ROAD RAGE

1
ROAD RAGE

• AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ON THE ROAD

2
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

• More drivers have started acting out their anger
  when they get behind the wheel.
• Cut off
• Tailgated
• Slowed down by a vehicle in front of them.
• Angry drivers can commit incredible acts of
  violence.
• Assault and murder

3
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING STATISTICS

• AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety studied
• More than 10,000 incidents of violent aggressive
  driving committed between 1990 and 1996.
• It found that at least 218 people were killed.
• Another 12,610 angry drivers got injured.

4
What is ROAD RAGE?

• No national definition for the term road rage
• It is commonly defined as a societal condition
  where motorist lose their temper in reaction to a
  traffic disturbance.
• In most cases, the traffic situations encountered
  are typical of today's normal driving conditions
  in higher traffic volumes.

5
Aggressive Driving

• Aggressive driving refers to an angry motorist
  attempting to intentionally injury or kill
  another driver because of a traffic dispute.
• Aggressive drivers react negatively and use their
  vehicles to retaliate by making sudden,
  threatening maneuvers.
• This makes Road Rage a serious issue of traffic
  safety for yourself and others.

6
What Causes Aggressive Driving Behaviors?

• Aggressive driving behaviors are triggered by a
  variety of stimuli.
• Provoked by the actions of another driver.
• Set off by road congestion.
• Most are caused by the drivers own moods and
  reactions when they get behind the wheel.

7
Stated Reasons for Violent Traffic Disputes

• Arguments over parking spaces.
• Cutting another motorist off or refusing to allow
  passing.
• Minor traffic crashes.
• Obscene gestures.
• Slow driving.
• Loud music.

• Overuse of the horn.
• Failure to use turn signals.

8
Violent Traffic Disputes

• Violent traffic disputes are rarely the results
  of a single incident, but rather are the
  cumulative result of a series of stressors.
• Traffic incident that turns violent is often
  the last straw

9
Aggressive Driver Profile

• Persons who exhibit aggressive behaviors cross
  all ages, race, socioeconomic and gender lines.
• Even people who are usually mild-mannered can
  blow their top behind the wheel.
• People who are characteristically cynics, rude,
  angry or aggressive are pone to get angry more
  often.
• Those people are raging at home, at work, and
  on the road.

10
Aggressive Driver Profile

• Majority of perpetrators
• Males between the ages of 18 and 26.
• Hundreds of reported cases were 26 to 50 years
  old.
• In 86 cases the driver was between 50 and 75
  years old.

11
Aggressive Driver Profile

• No one profile for aggressive drivers.
• Most are relatively young, poorly educated males
  with criminal records, histories of violence, and
  drug or alcohol problems.
• Many have recently suffered an emotional or
  professional setback.
• Hundreds of others are educated men and women
  with no such histories.

12
Aggressive Driver Profile

• While most of the drivers are male
• Approximately 4 were female.
• Women used their vehicle as a weapon in 285
  cases.
• In 31 known cases, women attacked police
  officers, usually while the officer was
  attempting to issue a traffic citation.

13
Common Motorist Irritants

• Tailgating to pressure a driver to go faster or
  get out of the way.
• Flashing lights in order to signal drivers to
  move to another lane.
• Obscene gesturing.
• Changing lanes without signaling.
• Blasting the horn.

14
Common Motorist Irritants

• Frequently changing lanes by weaving back and
  forth.
• Racing to beat a yellow light thats about to
  turn red.
• Traveling in the passing or left lane at a slower
  speed, making it impossible of others to pass.
• Driving with high beams on behind another vehicle
  or toward on coming traffic.

15
Common Motorist Irritants

• Cutting drivers off.
• Slowing down after passing someone.
• Not making a right turn in the right-hand turn
  lane.
• Not reacting quickly after the light turns green.

16
How Can Motorist Protect Themselves?

• NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the other drivers CAPACITY
  for MAYHAM.
• BE PATIENT and KEEP your COOL in traffic.

17
Practice BasicTraffic Courtesy

• Do not make obscene gestures
• Use your horn sparingly
• Dont block passing lane
• Dont switch lanes without signaling
• Avoid blocking the right-hand turn lane
• Do not take more than one parking space

• If you are not disabled, dont park in a disabled
  space
• Do not allow your door to hit the car parked next
  to you
• Do not tailgate
• If you travel slowly, pull over allow traffic
  to pass

18
Practice BasicTraffic Courtesy

• Avoid unnecessary use of high beams headlights
• Dont let the car (cellular) phone distract you
• Dont stop in the road to talk with a pedestrian
  or other driver
• Dont inflict loud music on neighboring cars

19
Other Useful Attitudes

• Assume other drivers mistakes are not personal
• Be polite and courteous, even if the other driver
  isnt
• Avoid all conflict if possible. If another
  driver challenges you, take a deep breath and get
  out of the way

20
Reduce Your Stress

• Allow plenty of time for the trip.
• Listen to smoothing music.
• Improve the comfort in your vehicle.
• Understand that you cant control the traffic,
  only your reaction to it.

21
Enraged Road Warriors

• Many otherwise peaceful motorist become enraged
  road warriors when they get behind the wheel. If
  youre one of them, be advised that
• a) cars are not bullet proof
• b) a truly aggressive driver will follow you
  home and
• c) youve got to get out of the car eventually.

22
FINALLY

• If you are tempted to participate in a driving
  duel, ask yourself
• Is it worth being paralyzed or killed?
• Is it worth a jail sentence?
• An impulsive action could ruin the rest of your
  life.