How to …
handle road rage

Spend enough time in your car and you’re bound to be honked at or the unlucky recipient of an obscene gesture. With more cars on the road than ever before, drivers are growing frustrated and increasingly impatient with each other. Maybe you’ve even been tempted to lean on your horn?

Feeling anger toward another driver doesn’t make you a bad person–especially if that driver just cut you off. But acting on those feelings of rage can have serious consequences and probably won’t impress clients riding with you.

Psychotherapist Dr. Barry Markell, who treats many victims and perpetrators of road rage, points out that people get stressed and annoyed in many settings; however, on the road, some drivers don’t see other motorists as people, but only as the cars they pilot. "They ‘thingify’ the person," he says.

Also, the ton of steel that surrounds drivers provides a false sense of security. A tailgating motorist cruising down the interstate in a comfortable, mid-sized sedan is so far removed from the pavement that he forgets about the great forces at work–and how one quick stop by the car in front of him can bring those forces crashing together.

Think before you act

If you’re prone to road rage, Markell suggests putting pictures of your loved ones on the dashboard. He reasons that seeing the photos while driving makes you think twice about aggressive behavior because you want to see them again. And remember that road rage is not a harmless way to vent.

"People don’t think about the consequences of this behavior," Markell says. "This can have a high price tag, even if no one gets hurt or killed–tickets, court costs, damage to vehicles, insurance rates."

But what should you do when another driver, delirious with road rage, threatens your safety? Take control of the situation.

Take a detour

If another driver tailgates or flashes his lights at you, change lanes or pull over to let him go. Don’t return any gestures or make eye contact. "People do crazy things," Markell says. "They bump you, run people off the road, show a weapon. They go out of control."

Stay behind the offending car to lessen your chances of getting hurt. Reduce your speed and let him go. If the angry driver slows down to wait for you, turn onto another street or take the next highway exit, even if you’re not going that way.

It’s better to take a five-minute detour than risk your safety.

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