7 Top Causes of Road Rage ...

Don’t you hate it when people drive super slow? I don’t mean just 5 under the speed limit, I mean when people drive 20mph when the sign clearly says 45mph! Slow drivers are definitely one of the top causes of road rage, so look out for those people and either pass them if you can, or play some calming music. It’ll be tough keeping your cool behind these people, but you can do it!

This has to be the main reason I get road rage. If you’re familiar with the green arrow in the turning lane, you also know that it only lights up for a few seconds before it turns yellow. Almost every time I’m in the turning lane with a line in front of me, I see that first person turn, and there’s this long space in time before I see the next person turn. Once I got so mad, I screamed "GO!" at the top of my lungs, which turned out to be embarrassing, because the person next to me looked over like I was insane! It makes my blood boil when I miss the green arrow because the people turning in front of me aren’t paying attention, but just like with the slow drivers, it’s important to try to be patient and keep calm. I’ll let you know how it works out for me the next time I’m at the turning light.

It sucks when people get over too quickly. It makes you wonder why they have a turning signal if they don’t use it. What’s even worse is when they speed up to cut you off, and then slow down when they get in front of you! Before you flip the bird, think of all of the possibilities… his wife may have just gone into labor or her kid may be in trouble at school. You never know. My friend told me, the way she and her husband deal with getting cut off is by trying to come up with the craziest reasons why that person cut them off. Try it! The next person that cuts you could be a secret agent rushing to diffuse a bomb before it destroys all life on the planet! Who knows? It’s possible!

Along with the slow drivers, the fast drivers also wreak havoc on the roads. It’s annoying when as soon as the light turns green, there’s impatient honking. It makes you want to take an extra few seconds to move, right? Well the best thing to do with these people is to ignore them. If you’re driving the speed limit, don’t feel pressured to drive faster. They aren’t the ones that’ll be paying your speeding ticket, because the cops saw you first. Ignore it and stay cool!

On more than one occasion, I’ve said to myself, "Why the heck are they driving so… Oh. They’re on the phone!" If you can’t talk and drive, don’t talk or don’t drive! Being patient with these people is extremely hard. Sometimes I just want to roll down my window and yell, "GET OFF THE PHONE!" Unfortunately, yelling doesn’t help, and it only gives the reckless driver another reason to be reckless. The only thing you can do is stay cool and don’t be that reckless phone talker.

You can always tell if a person is just visiting the city. If it’s not their state license plate, it’s the way they turn too late, ride a mile down the middle turning lane, or drive on the wrong side of the road. Try to have patience with them. They aren’t familiar with the streets or signs, so try to cut them some slack. I know when I’m driving in a city I’ve never been to, it’s not pretty!

Finally, having a bad day is one of the most common reasons for road rage. When things aren’t going quite right, it always seems worse on the roads. Little mistakes by other drivers become magnified, and it feels like bad drivers are surrounding you. In that case, try to perk up… at least until you get to your destination. It’s not safe to drive with negative thoughts and feelings, and if you have a song to turn that frown upside down, play it!

There are several causes of road rage, but there are also ways to avoid it. Can you think of any reasons why you get road rage? What are the ways you deal with it?