|
The phrase "road rage" entered
the English language around 1994 in London. The Oxford English Dictionary first started
listing "road rage" in 1997. It defines it as "a violent anger caused
by the stress and frustration of driving in heavy traffic."
From the point of view of Driving
Psychology, this definition is not fully accurate. Road rage frustration and
aggression is not caused by traffic, no matter how heavy. Road rage is a learned
cultural habit of retaliation when you feel like retaliating. It's a free choice we
exercise. When we are frustrated in heavy traffic we have a choice of how we're going to
respond. The types of responses available to us include
- venting without retaliating
- venting with retaliating
- not venting, staying cool and objective
- not venting, doing something else
- etc.
It's up to us how we respond and it's up to
us how we train ourselves to respond. Driving
psychology teaches emotional intelligence for drivers.
This is a skill we can learn with some practice behind the wheel. The rewards for learning
this new way are tremendous. You insulate yourself from negative stress on highways.
You build up a positive highway community and you contribute to it. You are safe, happy,
smart. It's well worth it.
We invite all of you to get in touch
with your own DrDriving or driving conscience, and to experience the health and spiritual
benefits of Supportive Driving (=the opposite
of aggressive driving).
| In my view "Road Rage" represents the culmination of an escalating
sequence of punitive behaviors meted out from one driver to another. This Vigilante
behavior has four degrees of escalating retaliation:
First
Degree, a single gesture, curse, or grimace delivered as punishment.
Second Degree, repeated exchanges of the same, together
with diminished awareness of other sensory input, plus impaired
judgment.
Third Degree, harassing the other driver through high
beams, tailgating, retarding the progress of his vehicle, edging him over, or abruptly
stopping in front of him. I call this "Highway Madness".
Fourth Degree, intentionally injuring the other driver's
vehicle or person. This is "Road Rage".
Dr. John
Larson's Testimony to Congress
"Road rage is a habit acquired
in childhood. Children are reared in a car culture that condones irate expressions as part
of the normal wear and tear of driving. Once they enter a car, children notice that all of
a sudden the rules have changed: It's O.K. to be mad, very upset, out of control, and use
bad language that's ordinarily not allowed. By the time they get their driver's license,
adolescents have assimilated years of road rage. The road rage habit can be unlearned, but
it takes more than conventional Driver's Ed. "
Dr. Leon James' Testimony to
Congress |
|
Author: Lance
Deegan
Date: 1999/02/06
Forum: aus.bicycle
Road rage doesn't occur for no
reason. It happens in response to someone doing something silly or even dangerous. For
example, rude or incompetent driver dangerously cuts off another driver. The victim is
angry and abuses the perpetrator. Result: the victim is accused of road rage. People who
commit road rage are providing a valuable service to all of us in letting errant and
dangerous drivers know that their conduct is unacceptable. We should be rewarding people
accused of road rage for this valuable service. Their accusers should forthwith be sent to
driver re-education camps or if the incident was bad enough, charged with dangerous
driving.
This whole hysteria against road rage is a classic case of
punishing the victim. |
July 22, 2007, Sunday By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NYT)
California highways have been shut down by wildfires, mudslides,
earthquakes and police chases. And now road rage. Drivers
inconvenienced by a road-widening project subjected construction
workers to so much abuse -- death threats, BB gun shootings, a
flying burrito -- that the state shut down California Highway 138
altogether. ...
Associated Press - July 20, 2007 3:13 PM ET
WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. (AP) - It was known as "Blood Alley" -- an
accident-plagued stretch of Southern California highway.
Now it's becoming known for road rage
-- aimed at construction workers.
State crews began widening the section of California Highway
138 near the town of Wrightwood last summer. It was shut down for
most of the day. During rush hour, though, commuters got a bit of
a break -- with traffic being allowed to flow one direction at a
time behind escort vehicles.
For some, though, the situation proved intolerable. One man
threatened to climb a water tower and shoot highway workers.
Vandals tore down barricades, and construction equipment was
stolen.
A driver was arrested last September and charged with assault
after allegedly clipping a flagman with his vehicle. Construction
workers have also had burritos thrown at them and been shot with
B-Bs.
So, citing the continuing problems and the need to expand the
construction zone, the state shut down the road entirely last
month, until the work is finished.
Respecting road crews can save lives
July 24, 2007
Connie Schultz
Road construction crews are not our enemy.
Granted, they slow us down, order us around like a
toddler's mama, and some think they're way too
lackadaisical from our air-conditioned perches. None of
that, though, justifies what happens when our rage hits
the road.
Too many motorists regard reduced speed limits as
somebody else's problem, which is turning out to be a
problem for everyone.
Road Construction Rage
A slow driver when you're late for work, a construction zone
that never seems to go away - we've all felt that road rage creep
up at one time or another. But on one stretch of California
Highway 138, north of Los Angeles, the outrage has reached a fever
pitch. Drivers are taking it out on the road construction crew.
Some commuters are so angry they're attacking the construction
crews.
"I have actually had someone throw a socket at me, and
actually hit my car," said road worker Robert Bartlett.
Think that's bad? One worker was pelted with a burrito. And a
woman was shot with a bb gun!
(...)
"Well I have been called names that I never knew existed," says
Bartlett.
This highway had nearly 3,000 collisions in the years leading
up to construction. The project was designed to make it safer -
but didn't account for road rage.
"A gentleman came up to the closure and disobeyed the
flagmen at the entrance, proceeded through and ended up running
over one of the workers on scene," says Highway Patrolman Jeff
Perez.
It got so bad, state officials said "forget it!" no more open
lanes. No more escorts through construction.
"They want to get through real bad so we had to close the
road down, because of the road rage," adds Hultquist.
So now commuters have to drive another half-hour around the
construction.
(...)
