by Angela Diggs

Created on: August 20, 2009

If you haven't been lucky enough to come in contact with a rude driver, you are one of the luckiest people in the world. These are the people who beep at you even when the light is red, tail gait, drive faster than the speed of light and expect you to accommodate them, give you the finger for moving into a parking space or cut you off in the middle of traffic. Yes, these people exist everyday to make the daily driving experience more interesting. The bad news is that they will not go away. The good news is that you can develop coping skills. Below are ways to deal with rude drivers.

Expect anything on the road

Defensive driving is learned and the premise of it is expectation. When you drive this way, you prepare constantly for anything to take place of the road. Now this is a powerful technique because it basically helps you cope with the unexpected. The unexpected could be a rude driver. Once you learn how to drive with an attitude of expectancy, rude drivers will not be much of a surprise.

Remain calm

If a rude driver comes out the car and becomes combative, the first thing to do is remain calm. Even if the driver says something nasty to you, you shouldn't allow yourself to become emotionally involved with them. The moment you do, you lose control of what you are doing. Driving while angry is never a wise option. Your job is to get yourself from point A to point B without confusing other drivers.

Don't say anything back

When a rude driver says something mean, do not involve yourself with them. For example, a driver might say "You are a stupid person, didn't you see me?" The best move you could make here is to say nothing to the person with the attitude. The less you say the better and the person can go about their business and you can about yours.

Be understanding

You never know what a person is dealing with. You never know what a person had to see with before they saw you. They could have just gotten out of a bad relationship or lost a parent. Many times a person will play out their emotions behind the wheel. If they are feeling angry, they will drive angry and risk putting themselves and others in danger. This is why it is better sometimes to let the person express themselves and get the feelings out. Unfortunately you are the sounding board.

Rude drivers will be around until the end of time. Your job is to learn how to cope with it. Since you can't control the drivers around you, start with yourself. It will free you from a lot of stress and angst.

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