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The Link Between Bad Road Manners and Road Rage
Aug 31, 2007

There has been research done on the relationship between road rage and bad road etiquette, and it has shown a definite connection (see post on links for more information). The usual scenario is that the person not at fault who experiences the rude behavior gets angry. While it is important to help people with anger management issues get a grip on their aggressive tendencies, it is equally important in the quest for incident prevention to reduce the likelihood of these people getting outrageously miffed in the first place.

In case any such rude persons might actually be reading this (which chances are beyond remote), I will beseech them to wit:

Those among the die-hard assertive A-types may have the hardest time with this idea, but honestly, you're really not losing your "cojones" by being a courteous driver: Think of it as successfully completing the task of transit in the most efficient way possible by conquering the gauntlet of potential-for-rudeness pitfalls. If you're just plain nasty and truly enjoy it, then wait until you are not in or near any cars to be an ass, such that any fall-out from your dirty-rotten-scoundrel antics hopefully won't involve tons of metal and gasoline.

A note to those of you who are in a vehicle that has any information about your business on it: You're still an ambassador for your business even if you're not on the clock as long as you are in your company vehicle and everyone else on the road knows what business you work for.  It's usually not the employees but the owners and independent contractors who drive rudely.  I have a mental list of companies that will never, ever experience my patronage due to inconsiderate driving by someone in their company vehicle.

I've noticed that sometimes, the passenger and not the driver will be the one who gets verbally rude on the road (they'll roll down their window and basically cat-call you). I remember doing that once when I was ten: I heckled at someone out of the passenger window and the day camp driver who was taking me home immediately put me in my place. If you have relatives or friends who indulge in this heckle-and-run tendency, suggest that they either choose a more appropriate time and place for a public opinion outlet or they can stay out of your car. They're not really doing you a favor.

Not all incidences of road rage can be avoided by becoming angels on the road, but if most people were as nice in their cars as they are face-to-face, I'm sure it would greatly reduce the occurrences of these terrible escalations of temper on the road that lead to violence and tragedy.
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Posted: Friday August 31, 2007, 6:30 am
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