Road Rage

As we all hear in the media, we are leading busier lives, working longer and harder. As a result we are inevitably becoming less patient on road journeys. This often means taking more risks, driving too fast and generally failing to behave on the road!

Road Rage is a term given to a psychological state people encounter whilst driving. Although it has only been heard of in recent years Road Rage has been in existence more or less since the car was invented.

How can it start?

What usually happens?

Road Rage involves drivers acting aggressively, typically tailgating and waving a few selected hand gestures. That’s thankfully where most incidents end! However, sometimes things can get nasty and drivers will try to ram other cars. Occasionally, as we have seen in the media, Road Rage (although very rare) can have fatal consequences so beware.

What is Red Mist?

Red Mist is a psychological state that can arise when a driver is so determined to achieve some non-driving related objective, such as following a person who has annoyed them, that they can no longer assess driving risks realistically. Professional drivers such as police pursuit drivers and ambulance drivers, as part of their extensive training, are very aware of red mist. The nature of their job, whether it is driving to a road traffic accident or following a 14-year-old who has just stolen a car, could so easily result in them becoming frustrated and angry, or taking dangerous risks for “a noble cause”.

How to stop the red mist coming down

The best way professional drivers find to overcome this is to firstly realise the symptoms. This usually is a feeling of anger and frustration. Once you have acknowledged how you are feeling it’s easier to deal with. The best way (although it does vary from driver to driver) is to try to objectively describe the situation you are in and not become emotionally involved in the situation. This is often very effective. Using this technique can help you defuse anger from a Road Rage incident.

How to defuse Road Rage

Now that you have an understanding of what red mist is you will be able to deal with any Road Rage incident more effectively. Follow these steps should any situation arise:

1. If you feel you are in the wrong, acknowledge your mistake by putting your hand up in the rear view mirror in an attempt to say sorry – this can literally turn a very angry person calm within a matter of seconds.

2. If you feel that you are getting angry try to describe the situation objectively such as “ok the driver in front has pulled out too soon, failing to judge my speed which means I now have to brake allowing him time to speed up” – this can be very hard to do if you have had a stressful day but trying to remove any kind of emotion linked to the situation is good.

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Driving in Snow

Driving in snow will greatly change how you and your car behave should a serious situation arise. It is important to be fully aware of your limits; this includes both your own and your car - not forgetting those of other road users! You may have a high performance car, you may have the latest stability control system, but in snow the cornering ability of your car, along with any technology, will become almost irrelevant due to the sheer lack of grip – even cars equipped with ABS are unlikely stop a straight-line skid due to the lack of grip available. With this in mind it’s worth staying focused on your driving environment. Avoid making any sharp movements with the steering wheel. It’s also worth avoiding harsh acceleration, sudden braking and travelling at high speeds.

General driving

Try to keep in as high a gear as possible to avoid wheel spin. Although you should always concentrate whilst driving (!) ensure you double your concentration in the snow – bear in mind you may have covered many thousands of miles in everyday road conditions but most people will drive fewer miles in snow than they do when learning to drive – making the majority of the public very inexperienced snow drivers!

Moving away from standstill

A good way of reducing wheel spin in the snow when moving off is to apply the throttle gently; perhaps you should also consider moving off in 2nd gear if it’s very slippery.

Negotiating corners

Before taking a corner or bend it is important to slow down long before you usually would, but remember to do this only in a straight line to avoid loss of control. When taking a bend you should ensure that your speed is sufficiently low so as not to lose traction also avoid any sharp steering movements.

Interesting fact - Competitors in the WRC (World Rally Championship) have to drive in snow mainly during the Rally of Sweden - their thin spiked tyres along with their amazing driving ability allows them to drive through snowy forests at over 100 mph!

Braking

The key here is to use your power of observation, as any sudden unplanned braking, no matter how advanced your car is, will usually result in a skid if you are on pure snow. Should you need to brake harder than planned (i.e. you lock the wheels) remember to use a system called cadence braking whereby you release the footbrake when the wheels lock up and quickly reapply – with the aim of trying to brake just above the locking point of the wheels and reducing speed as fast and as controlled as possible. This practice is usually not needed with cars equipped with ABS, however, as mentioned before, the sheer lack of grip may mean you will need to do this – ABS or not!

Another good way of reducing speed in snow is to carefully engage a lower gear and use the compression of the engine to slow you down known as engine braking.

REMEMBER: At least triple the usual distance between your car and the one ahead.

Other road users

It can be all too easy to become concerned with your own driving and not think about other road users when the roads are covered in snow. Bear in mind that, although you may have a good understanding of driving in snow, the other person using the road may not. Therefore, take precautions such as:

1. Do not assume that the driver coming up to the island will be able to give way to you as planned especially if they have not braked early enough.

2. If someone is too close behind you make sure you apply the brakes even earlier when approaching hazards and negotiating islands. It may be a good idea pulling in and letting them past.

3. Be prepared to take avoidance action from that driver coming towards you who has taken a corner too fast and has lost control. In this situation it is best to brake or, depending on the distance, carefully steer away from them to a safer place on the road. The latter is not always possible so always use your judgement.

Driving in snow: Preparation

If you plan to go out in the snow consider these points:

1. Is your journey essential?
2. Do you have a blanket in the car?
3. Does anyone know where you are going and what time you should be back?
4. Do you have a charged mobile phone with you?
5. Do you have a hot drink in a flask?
6. Have you taken note of the local weather forecast?
7. Have you planned to make sure your destination is accessible?
8. Will you need a spade to dig yourself out of any drifts?

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Driving in Fog

Driving in fog is a major hazard due to the fact that you can’t see where you are going as well, making your planning and observation very hard if not impossible.
Remember the basics in fog: Use your lights. Use your windscreen wipers. Use demisters. Use common sense! It’s easy really!

General driver errors in fog

In fog most drivers slow down, become more cautious and generally adapt to the conditions. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of making potentially costly mistakes:

1. Following the lights in front – Many drivers feel the need to follow the car lights in front, somehow thinking that if they lose sight of them they will lose their way! Although this sounds ridiculous you will be amazed how many do this, whether it is on a conscious or subconscious level.

To overcome this, fully understand that your own judgement will be impaired in the fog and that keeping a good distance is the safer option.

2. Failing to judge speed – When waiting at a junction it can be easy to misjudge the speed of an approaching vehicle and pull out when normally you would not. Fog can distort your sense of speed and distance.

To avoid this take an extra second or two to assess the speed of any approaching vehicles. It may be worth letting the vehicle pass, to fully make sure you are safe.

3. Failing to notice your own speed – Over time drivers can become used to driving in fog, and as they do their speed increases, which is the last thing you want to do!

To overcome this take a quick glance at your speedo every now and then and be prepared to adjust your speed.

4. Failing to notice other road users – Although most drivers light up in the fog some do not. Also some cyclists and even pedestrians take risks by not making themselves visible.

To ensure that you do not slip up here it is important to be aware of any kind of movement in the fog; often drivers report seeing “something” but are not sure what before hitting a pedestrian, cyclist or an unlit car. With this in mind it is important to look for anything moving in the fog and be prepared to react to it. Be extra careful when driving along a stretch of road where the path suddenly stops, as often people will have to use the roadside to walk.

Remember that fog can be patchy so should you enter a foggy patch whilst driving check your mirror and slow down; if needed use your rear fog lights and if your vehicle is equipped with them, use the front fog lights. Once you are out of fog don’t forget to switch them off. The Highway Code states that you should only use fog lights if visibility is less than 100 metres.

Should you need to park in the fog, ensure you park off the road as other drivers and road users may fail to see you.

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