Road Rage

3/9/2015

Last month the news reported, once more, another case of road rage that resulted in one person taking another’s life.  It occurred in a residential neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada that began with a traffic altercation and ended with an exchange of gunfire. In the end a 44-year-old mother was killed, while the 19-year old suspect faces a host of some very serious charges; the result which appears will leave him incarcerated for many years and thus all but ruin his chance for a fruitful and productive life.

Road rage is fairly well known to most of us, either through direct experience or news reports. According to epidemiological data, about one-third of us admit to committing road rage at one time or another. While most of these incidents involve shouting and gesturing at other drivers, a small minority of encounters escalate to direct and damaging contact. Offenders are most often young and male. Contributory factors to road rage may include various environmental factors, psychological factors, as well as psychiatric disorders.

The term, road rage, originated in Los Angeles, California, where Newscasters at the television station, KTLA first coined this term in 1987–1988 when a rash of freeway shootings occurred on the 405, 110, and 10 freeways. These shooting sprees even spawned a response from the AAA Motor Club to its members on how to respond to drivers with road rage or aggressive maneuvers and gesture

Road rage encompasses a variety of aggressive behaviors by a driver which seem well beyond the perceived offense committed by the driver being perceived as the perpetrator. These behaviors range from shouting, screaming, and yelling at another driver, and even escalate to using a weapon, including the vehicle itself, to incite damage to a fellow driver or his/her vehicle. While road rage is an intuitively recognized phenomenon for most of us, researchers in the field of psychology insist that a consistent definition of the term appears to be lacking. However, from a pure clinical point-of-view, road rage has been described as a constellation of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that occur in response to a perceived unjustified provocation while driving. Road rage may also be defined as those driving behaviors that endanger or potentially endanger others and are accompanied by intentional acts of aggression toward others, negative emotions while driving, and risk-taking. Interestingly, it has also been proposed that road rage be recognized as a bona fide psychological disorder and labeled as “road rage disorder.”

Aside from an initial reaction or perception by one driver from to an immediate maneuver of a vehicle for which that driver feels a personal insult, there are quite a number of contributory factors to road rage.  For instance, there are Environmental or non-psychological factors. These involve aspects that, while not causing the initial aggression, influence one’s perception into believing the actual event was designed to be insulting or antagonistic and thereby, contribute to road rage incidents. These include a greater number of miles driven per day and busy roads as well as traffic density. Carrying a firearm has even been described as a contributing factor as it has been argued that persons carrying a weapon have a greater sense of confidence to become confrontational. Experts on the subject have even identified such factors the context of anonymity as well as aggressive environmental stimuli in the form of billboards and building signs; although no examples on this particular area were provided by the scientific/psychological community.

A number of nonspecific psychological factors may contribute to road rage, as well. These include the tendency to displace anger and attribute blame to others as well as unrewarding and stressful employment or personal/family situations. Several authors have also underscored the role of high levels of general stress as well as the strains of modern urban living.

Psychologists that have studied road rage have been able to correlate the particular reactions people display to what is known as Axis I disorders.  It refers to a biopsychosocial approach, in which biological factors, psychological aspects and social features are influencing conditions. For example, a person with an Axis I diagnosis of major depressive disorder will likely have issues apparent in his or her work, as well as physical problems like headaches or high blood pressure, in conjunction with the symptoms of depression, like sadness and despair. Studies indicate that various Axis I disorders may contribute to road rage, particularly alcohol and substance misuse, especially marijuana. Only one study has reported contradictory findings in this regard, concluding that there was no association between road rage and alcohol/drug misuse. As for other forms of Axis I psychiatric disturbance, studies have found that individuals with severe forms of road rage evidenced higher scores on the General Health Questionnaire, which is a screening tool for several current psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms (mental disorder characterized by physical symptoms that suggest physical illness or injury without the introduction of a substance).

Without going any further into the field of psychiatric disturbances (for which I am completely unqualified to talk about), it is apparent that road rage can be triggered by a host of things; some based on the immediate conditions of the road as well as some from our mental condition at the time we experience or what we perceive to be, a disregard and lack of respect for our presence on the road. The fact is, conflicts with our fellow drivers is something we all need to deal with and therefore, we need to be mindful when we find ourselves in that potential scenario. So the best we can do is recognize when we may be ready to succumb to road rage and to practice some strategies that can help us avoid getting into such scenarios. Here are some tips to avoid road conflicts:

• Plan your route in advance. Some of the most erratic and inconsiderate driving occurs when motorist are lost;
• Make a conscious decision not to let your problems affect your driving;
• Deal with stress by getting fresh air and breathing deeply and slowly or listening to relaxing music;
• Avoid long drives if you can. If you take a long trip, stop every few hours for a rest. Before and during a long drive, avoid heavy meals which tend to make a person lethargic;
• Drive in a courteous and considerate manner. Give way at busy intersections and where traffic lanes merge;
• Don’t compete or retaliate. If someone’s driving annoys you, don’t try to “educate him or her”. No need to be a “self-appointed cop.”
• Avoid honking your horn unless absolutely necessary and, if you must, tap on it lightly;
• Try to apologize if you make a mistake as in many cases, this may reduce the risk of conflict;
• If you are being physically threatened, stay in your car and lock the doors. If you have a cell phone call the police. Use your horn and lights to attract attention;
• If you think you are being followed, do not drive home. Go to a police station

Change your thoughts and you can Change the world!

Norman Vincent Peale