CNN
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=50568
Road rage killing accused held
Hindu, India -
10 hours ago
Narender honked, but Arvind apparently
did not hear and kept walking on the road. An
angry Narender then got into a fight with him. ...
|
Truck driver guilty of road rage
Marlborough
Express, New Zealand - 14 hours ago
Feelings of road rage became so
violent for a Napier truck driver he threatened an
elderly motorist with a baseball bat after getting
frustrated by the ...
|
Tot hurt in road-rage attack
Sunday
Times.au, Australia - 18 hours ago
A TWO-year-old child has been
hospitalised after a road-rage attack on
a car in Bellvue - one of two such incidents involving
young children yesterday. ...
|
Road rage: man thrashed to death
Times of
India, India - Aug 6, 2007
NEW DELHI: In another brutal case of
road rage in the Capital, a pedestrian was
beaten to death on Monday by a biker angered by the
victim getting in his ...
|
Road rage, cop spitter top police
Gladwin County
Record, MI - 17 hours ago
GLADWIN — A Gladwin woman was arrested
and lodged in the Gladwin County Jail Saturday after
deliberately spooking a horse-drawn buggy. ...
|
2005 Road Rage Case Ends
WRBL, GA -
18 hours ago
Filing out of court Tuesday morning,
the family of Kenneth Williams tried to hold their
heads high. “It’s just been hard and, you know, I’m
glad for closure ...
|
JeffCo driver wounded in road-rage
shooting
St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, United States - Aug 7,
2007
"We're investigating the shooting as a
road-rage shooting," Boyer said at 9:30
am "We don't know exactly what we're going to have
because we are just ...
|
Police Respond to Drive-Thru Road Rage
Kitsap Sun
(Subscription), United States - Aug 6,
2007
A drive-through flare-up at a Taco
Bell turned into an assault Sunday evening. A
32-year-old Bremerton woman was sitting in her blue
car with some friends ...
|
Road rage victim still fighting to survive
NJ Blog, New
Jersey - Aug 6, 2007
MacGuire, 27, was injured on August 1
in a road-rage incident at Laurel Lake
when she was struck and then run over by another
driver. ...
|
Police arrest man in fatal road rage wreck
Boston
Herald, United States - Aug 3, 2007
By Renee Nadeau A Boston man has been
arrested in connection with an early-morning road
rage attack in Dorchester that killed one woman
and injured two ...
|
Ex-con charged in road-rage homicide
Boston
Herald, United States - Aug 3, 2007
By O’Ryan Johnson A violent ex-con is
accused of running a carload of women and children off
the road, and causing a crash that killed a
teenager and tossed ...
|
Police investigate Macquarie Pass road rage
attack
Illawarra
Mercury, Australia - Aug 5, 2007
By MICHELLE HOCTOR POLICE are
investigating a road rage attack on a father
and his 16-year-old son by a motorcyclist after an
incident on the treacherous ...
|
One dead, two injured in road rage rollover
WOOD-TV, MI -
Aug 4, 2007
COVERT TOWNSHIP -- One person has died
and two others were injured when their vehicle rolled
over during a road rage incident. It was around
11 am Wednesday ...
|
'Road rage' passenger pulls knife
BBC News, UK -
Jul 31, 2007
Surrey Police said the "road rage"
incident happened at traffic lights in Albert Road,
Bagshot, on Thursday. The articulated lorry nearly
collided with a ...
|
Road-rage accused's vile bleating
NEWS.com.au, Australia - Jul 31, 2007
By Rhett Watson HE is accused of a
brutal and cowardly road rage attack on an
87-year-old Digger, but his girlfriend believes "half
the Australian men would ...
|
Borneo Bulletin |
Road rage couple detained
Borneo
Bulletin, Brunei Darussalam - Aug 4, 2007
By Azlan Othman A husband and wife
handcuffed and detained for alleged involvement in
road rage. - AZLAN OTHMAN Police arrested a
husband and wife on ...
|
Road rage for Gordon means win for Harvick
Long Beach
Press-Telegram, CA - Aug 4, 2007
AP In the end, it was Kevin Harvick
who celebrated the victory in Saturday's inaugural
NASCAR Busch Series race in Canada. It was a
controversial finish ...
|
Road rage: Drunk youths attack doctor
Times of
India, India - Jul 30, 2007
PUNE: Road rage took an ugly
turn on Saturday night as three intoxicated medical
students tried to attack cardiologist Manoj Durairaj
with a broken liquor ...
|
Rolly: Unseen road rage allowed?
Salt Lake
Tribune, United States - Jul 29, 2007
She called dispatch later with Mr.
Road Rage's license plate. But on traffic
misdemeanors, state law says, with some exceptions, an
officer must witness the ...
|
Road rage victim remains in coma
Bridgeton News,
United States - Aug 3, 2007
A 27-year-old Laurel Lake woman, the
victim of an apparent road rage incident
Wednesday, remained in critical condition Friday. Rosa
MacGuire, who was 11 ...
|
Road Rage Couple Detained
Bru
Direct, Brunei Darussalam - Aug 3, 2007
By Azlan Othman Bandar Seri Begawan -
Police arrested a husband and wife on Thursday (August
2) who was allegedly involved in a road rage
attack on two ...
|
Kiwi in road-rage bashing of veteran, 87
New Zealand
Herald, New Zealand - Jul 29, 2007
SYDNEY - A New Zealander who allegedly
admitted to police that he "was going to kill" an
87-year-old World War II veteran in a road-rage
attack in Sydney ...
|
Retired officer took photos of road-rage
scene
Louisville
Courier-Journal, KY - Aug 4, 2007
... when Pickerill and Koenig
got into an altercation at a four-way stop in the
parking lot of the Kroger at Hurstbourne Parkway and
Taylorsville Road. ...
|
Stewartstown man sentenced in road rage case
York
Dispatch, PA - Aug 3, 2007
A Stewartstown-area man who committed
road rage by assaulting another driver pleaded
guilty yesterday in an agreement with prosecutors that
forces him to ...
|
Road rage suspect took scene photos
Louisville
Courier-Journal, KY - Aug 3, 2007
By Jason Riley After shooting Darren
Pickerill in a road-rage incident June
3, retired police officer Richard Koenig took pictures
of the scene with a ...
|
Family in road rage bat attack
ic
SouthLondon.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul
27, 2007
By Joshua Layton A CRAZED driver
grabbed a cricket bat from his boot and launched a
violent assault on another motorist in a terrifying
road rage attack. ...
