Have you ever been cut off while driving and out of the blue you go from zero to 10 in terms of being angry and have to talk yourself down from doing anything you shouldn’t? Well if the answer is yes to this then you are on the verge of road rage. Don’t worry your not alone driving can be very strenuous activity weather that is driving to work or to the store it only takes seconds to lose your temper while driving.
Road rage statistics in the United States may shock you. We have seen a constant trend in road rage incidents each year and a big part of this is more people driving on roads that are not meant to accommodate such traffic. it also is a lack of patience when we get behind the wheel. This guide will show road rage statistics and what you can do before hitting the road and what to do if you find yourself a victim of a road rage incident.
How is road rage defined
Road rage is a violent anger that is brought out by frustration and stress while driving a motor vehicle. Road rage happens in every state, every day. Road rage is different than aggressive driving like speeding or being reckless, however, these types of activities can trigger a road rage event. road rage differs from aggressive driving because road rage has a violent act like ramming another vehicle, using a firearm, or physically attacking another driver.
What can cause road rage to happen?
Some of the more common examples of trigging a road rage event would be:
- Tailgating
- Heavy traffic
- Speeding
- Driving to slow
- Blocking traffic
- Swerving into someone’s lane
- Being on cell phone
- Accidents
According to the data collected and put out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration shows that 50% of victims of aggressive driving behavior reply in the same way
Source: Safe Motorist
Road rage statistics in the United States show an alarming rate of rage while driving. This data is compiled from the NHTSA and comes from the safemortorist.com website.
66%
of traffic, fatalities are a result of aggressive drivers
37%
of aggressive driving incidents involve a firearm
Males
Under the age of 19 are the most to show road rage
1/2
of drivers who receive aggressive behavior respond with aggression
7 year period
There have been 218 murders and 12,610 injuries because of road rage
How to handle road rage
If you drive at some point you will find yourself on the receiving end of an irate driver, wheater it is your fault or not you should follow a few rules to help defuse the situation. First off as hard as it may try and stay calm ramping up your stress level and angry will only fuel the fire.
something to think about on your end is to leave a little early or on time. Feeling rushed while driving is a big reason why so many get upset while behind the wheel. Below are some tips to try and help get yourself out of a confrontation and defuse the issue.
- Stay calm
- Avoid eye contact
- Ignore gestures from the irate driver
- Think about the consequences if you lose your cool
- Pullover after you are away from the other driver. take a few deep breaths and calm yourself.
- Turn on music to distract you
- Remember, the other person could have a firearm or weapon, it is not worth your life
Seek a safe place if your being followed
If you find yourself being followed and the other driver is aggressively pursuing you then you need to find a safe place to go. Do not lead a driver that is irate to your home. You can call 911 and alert law enforcement to what is happening. If you are close to a police station or fire station then you can always use that as a safe place to go. You never know if the person that is irate is on drugs or intoxicated and not in the right frame of mind.
In closing
Road rage is real and happens every day. At some point, you will find yourself on the receiving end of someone who is irate while driving. If this is the case remember to stay calm and try and defuse the situation before things escalate out of control. If you cant defuse the situation and the person is out of control you should call law enforcement for help.
