AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
By "DocNurse" Norma Stephens Hannigan
Probably, somewhere along the road, you have been the victim of someone’s aggression. Aggressive driving, according to the U.S. Highway Traffic Safety Agency “encompasses a number of unlawful and dangerous actions, including exceeding posted speed limits or driving too fast for road conditions, changing lanes without signaling or yielding to other drivers, and passing in emergency lanes or on the shoulder.” Road Rage rears its ugly head in a variety of forms, and is an advanced form of aggressive driving. The difference is that Road Rage “is a criminal offense that goes beyond carelessness to willful disregard for the safety of others.” Aggressive driving may escalate into a Road Rage event. Whatever the behavior, it signifies that there is some disagreement that has gotten way out of hand. Perhaps you have even been the aggressive one. Road Rage can and does occur anywhere in the world where there are motor vehicles. This article will describe what Road Rage is and how to deal with it.
What causes Road Rage? As with any aggressive behavior, Road Rage often stems from stress that isn’t handled well. Since everyone responds differently to stress in their lives, what may really irk one person may not bother the other at all. Some of the studies that have been done on Road Rage indicate that Road Rage can result from a person feeling that those around them are purposely being rude, playing music too loud or driving too slow. Sometimes a driver doesn’t feel well, maybe has some pain, and maybe just really wants to get home in a hurry. For truckers, the stress of making a deadline to deliver a load and delivering it in good shape is an additional burden to the regular stresses of just driving. In one study, the greatest concern for truckers was making their deadlines.
Truckers, as you know, spend long periods of time away from home. Worries about the family being alright, and now, especially, about the price of diesel fuel, are great big stressors for those who work in the commercial transportation industry. For women in the trucking industry, some additional concerns might be discrimination or limited jobs – some studies have shown that women feel they have to work harder to be accepted in a mostly male work setting, which puts more stress on them.
Most often, Road Rage incidents involve young people and men. Road Rage may be related to a psychiatric disorder called Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED) which may afflict as many as 16 million people in the U.S. (although not everyone engaging in Road Rage behavior has this problem). This disorder essentially involves a reaction which is wildly out of proportion to the situation. IED may be passed down from parents to their children and it is possible that this problem may be the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. These rage episodes may last about 10-20 minutes and often result, at the very least, in property being damaged, or at the very worst, a person being injured or killed.
What does Road Rage look like? Nowadays it almost seems that aggressive driving is the norm, rather than the exception. Incidents that occur now might not have happened 30 or 40 years ago, or were really shocking when they did. A person is just driving along, thinking about the frustrations of the day and then BAM! – someone does something that is the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Suddenly there are obscene gestures, yelling, maybe even one vehicle purposely hitting the other. If alcohol or drugs are involved, there is even more risk that the situation will get heated. An Associated Press news story on July 11, 2008 reported on an ex-Emergency Room physician who argued with two cyclists who got in his way – he drove in such a reckless way – possibly purposely – that one cyclist went through his rear window and the other hit the pavement. They both ended up needing medical care. We have all seen the news stories about shootings and deaths because someone cut someone else off on the road. For people who have Intermittent Explosive Disorder, these outbursts are repeated, not just a one-time event.
What can be done about Road Rage? On a number of different levels, rule changes are occurring in government agencies. New York was the first state to require education about Road Rage in order to get a license. In some communities, more law enforcement officers are looking to ticket folks who are weaving in and out of traffic, making obscene gestures, etc. A program for “compassion training” geared toward perpetrators of domestic violence was able to coincidentally produce calmer drivers at the same time (domestic violence and violence on the road are related).
There are also things that can be done on a personal level to avoid Road Rage. One important cause of stress is being late, which causes us to rush on the road. We cannot control traffic conditions, but we can control when we leave to go somewhere. Be sure to leave in a timely manner and allow yourself enough time to get to your destination without feeling too anxious or upset. As with any bothersome situation, try to make lemonade from the lemons souring your drive. Reframe the way you might normally think about a traffic jam, let’s say, and enjoy the extra time you have to listen to your favorite music or radio program.
If you are recognizing some of the Intermittent Explosive Disorder behaviors in yourself, make an appointment to see your health care provider to see if there is medication and/or therapy you might benefit from. If you are the first one to be courteous, other drivers around you might follow suit. It’s such a nice feeling when a driver lets you pass and you acknowledge that person’s kindness. But if someone threatens you on the road, do not engage with them – get away from the situation as quickly as possible.
And when you are having a frustrating driving experience, remember to remain calm, cool and collected. Take the high road and avoid Road Rage. It will not only help everyone get to their destinations safely, but it will also help you to live a more peaceful, meaningful, long and healthy life.
~ Dr. Norma Stephens Hannigan, who recently graduated with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, teaches at Columbia University in New York and has treated many truck drivers at the various clinics she has worked over the years. She currently writes from her home in Newburgh, New York.