|
'Music In Cars Causes Road Rage'
Sky News, United
Kingdom - Jul 26, 2007
Certain types of in-car music can lead
to road rage, a new survey has revealed. As
many as 65% of people reckoned music influenced their
behaviour while ...
|
New exempt tournaments all the rage
ESPN -
1 hour ago
Florida's 82-80 loss to Kansas in last
year's Las Vegas Invitational was one of the few bumps
in the road to the Gators' second consecutive
national title. ...
|
Road Rage Victim Released From Hospital
WCCO, MN -
Aug 3, 2007
(WCCO) A teen injured in a road
rage accident has been released from the hospital
after more than a month's stay. Alexander Schaenzer,
16, was released from ...
|
Road-Rage Shooting Victim's Family To
Speak
WLKY, KY -
Aug 3, 2007
It’s been two months since what police
called a “road rage” incident left Louisville
resident Darren Pickerill in critical condition On
Friday afternoon, ...
|
Road rage incident leads to arrest
Moorpark Acorn,
USA - Aug 2, 2007
"The incident is probably road rage-related
because the Caltrans truck wasn't going as fast as the
culprit wanted," said Detective Edwin Ilano of the
...
|
Kiwi charged in road rage incident
TVNZ, New
Zealand - Jul 28, 2007
A man who allegedly admitted to police
that he "was going to kill" an 87-year-old World War
II veteran in a road rage attack has been
granted bail. ...
|
Elderly man bashed in road-rage incident
ABC
Online, Australia - Jul 26, 2007
A 33-year-old man is being questioned
by police over a road rage incident in
south-west Sydney yesterday. About 11:50am (AEST) an
87-year-old man was ...
|
Road rage attack on 87-year-old: man arrested
Sydney Morning
Herald, Australia - Jul 26, 2007
Police have arrested a 33-year-old man
over a road rage attack on an 87-year-old man
in Sydney's southwest. Police say the arrested man is
believed to be ...
|
Man, 87, bashed in road rage attack
NEWS.com.au, Australia - Jul 26, 2007
AN 87-year-old man was repeatedly
punched in the face by another driver in a road
rage attack on Sydney's western outskirts. ...
|
Road-rage suspect’s bail now $500000
Press of
Atlantic City, NJ - Aug 3, 2007
... Township roofer be held on
$500000 cash-only bail for allegedly running over a
pregnant woman in what police described as a grisly
road-rage incident. ...
|
Ambo 'spat on in road rage incident'
Melbourne Herald
Sun, Australia - Jul 27, 2007
AN ambulance officer has been spat on
during a road rage attack in Sydney's
inner-west, police say. The New South Wales Ambulance
Service said two officers ...
|
Man charged over road rage attack
The
Age, Australia - Jul 26, 2007
A 35-year-old man has been charged
with bashing an 87-year-old man during a road rage
incident in Sydney's south-west. Police allege the man
was the driver ...
|
Teenager injured in road rage incident
Norwich Evening
News, UK - Aug 3, 2007
A teenager suffered injuries to his
arm following a road rage incident between the
occupants of two cars. The altercation in Westlegate
happened between ...
|
Road rage in Volusia leads to arrest
Orlando
Sentinel, FL - Aug 2, 2007
Because he didn’t, Volusia County
deputy sheriffs said, a man involved in a road-rage
incident Wednesday in the Lake Ashby area north of
Osteen not only was ...
|
Road Rage Erupts In Gunfire
Fort Smith Times
Record, AR - Aug 3, 2007
The man said he was driving east on
Rogers when he noticed an older maroon sports utility
vehicle swerving all over the road. ...
|
Arrest is made in road-rage shooting
Detroit Free
Press, United States - Jul 26, 2007
BY AMBER HUNT After a month on the
lam, the woman accused of shooting and killing an
innocent bystander in front of his 4-year-old nephew
after a road-rage ...
|
Surgeons honored for saving road rage victim
Tucson
Citizen, AZ - Aug 2, 2007
... today because two
University Medical Center surgeons stopped to help him
after the unarmed man was shot in the chest in an
apparent road rage incident. ...
|
Man, 87, punched in road rage attack
Sydney Morning
Herald, Australia - Jul 26, 2007
The 87-year-old man was driving his
white Mitsubishi sedan along Appin Road, about
11:50 yesterday morning, when it bumped into another
vehicle near the ...
|
Willis man arrested in road-rage
incident
Houston
Chronicle, United States - Jul 23, 2007
CONROE — A Willis man was arrested
Monday on a charge of deadly conduct after he
allegedly shot at a motorist on Interstate 45 in
apparent road rage. ...
|
Three injured in road rage rollover
WOOD-TV, MI -
Aug 2, 2007
COVERT TOWNSHIP -- Three people were
injured, one critically, when their vehicle rolled
over during a road rage incident. It was around
11 am Wednesday when ...
|
Drivers fear road rage attack more than
accident
Scotsman, United
Kingdom - Jul 22, 2007
DRIVERS are as worried about becoming
a victim of road rage as they are of having a
car accident. Road rage and accidents top the
list of driving phobias in ...
|
Disturbing trend appears all the rage
Times
Online, UK - Jul 27, 2007
Type the words “road rage” into
any search engine and the number of cases worldwide is
staggering. It is a social phenomenon that seems to
have left no ...
|
Road rage closes California highway
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul 22,
2007
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles A
highway in California has been shut down because of
road rage. Motorists inconvenienced by a road-widening
project ...
|
Road rage at Laurel Lake bad
Bridgeton News,
United States - Aug 1, 2007
What started out as a case of road
rage ended in a Laurel Lake woman being struck and
critically injured early Wednesday morning. According
to Sgt. Al Della ...
|
Road Work Rage Closes Calif. Highway
ABC News -
Jul 21, 2007
Add one more emergency to the list:
road rage. Drivers inconvenienced by a road-widening
project subjected construction workers to so much
abuse _death ...
|
Road Rage Erupts In Gunfire
Fort Smith Times
Record, AR - Aug 2, 2007
... looks for shell casings
Wednesday at the Albert Pike entrance to Green Pointe
Shopping Center after a road rage incident
erupted into gunfire. ...
|
Road rage deal set
MLive.com, MI -
Jul 23, 2007
By Paul Janczewski A Swartz Creek man
charged with killing a Durand man in a June 2006
road rage incident has pleaded no contest to
reduced charges. ...
