How to avoid road rage

Member

By Marique-Ideas
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (8 Ratings)

Road rage has escalated with the hurried schedules that we keep and the rise of cell phone usage while driving, mingled with the myriad of poor driving habits that we have acquired over the years or lack of good habits we never attained in the first place. There are many ways to avoid being on the receiving end of someone's road rage and to refrain from wanting to be on the giving end of it too. The most effective way to lessen your chances of involvement in road rage is to return to the basic rules of driving.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Step one: Read the driver manual for your home state. If you don't have time to read it thoroughly, I ask that at a minimum you skim through it and circle a few things of interest to read later. Keep the manual in your car for when you are waiting for a long train to pass or a child to finish sports practice. So much of road rage can be avoided if we educate ourselves with this refresher course. In my state we are only tested on these basic rules prior to licensing and never again. Some of us may have gotten a little cloudy on the details over the last 10 to 50 years. You owe it to yourself to be aware of the rules of the road. I have provided a link to State Driver Manuals in the resources below for your convenience.
Step 2

Step two: Be considerate of others, especially others who have not followed my advise in step one. Just because you now know the rules of the road, doesn't mean you have a license run down someone who hasn't read my article. Don't be afraid to communicate with other drivers at an intersection who may not realize it is their turn to go next and motion them on.
Step 3

Step three: Try to remain calm at all times. Think back to the last time someone flipped you the bird while you were driving. In the first place, they probably looked really stupid doing it; and in the second place, you probably had no idea what you had done that set them off. Had you both read your manual, followed the directions, and were paying attention it wouldn't have happened. I'm sure we agree that a simple flying of the finger flag is not the worst thing in the world, but this single little outburst of emotion has been know to escalate into undesirable situations. Think of it this way; you would not purposely try to tick off a hornets nest, would you?
Step 4

Step four: If all else has failed and you find yourself being the victim of an aggressive driver, back off and try to avoid a situation as much as possible. If that doesn't work, attempt to call the police from your cell phone, record the plate number and description of the vehicle, as well as a description of the person. Try to stay in an area where there are witnesses, or try to get to an area where there may be witnesses and hopefully, the nightmare will pass without further incident. Even if no harm has been done to your vehicle or to you, I strongly recommend that you report the incident to the police. If the rage took place on one of your routine routes, you may encounter this person again in the future.
Step 5

Step five: Repeat my instruction in step one as often as possible. It is wise to seek as much information as possible; and you are, obviously, wise. After all, isn't that what lead you to my e-How article?
Step 6

p.s.: Don't forget to check out the resource below for your state's Driver Manual.