So what can we do about road rage, and inconsiderate drivers on the roads? We will all encounter an inconsiderate driver on the road at least once in our lives. It isn't a pleasant occurrence, and we probably will never understand why some people act the way they do on the roads. Maybe they feel brave in a two ton machine, driving at 50 miles an hour, or maybe they don't think that they can be seen giving that obscene gesture as they pass by. Whatever the reason, those maniacs exist out there, and what can we do to try and change them?
Sometimes it isn't really the intention of the other driver to be a jerk, and they probably feel bad about it later on. Maybe that guy who was honking at you was just late for work, and he had to be in on time today or else he was losing his job. He wasn't really mad that you were doing the speed limit, or that you stopped at the yellow light, but he really needed to be to work on time. It isn't your fault, but you are going to be yelled at anyway because you are there.
If a driving makes a gesture, or honks the horn at you, don't do anything back. The worst thing you can do is to get the other driver even angrier. If someone is upset, or getting agitated, you don't want to make them get violent, or make the situation any worse than it already may be. Let the guy honk at you, and let him keep going, and leave it at that. If the worst thing that happens to you all day is that you get honked at, then so be it.
The one thing you can do to avoid road rage incidents is to be aware of your surroundings. It won't kill you to go over the speed limit if it is a busy road during rush hour. Keeping pace with traffic is important, and the cops won't pull you over for not wanting to get mauled by other cars trying to rush around you. You don't want to be that one guy who is holding up an entire city of traffic. If you can pull over, then go ahead, but otherwise you need to know what the conditions are and keep up with them.
If conditions are bad, and you feel like other people are getting mad at you, just stick to the slow lane. If your car breaks down, or you can't move fast enough because your car won't cooperate, just communicate that. Have your flashers on, and make sure that people know why you can't get out of the way. That will ease stress on the other drivers, and let them know that your not just being a jerk to get a rise out of them.
Communication is key to anything that you do in this life. This is truly key when you are driving, and people tend to take the laws of the road into their own hands. If you can just stay calm, and not get too upset when others might be rude, you can save yourself a big hassle later on. Its better to just let the jerks pass you, then it is to have a bigger mess on your hands because you felt the need to pick this battle to fight.