|
Road Rage Marquess Pleads Guilty
Sky News, United
Kingdom - Aug 6, 2007
The Marquess of Blandford has pleaded
guilty at Oxford Crown Court to a road rage
attack on another driver's car. Social bookmarking
allows users to save ...
|
Road rage shuts down Hwy. 138
San Jose Mercury
News, USA - Jul 21, 2007
Add one more hazard to the list:
road rage. Drivers inconvenienced by a road-widening
project in a rugged stretch between San Bernardino and
Palmdale ...
|
Police: Road Rage Shooting Suspect Wanted
KOLD-TV, AZ -
Aug 1, 2007
What started literally as a bump in
the road nearly turned into murder. That's what
happened when two vehicles ran into each other and one
of the drivers ...
|
Road Work Rage Closes Socal Highway
Guardian
Unlimited, UK - Jul 20, 2007
Add one more emergency to the list:
road rage. Drivers inconvenienced by a road-widening
project subjected construction workers to so much
abuse - including ...
|
HPD: Stabbing the result of robbery, not road rage
Houston
Chronicle, United States - Jul 20, 2007
By KEVIN MORAN What had been reported
as a road-rage stabbing after a car
wreck early today turned out to be an armed robbery
after which the three fleeing ...
|
Road Rage?
Southport
Visiter, UK - Aug 2, 2007
by Gary Stewart, Ormskirk Advertiser
THE public are being asked their views over a proposed
Ł37million Ormskirk bypass – but already angry
opposition is ...
|
Choir director won't go to jail for road rage
Detroit Free
Press, United States - Jul 18, 2007
... one year of probation, and
community service but spared jail time for a
misdemeanor assault conviction stemming from a 2006
road rage incident. ...
|
'Road rage' incident investigated
Whitehaven
News, UK - Aug 1, 2007
POLICE are appealing for witnesses
after a driver allegedly assaulted another motorist in
a road rage attack after their cars had
crashed. ...
|
Alonso and Massa in road rage
News24, South
Africa - Jul 22, 2007
Nurburgring, Germany - Fernando Alonso
and Felipe Massa were involved in a heated exchange
after the Spaniard dramatically won the European Grand
Prix on ...
|
Text: Road Rage On The Rise
MyFox Saint
Louis, MO - Jul 30, 2007
Two adult men on Washington Avenue in
a serious case of road rage, caught by Fox 2
cameras. Is construction, congestion, or the heat
causing tempers to ...
|
Shot fired in Sydney road rage incident
Sydney Morning
Herald, Australia - Jul 15, 2007
Police are investigating a road
rage incident in Sydney's south-west during which
a shot was fired at a man's car. The gun was allegedly
fired during the ...
|
Techtree.com |
GTA 4: A look into Liberty City
Techtree.com, India - Aug 7, 2007
GTA - the series, enables a player to
be a hard-core criminal who can display road-rage,
kill civilians, deal in drugs, steal any car that he
likes, ...
|
Shot fired in Sydney road rage spat
Sydney Morning
Herald, Australia - Jul 16, 2007
Police are appealing for witnesses who
saw a Sydney road rage incident turn into a
shooting. One man fired shots into another car in
Punchbowl yesterdayat ...
|
Man thrashed to death in road rage
Times of
India, India - Jul 17, 2007
NEW DELHI: In an incident of road
rage that left the city shocked, a 35-year-old man
was beaten to death, his head crushed by a concrete
flower pot ...
|
NDTV.com |
Road rage claims life in Delhi
NDTV.com, India -
Jul 17, 2007
Delhi was witness to a fatal road
rage incident on Monday night when a Santro car
hit a motorcycle. The incident happened in Saket, a
South Delhi colony. ...
|
|
What is Driving with emotional intelligence?
Driver Competence Skills |
Emotionally Intelligent
Thinking
|
Not
Emotionally Intelligent |
|
1. Focusing
on self vs. blaming others or the situation |
"I’m
feeling very impatient today. Everything seems to tick me off." |
"This
traffic is impossibly slow. What’s wrong with these jerks. They’re driving like
idiots."
|
|
2.
Understanding how feelings and thoughts act together |
"I feel
angry, scared, outraged when I think about what could have happened."
|
"I’m angry, scared, outraged. How can they do this to me." |
|
3. Realizing
that anger is something we choose vs. thinking it is provoked |
"I make
myself so mad when they do that." |
"They make
me so mad when they do that." |
|
4. Being
concerned about consequences vs. giving in to impulse |
"If I
respond to this provocation I lose control over the situation. It’s not worth
it." |
"I just
want to give this driver a piece of my mind. I just want him to know how I feel." |
|
5. Showing
respect for others and their rights vs. thinking only of oneself |
"I wish there was no traffic but it’s not up to me. These people have to get to
their destination too."
|
"They better stay out of my way. I’m in no mood for putting up with them. Out of
my way folks." |
|
6. Accepting
traffic as collective team work vs. seeing it as individual competition |
"I try to
keep pace with the traffic realizing that my movements can slow others down—like
switching lanes to try to get ahead."
|
"Driving
is about getting ahead. I get a jolt out of beating a red light or finding the fastest
lane. It’s me vs. everybody else." |
|
7.
Recognizing the diversity of drivers and their needs and styles vs. blaming them for what
they choose to do |
"I need to
be extra careful around drivers using a hand held cellular phone since they may be
distracted."
|
"How can
they be so stupid? They’re talking on the phone instead of paying attention to the
road."
|
|
8.
Practicing positive role models vs. negative |
"This
driver is going slower than my desires. Now I can practice the art of patience and respect
for the next few minutes."
|
"Come on,
buddy, speed up or I’ll be on your tail. Go, go. What’s wrong with you.
There’s no one ahead."
|
|
9.
Learning to inhibit the impulse to criticize by developing a sense of driving humor |
"I’m
angry, I’m mad
Therefore I’ll act calm, I’ll smile and not compete. Already I feel
better. Be my guest, enter ahead."
|
"I
can’t stand all these idiots on the road. They slow down when they should speed up.
