent Road Rage

In the modern, fast-paced world stress is a constant and losing your temper a seemingly unavoidable side effect. When this happens to someone who is driving, we call it road rage. Losing your temper in a driving situation is potentially life threatening and easily preventable. No one individual owns the roads we drive and being a courteous driver is the first step in preventing road rage.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Get plenty of rest. A good night's sleep and a satisfying breakfast are often enough to keep us calm and focused on the drive to work. Sleepy drivers are irritable drivers and make conditions unsafe for everyone on the road.
2. Plan your route and allow yourself plenty of time to reach your destination.
3. Remember that you do not own the road. Many people feel a sense of entitlement when they get behind the wheel but realizing that the road is shared among a host of people all trying to get somewhere may help keep things in perspective.
4. Be vigilant and alert to changes in the traffic. Recognizing potential hazards before they occur will save tempers and troubles later. Always know how many cars are around you, what the general speed is, and use your peripheral visions to check for unexpected signals from other drivers.
5. Stay calm when something happens. Losing your temper and swearing at other drivers is absolutely no way to behave under any circumstances. Patience and cooperation is the best way to deal with accidents on the road.
6. Take adequate breaks on long distance journeys. Cramped in a car hour after hour can make you both physically unwell and easily frustrated. Allow yourself time to relax.
7. Let the little things go. If someone speeds ahead of you, almost cuts you off but doesn't, forgets to use their turn signal, just forget about it. It's really not worth arguing about.

Tips & Warnings

• Counting to ten before responding to a situation can help control your anger.
• Signal intentions ahead of time. Unexpected turns and lane changes cause anger and accidents.
• Do not tailgate. This is harassment and can cause another driver to lose control of his or her vehicle.