Dangers of Road Rage
If you stop to think about it, when you get behind the wheel of a car you are about to embark upon a journey driving a lethal weapon. One wrong move, one slip in your judgement or simply an action over which you have no direct control can result in property damage, injury or even death to innocent parties. You, and the thousands of other drivers you are likely to encounter on any given day, hold the power of life and death in your steering wheel.
That's a pretty overwhelming level of responsibility. When you add to this the fact that many drivers on the road are young, inexperienced, old, have slow reaction times, are distracted by technological devices in their vehicles or are otherwise less than stellar performers behind the wheel, do you really want to throw an angry driver into the mix? More and more, road rage is our constant companion as we travel the highways and byways of life, trying to arrive at our destinations intact.
Many drivers who exhibit road rage feel entirely justified in their behavior. After all, on any given day there are numerous slow drivers, clueless drivers and any number of drivers with something higher on their personal agendas than safe driving. Many angry drivers feel they are teaching someone a lesson by tailgating, shouting obscenitites, displaying vulgar hand gestures, cutting other drivers off and worse.
Society seems to have forgotten that driving a car is a privilege, not a right. As such, we are all expected to share the road. And that often means sharing the road with drivers who may not meet our own personal expectations of proper driving. Simply put, road rage can kill! Remember that the next time the driver in front of you is obeying the speed limit when you want to drive just a little faster and decide to tailgate. Remember that when congested traffic makes you want to zig and zag in and out of traffic in an effort to get in front of everyone. Remember it when the behavior of another driver on the road makes you want to shout, curse, wave obscenely or use your vehicle to intimidate another one.
Even if you understand and appreciate the need for civility on the highway, you are undoubtedly going to encounter other drivers who have already lost their temper and feel justified in taking it out on someone. What if that innocent someone is you? The crucial point in the situation is this - do not retaliate! If a driver exhibits road rage in your direction and you respond with similar behavior, you no longer have one outraged driver on the road. You have two. You won't solve the problem by becoming part of the problem.
Road rage creates unsafe driving conditions. Road rage causes stress and instills fear in innocent people, both other drivers and passengers alike. Road rage leads to unnecessary property damage, hazardous driving conditions for everyone on the road and, unfortunately, the potential for serious injury and loss of life.
Driving is not a competitive sport! There is no prize for arriving at your destination first! Slow down, drive courteously and, everytime you get a chance, give someone a "brake" today.