They gawk, they crawl, anything but drive."
|
|
10. Taking
driving seriously by becoming aware of one’s mistakes and correcting them |
"I monitor
myself as a driver and keep a driving log of my mistakes. I think it’s important to
include thoughts and feelings, not just the overt acts." |
"I’m
an excellent driver, assertive and competent, with a clean accident record—just a few
tickets here and there." |
DRIVING WITH EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE |
| |
Name |
Symptoms |
Remedy |
1 |
Obsessing about slow traffic |
"At
this rate we’ll never get there" , "I feel like I’m going
backwards" , "Now I’m stuck behind this slow driver" etc. |
Leave
earlier; Give up getting there on time; Distract yourself with radio or music; Admire the
scenery; Practice yoga breathing |
2 |
Feeling combative with self-righteous indignation |
"This
jerk just cut me off—gotta give him a piece of my mind" , "I don’t
deserve to be pushed around" , "Nobody gives me the finger and gets away with
it" "Nobody should fool with me and get away with it"; etc. |
Make funny
animal sounds; Make up some possible excuses for that driver; Think about your parents and
children who might do the same thing; Think about being a saint |
3 |
Feeling excessively competitive |
"Darn,
that guy made the light and I didn’t" , "How come that lane is faster than
this one" , "Those pedestrians better watch out—I’m coming
through" , etc. |
Tell
yourself it’s just a habit from childhood to feel anxious about not winning, or being
left behind; Remind yourself it feels good to be civil and helpful |
|
4 |
Being over-critical |
"Look at
that idiot who forgets to turn off his signal" , "I can’t stand it the way
he slows down and speeds up, slows down and speeds up" , "How can he pay
attention to the road if he’s babbling on the phone" |
Tell yourself
it’s human to make mistakes; Recall to yourself your own mistakes; Remind yourself
that patience is a virtue; Try to maneuver your car away from that car |
|
5 |
Love of risk taking |
"I
like to go fast, but I’m careful" , "I can make this light if I speed
up" , "I can squeeze into that opening if I time it right" , "I can
insult that driver ‘cause I can get away fast" , etc. |
Think of
your loved ones and how they would feel if something happened to you; Tell yourself you
prefer to be a mature and prudent person |
|
Getting a Grip on Anger or Loosening the Grip of Anger |
LEVEL OF EMOTION |
Cultural Personality Habit
(with built in resistance to change) |
Leads to these consequences |
Driving Personality Makeover:
installing de-escalation habits
(see lifelong AWM within
QDC support groups) |
1
ANNOYANCE
[feeling inconvenienced by drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, legislators, passengers,
law enforcement, road crews, etc.] |
impulse
to feel resentful
[berating, name calling,
insulting, ridiculing, complaining, rushing, breaking traffic rules, driving aggressively,
etc.]
or lose self-esteem and be a wimp |
*impatience
*inattentiveness or distraction
*taking excessive risks
*driving while drowsy
*feeling a sense of entitlement
*feeling competitive
*obscene expressions
*category 1 offenses (breaking speed limits, going through red, not signaling or yielding,
weaving, taking too long, speeding up to yellow) |
installing
supportive driving habits such as situational awareness, attitude of latitude, civility,
teamwork mentality, cooperation |
2
ANGER
[feeling endangered, thwarted, coerced,
insulted, manipulated, ignored, etc.] |
impulse
to feel indignant or punitive [punishing,
retaliating, rectifying, venting, eye for eye, self-righteous indignation, feeling of
superiority]
or lose control and let chaos reign |
*power struggle
*gaining the upper hand
*territorial fights
*hostility
*cynicism
*disrespect
*intolerance
*blocking the only lane--not pulling over
*category 2 offenses (tailgating, cutting off, blocking passing lane, braking suddenly or
flashing brights to retaliate) |
installing emotional intelligence habits through scenario
analysis of choice points to retain control of self and situation |
|
RAGE [feeling injured, invaded, dehumanized,
delusional, attacked, etc.] |
impulse
to feel murderous
[killing, ramming, shooting,
beating, tearing down]
or be destroyed |
*driving
recklessly
*engaging in a duel
*giving a break job
*running someone off the road
*running down pedestrians
*bumping bicyclists
*acts of desperation
*category 3 offenses (assault, battery, vehicular homicide, attempted murder) |
installing a supportive driving philosophy that includes social responsibility and
lifelong training |
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
|
DEFINING THE COMPONENTS OF ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
Transforming Negative to Positive
|
| LEVEL OF
EMOTION |
CULTURALLY
NEGATIVE HABITS |
CULTURALLY
POSITIVE HABITS |
|
1
COMPETITIVE DRIVING
leads to
ANNOYANCE
&
STRESS
VS.
SUPPORTIVE DRIVING
leads to
CALM
&
SATISFACTION |
*feeling insulted and
insulting others
*feeling competitive
*practicing selfism
*egocentrism
*acting with a defensive mentality
*expressing pessimism
*showing intolerance or being over-critical
*denigrating others
*involved in put-down symbolism (or deprecating others)
*feeling ignored
*being contentious
*viewing traffic as individual competition
*holding on to a sense of entitlement (or "I have the right to do what I want")
*thrill-seeking or looking for excitement
*insisting on driving at your level of control
*me first mentality
*individual focus vs. focus on group
*hating diversity
*self-serving bias |
*acting with civility
*being optimistic
*being tolerant
*showing obedience to legitimate authority
*viewing traffic as teamwork
*being conscientious
*accommodating to diversity
*being attentive
*accommodating
*feeling supportive
*acting cooperatively
*acting predictably
*being facilitative (or the "Be my guest" attitude)
*practicing lifelong driving self-improvement activities (QDCs) |
|
2
ANGRY
DRIVING
leads to
HOSTILITY
&
FEAR
VS.
EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT DRIVING
leads to
COMPASSION
&
SECURITY |
*being vindictive or
cruel to others
*demeaning others
*being over-sensitive to provocation
*being prone to territorial fights or turf wars
*acting with ritual opposition
*following the law of the jungle
*feeling wronged
*feeling thwarted
*feeling being taken advantage of
*acting with habitual hostility
*maintaining an adversarial attitude
*being cynical (or expecting the worst of others)
*dehumanizing others
*prone to vehemence (or insistence)
*self-righteous criticizing (or indignation)
*accepting aggressiveness
*being coercive or wanting to enforce domination
*showing mutual disrespect
*approving of retaliation
*continues in a chain of errors while feeling pushed by the other
*approving of mental violence (or " just thinking about it")
*approving of vengeance
*insisting on punishing or retaliating
*practicing road vigilantism
* maintaining a status-seeking mentality
*suffering an erosion of inhibitions to violence
*giving in to social pressure to take excessive risks (party atmosphere in car) |
*exercising freedom
of choice
*showing mutual respect
*acting with compassion
*fair-minded
*making emotionally intelligent choices
*exercising self-restraint and self-control
*being able to turn down a challenge
*backs out of errors
*willing to forgive and forget
*refusing to demean others
*ignoring provocations
*recognizing that roads are for a wide diversity of people
*preferring a friendly atmosphere
*considerate of the legitimate rights of others
*disapproves of retaliation or vengeance
*rejects aggressiveness
*retains control of self and situation |
|
3 ROAD RAGE
DRIVING
leads to
VIOLENCE
&
BREAKDOWN
VS.
RESPONSIBLE
DRIVING
leads to
ALOHA SPIRIT
&
COMMUNITY
BUILDING |
*uncaring and willing
to hurt others
*feeling alone and disconnected
*feeling alienated
*acting delusional or from fantasy
*acting on a lust for control
*acting recklessly with disregard for all others
*feeling depressed and worthless
*feeling violent or enraged and seeking an excuse to express it
*violentization through choice
*feeling depersonalized
*attached to reciprocal response leading to a chain of escalation
*general acceptance of violent behavior as normal
*excited by violent behavior
*failure oriented and acting self-destructively
*knee jerk desperateness
*refusing to back down no matter what
*feeling unable to stop
*reacting out of proportion to a provocation
|
*being socially
responsible
*feeling connected in traffic (belonging)
*viewing traffic as teamwork
*acting from conscience
*choosing transformation to denial
*acting with integrity
*acting with dependability
*feeling interdependent
*success oriented and acting with prudence
*taking driving seriously
*willing to go through a driving personality makeover
*practicing lifelong self-improvement activities (QDCs)
*striving to be a better driver and person
*willing to come out swinging positive |
based on our book
ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
|
Drivers who do
not consider these behaviors to be aggressive: |
NATIONAL
percent |
| Making obscene gestures
|
14 |
| Passing on the shoulder
|
17 |
| Failing to yield to merging traffic |
17 |
Pulling into a parking space
and making others wait for you |
20 |
| Flashing high beams at other drivers |
32 |
Waiting until the last minute to merge
(not waiting in line) |
40 |
| Speeding up to a yellow light |
42 |
| Changing lanes without signaling
|
42 |
| Blocking the left (passing) lane
|
45 |
| Honking the horn |
45 |
| Going at least 10 mph over speed limit |
53 |
Driving too slow
(at least 10 mph below speed limit) |
74 |
| Tailgating |
12 |
DrDriving's HINTS on How to
Arrive
alive || Drive smart || Stay healthy || Be supportive || Help speed up traffic flow
|| Be a good role model to your kids || Stay in control of the
situation || Stay cool and maintain your composure
|
|
Slowly count to ten |
While you force yourself to
count slowly, your adrenaline in the blood goes back down to normal levels. Take
deep breaths as you do this. |
|
Forgive and forget |
Think about the people who
are waiting for you to arrive and how you don't want to disappoint them. Tell
yourself it's just not worth the hassle. |
|
Make funny noises |
Laughter not only interrupts
your negative thinking, it unloads the stress. Try animal sounds or any nonsense
noise--really get into it. |
|
Use the Castanza Technique |
When you're in a bad mood,
act the opposite of what you feel like. It worked for George on Seinfeld--remember
that episode? |
|
Act as-if |
Do your courtesy waves and
put on a pleasant face. The way you drive is contagious. You're influencing
others' behavior, not by retaliating, but by peacemaking. |
|
Shrink your emotional territory |
Develop an attitude of
latitude. Think of positive reasons why drivers do things that annoy you. Perhaps they're
sick or confused. Maybe they're rushing to the bathroom. Maybe they just got some
bad news. Maybe... |
|
Come out swinging positive |
Don't be rude to the rude.
Seize control by defusing anger. Apologize, don't argue, be sympathetic. Don't challenge
anything. Go out of your way to appear friendly and peaceful. |
|
Drive with emotional intelligence |
It's intelligent to choose
positive explanations, rather than negative because they are less disturbing, more
community oriented, less alienating, and ultimately more satisfying than the "you
stupid clown" approach. |
Commit yourself to a Lifelong Program of Driver
Self-improvement
Keep a Driving Log or Diary and make appropriate entries after
each trip. Or, you can record yourself while driving, speaking your thoughts aloud.
What a revelation when you listen to it later! It's a wake-up call to a
driving personality makeover. |
Emotional Intelligence
LEVEL |
State
of
FEELINGS |
Sequence
of
THOUGHTS |
Type
of
ACTIONS |
1 |
Oppositional |
Irrational |
selfish, reckless, impulsive and hostile;
constantly expresses criticisms; feels insulted and insecure |
2 |
Defensive |
Logical |
Suspicious, wary and competitive but
prudent and restrained; expresses worries and complaints |
3 |
Supportive |
Prosocial |
helpful and friendly; gives others the
benefit of the doubt; expresses enjoyment and optimism |
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
peaceful?
NEGATIVE &
ANTI-SOCIAL
ORIENTATION |
POSITIVE &
PROSOCIAL
ORIENTATION |
Focus on blaming
others and retaliating |
Focus on self and how
to cope |
| "They're bone heads!" |
"I'm feeling very impatient
today!" |
| "How can they do this to me!" |
"I'm scared and angry!" |
| "They make me so mad when they
do this!" |
"I make myself so mad when they
do this." |
| "I just want him to know how I
feel!" |
"It's not worth it." |
| "They better stay out of my
way!" |
"I need to recognize that everybody
has to get to their destination." |
| "How can they be so stupid
talking on the phone while driving!" |
"I need to be extra careful
around these drivers." |
The transformation from negative and aggressive driving to positive and supportive
driving is illustrated by the driver competence skills in the chart below. The
oppositional driving mode is a negative mental quagmire while the positive driving mode is
emotionally intelligent because motorists exert rational self-control. The actual words in
these examples may not fit your own style of thinking-to-yourself, but try to figure out
what each example stands for, and think of the words you would use in that frame of mind.
