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?
Road Rage can start if one driver does something to irritate another. The main things that cause Road Rage are:
1. Tailgating
2. Cutting up at islands
3. Inappropriate overtaking
4. Undertaking on motorways
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.
