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Dealing with Road Rage

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From HMcBain, Featured Contributor
Posted on July 2, 2008

What to do when you encounter a rager on the road.

Pretty much everyone who commutes or drives regularly has encountered road rage. How to handle it when it happens to you? We can sum it up in one word: de-escalate.

The other day I was driving home from a local flea market. As I was exiting from one highway to another, a car came swiftly up on my left and before I could blink, the driver almost clipped my front end as he maneuvered his car in front of mine. I immediately slammed on the brakes and honked my horn to show my displeasure with his lack of timing. Much to my surprise, the other driver gave flipped me off and started tapping his brakes repeatedly. I gestured with open hands that it was his fault not mine. He slowed and motioned for me to pass him, however I refused. He kept slowing until we were both driving 35 mph in a 70 mph zone. I was terrified. I had no idea just how far this guy was going to take his anger towards me.

Has this ever happened to you? Probably. Road rage is a common problem these days. There are a multitude of reasons it happens, however the anger is usually misplaced from another source – money woes, job problems, relationship issues, the kids, or whatever. It’s easier to yell, scream, and gesture at a stranger rather than your boss, spouse, the bank or the kids. Unfortunately, sometimes the road rager runs up against another road rager and this is when it often becomes violent or even deadly. The news is filled with grim reports of these types of altercations.

So what do you do? Do not escalate the situation! In my case I grabbed my phone and called 911. I didn't feel safe exiting and calling from there. I gave them the license plate of the other car and the description of the vehicle. The rager exited the highway when he saw me using my cell phone. A few minutes later, my phone rang. It was the police checking on me and to find out if the rager was still around. I felt relieved that I had avoided retaliating and who knows what consequences. What would you have done in this situation?

Read More:

• Crash Test Dummies
• Road Tripping 101
• Things You Shouldn't Do While Driving

HMcBain is a featured contributor for vLane.