Driver Competence Skills |
NEGATIVE DRIVING |
POSITIVE DRIVING |
Your Driving |
| Focus on
Positive Roles vs. Negative Roles |
Emotionally Challenged |
Emotionally Intelligent |
Add your own words. |
| 1. Focus on
self vs. blaming others or the situation |
"This
traffic is impossibly slow. What’s wrong with these fools. They’re driving like
nutcases." |
"I’m
feeling very impatient today. Everything seems to tick me off." |
|
| 2.
Understanding how feelings and thoughts act together |
"I’m
angry, scared, outraged. How can they do this to me." |
"I feel
angry, scared, outraged when I think about what could have happened." |
|
| 3. Realizing
that anger is something we choose vs. believing it is provoked |
"They make
me so mad when they do that." |
"I make
myself so mad when they do that." |
|
| 4. Being
concerned about consequences vs. giving in to impulse |
"I just
want to give this driver a piece of my mind. I just want him to know how I feel." |
"If I
respond to this provocation I lose control over the situation. It’s not worth
it." |
|
| 5. Showing
respect for others and their rights vs. thinking only of oneself |
"They
better stay out of my way. I’m in no mood for putting up with them. Out of my way
folks." |
"I wish
there was no traffic but it’s not up to me. These people have to get to their
destination too." |
|
| 6. Accepting
traffic as collective team work vs. seeing it as individual competition |
"Driving
is about getting ahead. I get a jolt out of beating a red light or finding the fastest
lane. It’s me vs. everybody else." |
"I try to
keep pace with the traffic realizing that my movements can slow others down—like
switching lanes to try to get ahead." |
|
| 7. Recognizing
the diversity of drivers and their needs and styles vs. blaming them for what they choose
to do |
"How can
they be so stupid? They’re talking on the phone instead of paying attention to the
road." |
"I need to
be extra careful around drivers using hand held cellular phones since they may be
distracted." |
|
| 8. Practicing
positive role models vs. negative |
"Come on,
buddy, speed up or I’ll be on your tail. Go, go. What’s wrong with you.
There’s no one ahead." |
"This
driver is going slower than I'd like. Now I can practice the art of patience and respect
for the next few minutes." |
|
| 9. Learning to
inhibit the impulse to criticize by developing a sense of driving humor |
"I
can’t stand all these bozos on the road. They slow down when they should speed up.
They gawk, they crawl, anything but drive." |
"I’m
angry, I’m mad. Therefore I’ll act calm, I’ll smile and not compete.
Already I feel better. Be my guest, enter ahead." |
|
| 10. Taking
driving seriously by becoming aware of mistakes and correcting them |
"I’m
an excellent driver, assertive and competent, with a clean accident record with hardly any
tickets." |
"I monitor
myself as a driver and keep a driving log of my mistakes. I think it’s important to
include thoughts and feelings, not just the overt." |
|
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
DRIVING WITH EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE
Transforming Oppositional Symptoms into Intelligent Remedies |
Oppositional
Symptoms |
Statements We Say In
Traffic |
Emotionally
Intelligent Remedies |
|
1 |
Obsessing about slow
traffic |
- "At this rate we’ll never get there."
- "I feel like I’m going backwards."
- "Now I’m stuck behind this slow driver."
- "What a royal waste of time--I can't stand this waiting."
- Etc.
|
- Leave earlier.
- Give up getting there on time.
- Distract yourself with calming talk radio or music.
- Admire the scenery.
- Practice deep breathing.
- Etc.
|
2 |
Feeling combative with self-righteous indignation |
- "This fiend just cut me off, gotta give him a piece of my mind."
- "I don’t deserve to be pushed around."
- "Nobody gives me the finger and gets away with it"
- "Nobody messes with me and gets away with it"
|
- Make funny animal sounds to yourself.
- Make up some possible excuses for that driver.
- Think about your parents and children who might do the same thing.
- Think about being an angel.
|
3 |
Feeling excessively competitive |
- "Darn, that guy made the light and I didn’t"
- "How come that lane is faster than this one?"
- "Those pedestrians better watch out 'cause I’m coming through."
|
- Tell yourself it’s just a habit from childhood to feel anxious about not winning,
or being left behind.
- Remind yourself it feels good to be civil and helpful.
|
|
4 |
Being over-critical |
- "Look at that idiot who forgets to turn off his signal"
- "I can’t stand it the way he slows down and speeds up, slows down and speeds
up"
- "He can't pay attention to the road if he’s babbling on the phone."
|
- Tell yourself it’s human to make mistakes.
- Recall your own mistakes.
- Remind yourself that patience is a virtue.
- Try to maneuver away from that car.
|
|
5 |
Love of risk taking |
- "I like to go fast, but I’m careful."
- "I can make this light if I speed up."
- "I can squeeze into that opening if I time it right."
- "I can insult that driver ‘cause I can get away fast"
- "I feel the need for speed!"
|
- Think of how you would feel if you did something to hurt someone.
- Think of how your loved ones would feel if something happened to you.
- Tell yourself you prefer to be a mature and prudent person.
|
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
|
One way to begin is to examine in detail the thought sequence involved in a road rage
exchange, especially to identify the decision points of the protagonists--where they could
still back out of the sequence of choices leading to the tragic end point. The following
Traffic Emotions Education (TEE) card illustrates the critical thinking process with a
real-world road rage event.
TEE Card No.30C6 Scenario
Analysis--Newspaper Stories:
Road Rage Shoot Out in Fender Bender |
|
Instructions: First read the entire news story in the left hand column.
Then read the comments on the right, going back to the story to examine the elements being
discussed. |
|
Road
Rage Shoot Out A hit-and-run "gone
terribly wrong" was how sheriff's officials described a fender-bender between two
pickup truck drivers that ended in a shootout Thursday night in northeast El Paso County.
