Transcript ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

ROAD RAGE AND
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
WHAT IS AGGRESSIVE DRIVING?
• In Illinois, aggressive driving is
defined as committing any two or
more of the following violations in a
single act or series of acts.
WHAT IS AGGRESSIVE DRIVING?
 Driving which creates undue risk or endangers
the safety of another person or vehicle.
 Involves the operation of a motor vehicle in a
manner which endangers or is likely to endanger
persons or property – NHTSA
 Aggressive driving may range from personal risk-
taking behavior to hostile actions towards other
motorists.
 NHTSA characterizes aggressive driving as a
traffic offense.
AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ACTS
Improper Lane Usage
 Improper Passing On the Right
 Improper Shoulder Driving
 Following Too Closely (TAILGATING)
 Disobeying Police Officer
• Disobeying Traffic Control Device
Or Sign
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AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
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Drag Racing
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Speeding - In School & Construction
Zones
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Improper U-Turn
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Failure To Signal
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Failure To Yield
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Disobeying Railroad Crossing Signal
Symptoms of
Aggressive Driving
 Thoughts of violence against other users
 Always driving in a hurry
 Constantly criticizing other drivers
 Not observing laws you do not agree with
 Believing that your driving is not part of the
problem
Emotional Impairments Associated
With Aggressive Driving
Category 1: Impatience and Inattentiveness
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Driving through red lights.
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Driving through yellow lights.
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Rolling stops.
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Cutting corners or rolling over double
center lines.
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Blocking intersections.
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Failure to yield.
Emotional Impairments Associated
With Aggressive Driving
Category 1: Impatience and Inattentiveness
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Improper lane change or weaving.
Driving 5 to 15 miles per hour over
the limit.
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Following too closely. (TAILGATING)
Not signaling when required.
Erratically slowing or speeding up.
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Taking too long/ inefficient driving.
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Emotional Impairments Associated
With Aggressive Driving
Category 2: Power Struggle
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Closing the gap to prevent entry.
Threatening or insulting by yelling,
gesturing, or honking repeatedly.
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Tailgating to punish or coerce.
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Cutting off to retaliate.
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Braking suddenly to retaliate.
• IS THIS YOU IF YOU WANT TO GET EVEN WITH
ANOTHER DRIVER?
• KEEP THE BIRD IN THE CAGE!
Emotional Impairments Associated
With Aggressive Driving
Category 3: Recklessness
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Chasing in a duel.
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Driving drunk.
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Pointing a gun or shooting.
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Assaulting with the car or battering
object.
Driving at very high speeds.
Aggressive Driving
Trigger Events
Dr. Arnold Nerenberg - Characterizes four major
traffic situations that trigger aggressive driving.
1.
Feeling Endangered
2.
Being Detained (When Others Drive Too
slowly)
3.
Watching Others Disregard Rules of the Road
4.
Feeling the Need To Retaliate
Aggressive Driving
Personality – Emotions - Attitudes
Territorial Nature:
People See Their Vehicle As Part Of Their
Personal Space
Learned Behavior:
Children Grow Up Watching Their Parents Drive
Aggressively Along with Media Reinforcement.
Acceptance:
Societal Acceptance Of Aggressive Driving
Increasing.
Power & Control:
An Addictive Sense of Power & Control Are Attributed
To Aggressive Driving
Aggressive Driving Solutions
Before You Drive
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Create a relaxing environment with music.
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Remind yourself that you can’t change
other drivers, but you can change your
response to them.
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Practice self conscious driving: Think
positively regardless of the bad driving
around you.
Aggressive Driving Solutions
While You Drive
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When you do get angry create a
distraction:
- Count to 20
- Turn on the radio.
Calm yourself by talking through the
situation.
Breathe deeply, use breathing
techniques to relax and regain control.
Summary - Be Wise
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Avoid all conflict if possible. If challenged:
- take a deep breath
- get out of the way (Even if you are right.)
Instead try to be more forgiving and tolerant.
Recognize the absurdity of traffic disputes.
Focus on what’s really important in life.
Save your energy and your life-for something
really important.
Summary
Emotional Challenges
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Driving is emotionally challenging because
unexpected events happen constantly.
Drivers must learn to challenge the
thoughts that provoke anger before it leads
to aggressive & unmanageable driving.
This may necessitate drivers undergoing a
driving personality makeover!
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
What is Road Rage?
• Road rage refers to a display of aggression by
an angry or impatient motorist who attempts
to injure or kill another driver over a traffic
dispute.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE
• Generally aggressive driving, including sudden
acceleration, braking, and close tailgating.
• Cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately
preventing someone from merging.
• Chasing other motorists.
• Flashing lights and/or sounding the horn excessively.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE
• Rude gestures (such as "the finger").Shouting
verbal abuses or threats.
• Intentionally causing a collision between
vehicles.
• Hitting other vehicles.
• Assaulting other motorists, their passengers,
cyclists or pedestrians
THIS IS ROAD RAGE!
• IS THIS YOU WHEN YOU DRIVE?
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE
• Exiting the car to attempt to start
confrontations, including striking other vehicles
with an object.
• Threatening to use or using a firearm or other
deadly weapon.
• Throwing projectiles from a moving vehicle with
the intent of damaging other vehicles.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE
• Driving at high speeds in the median of a
highway to terrify drivers in both lanes.
• Yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at
roadside establishments.
• ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET EVEN WITH
SOMEONE ?
10 WAYS TO AVOID ROAD RAGE
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 1. Get your Zs.
We all know how cranky we get without enough sleep.
It makes us prone to feelings of annoyance, resentment
and even anger.
• 2.Plan ahead
Do you allow just enough time to drive to an
appointment? Then you're probably also more prone
to a lead foot and a lost temper. If you add 10 minutes
to your expected travel time, you'll have time to stop
for gas, safely navigate those snowy roads or detour
around road construction.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 3. Your car is not a therapist.
Many of us love and identify with our cars but
sometimes you can take the "car as extension of
self" idea too seriously. Competitive types (you
know who you are) shouldn't try to prove
themselves on heavily traveled thoroughfares —
save that enthusiasm for weekend romps on your
favorite back roads. No matter how much power
you've got under the hood, your vehicle is first
and foremost a mode of transportation, not a
weapon.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 4. Turn down the bass.
Without getting into the argument over
"aggressive music makes people aggressive," it
makes sense that listening to relaxing music —
or even a comedy channel on satellite radio —
will make you less pumped up for action than
a driving bass line.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 5. Loosen up, then breathe:
• If you notice yourself clenching the steering
wheel in a death grip, try flexing your fingers
and loosening your hold — you'll find that you
can control the car just as well. Periodically
roll down the window and breathe deeply and
slowly.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 6. It's not about you.
• Perhaps another driver cut you off. Or the car in
front of you is braking erratically. Before you
assume the driver is getting off on your rising
anger levels, realize that you, as an individual, are
not the target. Perhaps the driver simply made a
mistake or was just being oblivious. Maybe
there's a screaming baby, a loose pet or a crazed
bee in the car. Maybe he was on a cell phone. The
point is, don't take things so personally.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 7. Hostility is toxic. And risky.
• People most prone to anger are almost three
times more likely to have a heart attack than
those with low anger, according to the American
Psychological Association. Safe driving promotes
healthy hearts! Not only will giving into anger not
resolve an irritating situation, it can increase the
risk of retaliation. Think to yourself, "Is making
my point worth endangering my life?" If all else
fails, do a mental 180 and try to laugh it off.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 8. Use restaurant etiquette.
• While it's upsetting when a stranger is rude or
cuts in line in a restaurant or store, most folks
wouldn't lose their cool and become abusive as a
result. It isn't only because they have good
manners. Driving a car makes people feel more
isolated and protected, allowing them to act in
ways they would normally find embarrassing. So
when another driver acts like a jerk, respond as
though you're in a restaurant. And we don't mean
Chuck E. Cheese's.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 9. Take the self-test.
• Classes designed to help curb aggressive
driving often have participants tape-record
themselves while driving. Hearing themselves
swear or rant on tape is enough of a wake-up
call for them to recognize and reduce
dangerous behavior. So try analyzing your
driving.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• Do any of the following statements sound like
you?
- I regularly exceed the speed limit in order to get
to work on time.
- I tailgate other drivers, especially those who sit
in the left lane.
- I flash my lights and honk my horn to let drivers
know when they annoy me.
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• - I verbally abuse other drivers whether they
can hear me or not.
- I frequently weave in and out of traffic to get
ahead.
- I feel the need to set bad drivers straight
AVOIDING ROAD RAGE
• 10. Practice kindness:
• Dr. Leon James, a.k.a. "Dr. Driving" says that
remembering simple courtesies, like allowing
someone to merge or apologizing when we
make a mistake, can go a long way in making
the driving experience positive for ourselves
and others. His basic motto is the old "do
unto others" rule: Treat fellow drivers how
you would like to be treated.