Exiting my hotmail account on a cold November Saturday morning, I came across an interesting article on Road Rage in Austin, Texas on the Internet.  I must admit normally I laugh at such articles since they seldom make any point or offer any feasible solutions. But this time, I admit a point was made (almost).  It did mention some common causes (and missed some other common causes which I will mention) of Road Rage but did not offer solutions.

Perhaps, the solutions are very simple and I don’t understand. Perhaps not.

The following question and survey was posed by Tom Brokaw and Kerry Sanders from the NBC Nightly news.

1. How do you control road rage — or even the everyday anger that seems to be growing among America’s drivers? 

2. What turns everyday drivers into angry aggressors?

Motorists surveyed blamed the factors below:

I numbered these (1-12) only for the purposes of this web page and the numbers do not signify any order or preference among those surveyed; below you will my response and solutions based on the numbers above (1-12).

Ironically, no one mentioned the following issues:

• Why is it lately that cell phone usage by drivers is down but you see people not looking at the road? What are they looking at?
• How many drivers use cell phones for periods of 10 to 20 miles?
• How many men and women are shaving or putting on make-up, respectively?
• How many times have you seen a driver with a cell phone in the fast lane in a 70mph zone going 50 to 55mph?
• Why is it you pull out in front of someone (in your F-150 or Yukon or Camaro), yet you cause everyone to slow down? Do you think, if in accident that is supposedly is not your fault, that you are going to get rich? Get real. The "I'm gonna get rear-ended and get rich" schemes don't work (unless you kill all the witnesses). Especially in our favourite state of Florida where No-Fault is the rule.

Just drive on any expressway, freeway, or even city street. Those reasons listed above this paragraph should have also been in the list. Why were they ignored?

Feasible Solutions

1. In a hurry? Go to bed and/or set the alarm clock 15 minutes earlier. Don’t penalize the rest of us because you lack the discipline to take responsibility for your daily actions. Don’t forget Murphy’s Law.

2. Traffic flow/congestion? Well, leave a little earlier. Work a flex shift. Take public transportation or carpool. This can be done daily or once a week.

3. Careless and Inconsiderate? Most people would say those drivers are from out-of-state when the truth is most of them are “locals.” Assume any out-of-state car is probably lost, doesn’t have a map, and/or is reading a map while on a cell phone while driving. Lack of use of TURN SIGNALS rings a bell here, as does pulling out into a lane of traffic and not looking. Yes, when you do that, we see you not looking. In sets the rage. When the sign says your lane is ending or it is exit only, don’t wait until the last possible moment to change lanes. You could be come an innocent victim of a drive-by. In any event, if a driver acts like an ass, move to another lane or exit at the next exit and wait 5 minutes before continuing your journey.

4. Immature/young drivers? I laughed here since I have lived all over the country and most of the “immature” drivers are in their mid 30’s or higher. Young drivers are new and apt to make mistakes. Immaturity..lack of discipline is a PARENTAL issue. Please stop blaming the rest of us for your lack of parenting or poor home training. Hope that God (or the high figure in your religion) intervenes before this person becomes a victim of a drive-by.

5. New drivers… See numbers 3 and 4 above.

6. Angry? I can understand someone being angry getting cut-off, side-swiped, or being forced off the road and at least 40% of the time, by someone on a cell phone. If you are having a bad day for any reason, pull over to the curb or go sit in a restaurant until you can act responsibly. You never know if another driver might have a gun and make you the next victim of a drive-by.

7. Higher speed limits? Please..since when do most drivers read a speed limit sign (or any sign for that matter)? For Example, in Austin, Texas, on most freeways that are 65 to 70, you’ll find a bunch of 55’ers (or less) in the fast lane whereas on Parmer Lane near the intersection of Parmer Lane (a residential street in Northwest Austin, home of the Waters Park crack house) and Mopac Expressway (Loop 1) where the posted speed limit is 45, the average speed is almost 60 (in any lane). Higher speed limits are not a cause of Road Rage.

8. Fewer Police Officers…? I have to agree. This is where responsibility for oneself comes in. You know the law. Do the rest of us a favor and do your part to obey it before the driver wanting to commit another drive-by makes you his next victim. By obeying the law, you are showing you are the "better" person and have more CLASS.

9. Stress levels and drivers.. with all the things above this, that’s understandable. Spend 30 minutes a day with NO cell phones, computers, land phones, or television. Relax.

10. Overly confident drivers? Most people whom buy trucks drive them as if they are 3 cylinder Geo Metros. Overconfidence is not the problem.. overcompensation is the problem. It all comes down to familiarity with the vehicle. Practice in a mall parking lot or school parking lot if you are not familiar with the way the vehicle handles. Get familiar with the interior such as lights, gearshift, TURN SIGNALS, and other components.

11. Speeding and driving too fast.. See number 4 and 7 above.

12. Not sure..? These are the people that really need to be more aware of their surroundings and take responsibility for their actions.

This is not a complete list of solutions to solving Road Rage. I hope it inspires someone to think of others. Road Rage affects everyone regardless of gender, age, sex, race, sexual orientation, geographic location, and religious preference. I hope it does not take more deaths to make us realize that we all share the same roads and want to go the same places. I hope even some of you will write your State Representative and Senators and push for legislation for positive reinforcement.

Return to previous menu