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Road Rage
Very few of us could say that we have never felt at least a flash of anger
towards another driver at some time. Americans are too hurried, stressed
out and chronically running behind. In Washington DC during a police
crackdown on aggressive driving, police handed out 60,000 tickets in a 28
day period. The number one excuse, by a long shot, was that the driver was
running late.
Incidents of road rage were cited as a factor in 2/3rds of highway deaths
in 1996. A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that
“violent, aggressive driving” increased 7% per year since 1990. As the
roads become increasingly crowded with vehicles, the incidences of road
rage only escalate. In fact, traffic has increased 35% since 1987, but
there are only 1% more new roads to support that traffic.
No one is immune to road rage. As a professional driver, you are
especially vulnerable to road rage and the attitudes that fuel it. You
will drive many more miles than the average motorist, sit in many more
traffic jams and will be under deadlines much of the time. You will deal
with many selfish, distracted and/or unskilled drivers on a daily basis.
As time goes on, it is easy to allow bad attitudes to develop that can
easily lead to mentality “slips,” that in turn set the stage for a full
blown case of road rage. In the end, though, road rage will do far more
harm to you than any temporary satisfaction you feel from “venting” anger
on the road. To spend 10 hours per day angry requires a lot of energy and
will certainly suck much of the enjoyment you might otherwise get from
your job. It is normal to become irritated, sometimes even angry, but it
is not healthy or normal to become enraged to the point you nearly lose
control or decide you have to “get someone back.”
The simple truth is that most drivers will be less competent than you are
and you will see this on a daily basis. That is why you drive the truck
for a living and they do not. Your skills are supposed to be better. Most
people simply have no comprehension of the size, weight and limitations of
a large vehicle and they put themselves in harm’s way all the time without
knowing it. On the other hand, some drivers are simply selfish and put
their need to get down the road ahead of yours. Work hard to develop
tolerance because the vast majority of driving mistakes other motorists
make are purely accident or ignorance – not spite. Besides, there is no
such thing as a perfect driver, and all of us make mistakes.
Do you have road rage tendencies? Some aggressive driving behaviors
include: tailgating, reckless lane changes, not using signals, running
stop lights and/or signs, passing on the right, horn (over) usage,
gesturing, flashing lights at others to get out of the way and speeding.
Here Are A Few Driving Tendencies That Aggressive Drivers Have In
Common
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They will prevent another driver from passing because he or she made
them angry. (Trying to “punish” or “teach a lesson.” Incidentally, this
never, ever works because human beings are far too defensive to learn
from a defensive action on your part – they only become more defensive.)
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They constantly criticize how others drive
but do not acknowledge their own mistakes.
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They will close a gap in the lane so that
another vehicle cannot fit in, such as in merging lanes.
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They will tailgate in addition to flashing
headlights or honking – even if the vehicle ahead is doing the speed
limit. If the vehicle is not going as fast as the aggressive driver
wants to drive, regardless of the speed limit, it is not fast enough.
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They will slam on the brakes hard to try
to get rid of a tailgater.
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They easily become infuriated by another
driver – to the point of feeling hatred towards that driver.
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They always have to be “first” and feel
the need to pass everyone else even if they have to use the right lane,
shoulder, merge lane, etc to do so.
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They yell at others, give dirty looks
and/or gesture inappropriately anytime the other driver does something
the road rager doesn’t like.
You cannot control anyone else, nor the way they drive. The only control
that you have is over your own driving, attitude and reactions. When you
allow someone else to anger you, you are only giving up your control to
him or her. They will go on down the road happy as a clam and you will
stew in anger all day. Nobody’s blood pressure needs this kind of abuse!
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