Anger is one of the strongest of human emotions. Anger causes changes in the brain that can affect judgment. In 1996 Loius Mizell, did a study for AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
The study showed that "aggressive driving is on the rise" There seems to be a connection between aggressive driving and domestic violence, however some aggressive drivers have no history of violence or drug and alcohol use.

What causes a driver to become enraged is usually the accumulation of several other stress factors in the person's life and then some thing happens on the road to cause the driver to explode. People have said "He just cut me off!" , "He provoked me!", "He took my parking space!"

Some people who have no history of violence may have suffered an emotional trauma such as a divorce, major illness, or loss of a job. People have been injured or killed by guns, fists, tire irons, baseball bats, and bottles after a minor traffic altercation. Other people have used their cars as weapons and crashed into buildings, crowds of people, and have even attacked police.

The study recommends that the best way to avoid road rage is to prevent it in the first place. Things like avoiding the left-hand lane, using your horn sparingly, never using finger gestures and just plain courtesy on the road can help you from becoming the target of some one's anger.

If you do find your self the victim of road rage:

Do not make eye contact with the person, as this can seem confrontational.
Do leave enough space in front of your car so you can pull away if you need to.
Do drive to a police station, if you are being followed
Do Yield to the other driver and let them go on their way.
Do not speak to the other driver, and ignore insults.
Never drive when you are upset or angry.

http://www.aaafoundation.org/r esources/index.cfm?button=agdr text

Learn more about this author, Diana Claude.
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