Furor On Four Wheels Do Other Drivers Make You See Red? Road Rage Is On The Rise, And The Results Can Be Deadly
One day in early June the Washington State Patrol office handled two reports of road rage by noon.
In the morning, one driver made a bad lane change on Interstate 90. Another driver responded by flipping him off and tailgating. Both pulled off the shoulder and jumped out of their cars. One man carried a gun; the other had a criminal record.
Later that morning, several Lewis and Clark High School students sped down the freeway during their lunch hour. A woman was driving in the passing lane. Her boyfriend was a passenger.
Annoyed with her snail’s pace, the kids passed her in the center lane, then cut her off. Middle fingers were extended.
So the woman began following the teens. As she drove, she managed - at freeway speed - to switch places in the front seat with her boyfriend. He took over the wheel and chased the kids off one exit, back on the freeway, and off a second exit, running a couple of red lights in the process.
“This thing was so obnoxious on everybody’s part,” says Sgt. Chris Powell of the state patrol. “Their overall driving was just ridiculous.”
In neither case were any charges filed; drivers can be cited for negligent or reckless driving. Nor were there any injuries. But that’s sheer luck. According to a report prepared for the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety, an average of at least 1,500 people are injured or killed annually in this country as a result of aggressive driving.
“Within the human psyche is an urge to release aggression against an anonymous other when we feel justified,” says Arnold Nerenberg, a Whittier, Calif., psychologist who has studied the phenomenon of road rage. He recently testified before a U.S. House transportation subcommittee studying this issue.
In Idaho, road crews notice that drivers have become increasingly surly. An Idaho Department of Transportation spokesman said angry drivers pelt flag crews with pop cans, trash and lighted cigarettes. They yell threats and insults.
When road rage transpires between two drivers, however, the incidents often begin with a simple mistake: driving too slowly in the passing lane, tailgating, failing to dim headlights.
The root causes go deeper. Highways are more congested. Inland Northwest traffic on I-90 has increased 8.5 percent in Spokane and 21.5 percent near Post Falls in the last five years. In our time-frenzied culture, society has increasingly fostered rudeness and disrespect.
And it’s pervasive.
“That’s the scary part of road rage,” says Powell. “You may say it’ll never happen to you, but people are dying over nothing more than a disagreement over somebody’s driving.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Molly Quinn
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This sidebar appeared with the story: AVOID ANGRY REACTIONS BECAUSE YOU CAN INCITE MORE FURY Tips for preventing road rage: No matter what else you do, never raise your middle finger at another driver. That single gesture has incited more vehicular fury than any other. Never make eye contact with a driver who has annoyed you. Exchanging wild-eyed glares of rage will inflame both of you. Imagine meeting this person again, at the company picnic, or the PTA meeting at your children’s school. Substitute normal annoyance for abnormal rage. Mutter under your breath; don’t yell an obscenity. Think, “You are an idiot and not worth any further thought,” if you have to, but move on and calm down. Don’t endanger other drivers. Don’t cut people off or tailgate. Always signal lane changes. Don’t block the passing lane. Don’t honk your horn unless it’s really necessary. Avoid the right hand lane if you’re not turning right. Leave 15 minutes early. Learn to enjoy the journey. Find alternate routes or times to drive if you’re often held up in traffic. If you’re already irritated or exhausted, don’t drive.
For a copy of Arnold P. Nerenberg’s booklet, “The Handbook for Overcoming Road Rage” call (800) 693-5833. The cost is $6.95.
This sidebar appeared with the story: AVOID ANGRY REACTIONS BECAUSE YOU CAN INCITE MORE FURY Tips for preventing road rage: No matter what else you do, never raise your middle finger at another driver. That single gesture has incited more vehicular fury than any other. Never make eye contact with a driver who has annoyed you. Exchanging wild-eyed glares of rage will inflame both of you. Imagine meeting this person again, at the company picnic, or the PTA meeting at your children’s school. Substitute normal annoyance for abnormal rage. Mutter under your breath; don’t yell an obscenity. Think, “You are an idiot and not worth any further thought,” if you have to, but move on and calm down. Don’t endanger other drivers. Don’t cut people off or tailgate. Always signal lane changes. Don’t block the passing lane. Don’t honk your horn unless it’s really necessary. Avoid the right hand lane if you’re not turning right. Leave 15 minutes early. Learn to enjoy the journey. Find alternate routes or times to drive if you’re often held up in traffic. If you’re already irritated or exhausted, don’t drive.
For a copy of Arnold P. Nerenberg’s booklet, “The Handbook for Overcoming Road Rage” call (800) 693-5833. The cost is $6.95.