A stressed driver could get into a situation in which he or she might exhibit the actions that are typical of road rage. Authorities concerned about traffic safety seek to determine what can cause drivers to become stressed.
Factors known to cause stress in a driver
• Awareness of past tickets.
• Demands on the driver’s time.
• Attempts to perform a distracting activity while driving.
• Thinking about some family or job-related obligation.
• Driver is fatigued.
• Actions and words of passengers
• Actions and words of other drivers
Possible ways to reduce the level of a driver’s stress:
• All drivers should get a good night’s sleep before starting their road trip.
• Allow plenty of time for completion of the planned trip.
• Learn mindfulness techniques, so that the mind focuses on the immediate task.
• Avoid distractions.
Actions to take if confronted by enraged driver:
• Lock the doors of your vehicle.
• Change lanes, so that you can move away from the enraged driver.
• Call police if necessary.
Actions to avoid if dealing with such a driver:
• Do not make eye contact with the same driver.
• Do not gesture.
• Do not speak to that particular motorist.
An attitude that can prove as dangerous as rage
Personal Injury Lawyer in Kitchener knows that the duty that each driver has to show care towards the other motorists should not be seen as a reason for directing the behavior of such motorists. That is the job of the officers that are patrolling a given stretch of road or highway.
In other words, no driver should try to communicate with someone in another vehicle, in hopes of altering his or her behavior. For example, it would be wrong for anyone to try to send an alert to a driver that is smoking, while sitting behind the steering wheel. The alert would probably annoy that same smoker/driver. He or she would pay less attention to the road, and more attention to the alert/ distraction. Consequently, the other drivers in the area would be put at risk.
Moreover, there is no information available to drivers, regarding how to send any type of alert. Traffic authorities do not want a driver’s focus to be on anything other than controlling a single vehicle. Drivers are not supposed to take-on the role of a police officer. Acts of road rage are dangerous. Still, no one should interact with the enraged motorist. Instead, anyone forced to deal with road rage should call the police. That same rule applies to anyone that feels uncomfortable about a driver’s actions.
He or she should not try to send out any type of alert. It is better to continue driving, unless the driver’s actions are a danger to others. In that case, it would be best to make contact with the police.