by Patricia Bunch

Created on: March 17, 2009

I cannot control how others chose to act, but I can control and take responsibility for my own actions on and off the roads. Because I am a mother and a grandmother with family on the roads daily driving long distances to work and to school, I am very concerned with the dangers of the highways. Remembering the stressful days of driving to work myself, with all the weight of the world on my shoulders, I find I have more patience with those who may pull out in my lane and not see me coming. I don't know the problems they have riding with them.

Rode rage is an act of blat-ten immaturity at its worse. What kind of a out of control person cannot control their temper long enough to get past the incident of someone driving too slow, pulling into the wrong lane, or stopping abruptly? The contact one has with a motorist on the road is ever so brief. There is something very wrong going on in the head of those who exercise road rage against fellow drivers.

When mistakes are made by motorist, we do not know why the motorist made the mistake. We don't know if they have been up all night in a hospital by the bedside of a dieing loved one. Perhaps they have a child who has run away from home and they have no clue where their child is, still they have to get to work and go on with life anyway. Who knows what is going on in the marriage of the person behind the wheel. Could it be that person has just found divorce papers lying on the counter top when they got to the coffee pot that morning. Maybe it is the first morning this youth has driven the car after getting their license and they are excited and have the radio loud celebrating their freedom. When a foolish driving error is made, are they the first to make an error? If you are subject to road rage, have you never driven foolishly in your day? I venture to think you too, have made your share of foolish moves in your driving tenure.

There are ways to control tempers flaring. If you are on a deadline to be somewhere, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. Don't be rushed. Being in a hurry and coming into traffic where someone who isn't in a hurry doesn't share your urgency is bound to push your button. Avoid this type of situation.

Put on soothing music in the CD player. Don't have hard rock playing or rap booming. This music, even if you are a fan, isn't conducive to a soothing frame of mind. Develop a liking to easy listening instrumental music. It will help keep your emotions low keyed.

Put yourself

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