In light of a recent Daily Mirror newspaper article about road rage, let’s take a moment to look through the ‘Red Mist’ and see how you can beat it.
It’s expected that whilst driving on our roads, an incident of road rage will happen at least once during the journey. Whether it’s having an angry looking man shaking their clutched fist at you, or being cut up by a speeding driver, whether it’s being honked at, or being given the single finger gesture; road rage is apart of everyday life.
As the Daily Mirror article points out, ‘Road rage is growing worse with nearly half Britain’s drivers saying they had experienced the red mist.’
We each believe we are the best driver in the world.
The next time a driver cuts you up, gives you the finger, shouts or shakes their fist, smile and think, ‘Perhaps there’s an emergency in their life which they must attend to.’ After all, any number of situations could be at play in that driver’s life.
Five easy ways to beat Road-Rage
- Avoid eye contact. In much the same way you wouldn’t look a raging bull in the eyes, avoid looking at a road rage driver in the eyes too, especially while the red mist clouds their senses. It’s best to avoid any engagement and if you do find yourself face-to-face, smile and apologize and in doing so, you will defuse the situation.
- Change lanes and let the road-rager pass. Remember they may be in an emergency.
- Refrain from doing to them, what they do to you. Good biblical advice which applies to all aspects of life.
- Don’t use the car horn as a means of communication. It only adds to the rage.
- Relax and take a deep breathe. Stop holding the steering wheel so tight and listen to your favourite music.
Am I a Road Rager?
As the article informs us, 1 in 3 of us admits to road rage, but what can we do to curtail our anger and aggression on the roads?
Here are five easy steps to point you in the right direction.
Keep calm and carry on.
Make your car a happy, peaceful and relaxing place. Create a positive space to drive and you will drive positively.
Give yourself plenty of time.
Road rage often comes to the fore-front when stuck in a traffic jam or behind a slow driver. Allow yourself plenty of time for your journey. Being late will naturally make you anxious and impatient.
Listen to the traffic news and always have a B Plan.
There is nothing worse than setting off to an important meeting and driving straight into a traffic jam. Give yourself time to listen to the traffic reports and use online mapping systems to look for alternate routes.
Keep your eyes and mind on the road.
Distractions like talking on the mobile phone, texting, smoking or eating, can all endanger yourself and other drivers. No body wants to be caught off guard.
Treat others as you want to be treated.
This aged old advice is always fresh and relevant. Put yourself in their position. Would you like to be shouted at, abused and cut up? It’s a fact that our roads are public property and we are all entitled to use them. No matter how much we like to think its true, the road doesn’t solely belong to you…
Driving doesn’t have to make you angry. It should be a pleasant experience which gets you from A to B. The next time you feel the road rage building, stop and think… Does it really have to be like this?