One man was killed. The other remained at Penrose Hospital on Friday with a gunshot wound
to the abdomen.
The shooting stemmed from a crash that
occurred about 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Powers Boulevard just south of Stetson Hills
Boulevard. The man in the red Dodge Dakota was "driving erratically" when he
bumped Bispo's blue Ford pickup, Hilte said.
The Dakota driver then wheeled around Bispo's
Ford and sped north on Powers Boulevard, Hilte said. Bispo, a civilian employee at Fort
Carson, followed as the driver turned east onto Dublin Boulevard and parked on the
shoulder.
"He pulled over about a car length back,
and it just went bad from there," Hilte said. Both men got out of their vehicles
wielding handguns.
Words were exchanged.
|
These two
drivers got into a road dispute, the result: one is dead, the other was wounded and faces
serious charges. It has happened hundreds of times this year, where one driver ends up
dead, while another is facing homicide charges. The one who killed had not planned to do
so. Could this happen to you? The fact is that most of the "killers" in road
rage disputes were taken by surprise at the ferocity of their own over-reaction.
Notice these elements in the newspaper story on the left:
The first driver was driving in an alcohol impaired state.
He chose to do so, which led to the next event.
The first driver left the scene of the crash after causing
a fender bender with a second car. He chose to do so, which led to the next event.
The second driver went in pursuit to obtain the license
number. Pursuing another vehicle is dangerous and illegal. But the driver had a second
motive: to confront the fleeing driver. Evidence: he did not just get the license number.
He chose to stop, when he could have just driven off after getting the plate number, which
led to the next event.
The first driver chose to stop. This may have been an
attempt to confront the second driver, or something else. We do not know. The second
driver saw this, and he did not know either.
The second driver chose to stop behind the first car. This
then set up the next event. If he had not stopped, or if he had stopped some distance
away, the first driver may still be alive.
The second driver chose to approach the first car, or at
least, chose to exit his car, which led to the next event. He could have stayed in the
truck and waited for police to arrive. |
Shots were fired.
Blood was spilled. Bispo's girlfriend was
still on the phone with 911 dispatchers when the shooting started. On-scene investigators
found about a dozen shell casings - two from the Dakota driver's revolver, the rest from
Bispo's 9 mm semiautomatic pistol.
While enlisted in the Army, Bispo qualified as
a sharpshooter with an M-1 rifle, according to military records. The Dakota driver died of
a gunshot wound to the chest shortly after the shooting. Neither driver was licensed to
carry a concealed weapon. |
The second
driver also chose to exit his car with a weapon. This weapon was visible to the first
driver, which led to the next event.
The first driver
chose to shoot, which led to the next event. If he had not started to shoot, he might
still be alive today.
The second driver chose to shoot back. The first driver was
hit and died.
In these 9 steps, each driver had several opportunities to
back down and to choose not make the next move that led to disaster. Is this a road rage
case? Yes, because it involves two drivers making a series of escalating moves that lead
to a violent exchange, when either one of them could have broken the deadly dual by not
going along with the next violent step in the series of decisions to act. Remember: it
takes an unbroken series of links in a long chain of bad choices to get into a road rage
shoot out. |
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
|
Exercise: Scenario Analysis to Develop Critical Thinking
The Chart below identifies the specific chain of steps that together make up this road
rage incident. There are 13 bad driving behaviors these two teenagers performed in
sequence, as evidenced by their own description of the events (middle column). Your
comments should answer two questions: (a) how does each step contribute to their trouble
(focus on the bold words in column 2), and (b) how could they have backed out of it at
each step by doing something else. Have your friends or family members also complete the
exercise, then get together to compare and discuss everybody's solutions. Doing this
exercise will strengthen your emotional intelligence as a driver by making you more aware
of how your behavior influences other people's behavior on highways.
Scenario Analysis of Teen Drivers' Unrecognized Road Rage Behavior |
Emotionally challenged behavior |
Segment from the letter |
State how each step contributes to trouble. |
Suggest smarter behavior. |
| 1. Playing
games on the highway. |
"I'm a
16 year old boy and I was driving in tandem with a friend." |
|
|
| 2. Driving
after curfew |
"It was
almost midnight" |
|
|
| 3. Losing
the address and going anyway |
"I lost
the address and all we did was drive around then started to go home" |
|
|
| 4. Driving
abreast occupying center lane and fast (left) lane |
"I was
in the left lane and wanted to stay close to my friend--who was in the center lane" |
|
|
| 5. Blocking
the way so the SUV had to pass in the right (slow) lane |
"SUV
pulled up really fast and close behind my friend's car-who was in the center lane" |
|
|
| 6.
Discounting the seriousness of the incident |
"we
thought he was gone" |
|
|
| 7. Not
realizing they were doing something provocative |
"My
friend and I were both in the left lane and passed him" |
|
|
| 8. Not
realizing that the incident has now escalated into a potential duel |
"The
SUV took the same exit and my friend and I thought it was funny that he was behind
us" |
|
|
| 9. Finally
realizing this is trouble but still acting like they're in a duel, escalating the fight
instead of backing down |
"we
slowed down in both of the lanes (stupid plan). He pulled up…and began pointing a
gun." |
|
|
| 10. Engaging
in reckless driving--weaving through traffic at high speeds getting away from a chase |
"We got
really scared and did everything we could to get away. He followed us really fast but
never tried to pass us. This went on for miles. We were all swerving through traffic. I
think I was driving about 90 miles an hour" |
|
|
| 11. Engaging
in further provocative behavior by ignoring its potential effect on the pursuer |
"I
started to flash my lights and honk at my friend so that he knew to take the exit" |
|
|
| 12. Trying
to diffuse their own responsibility in the sequence of events, as a sort of denial |
"We
think that this driver did something illegal and could have caused an accident" |
|
|
| 13. Hiding
behind inadmissible excuses, avoiding to admit what they did wrong, and refusing to think
objectively about it |
"We
know that we were stupid and added to the problem but we think that he's an adult and he
was the one who was making it into a battle" |
|
|
based on our book ROAD RAGE
AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING |
|
|
