ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

WHAT IS AGGRESSIVE DRIVING? In Illinois, aggressive driving is defined as committing any two or more of the following violations in a single act or series of acts.

WHAT IS AGGRESSIVE DRIVING? Driving which creates undue risk or endangers the safety of another person or vehicle. Involves the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner which endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property – NHTSA Aggressive driving may range from personal risk-taking behavior to hostile actions towards other motorists. NHTSA characterizes aggressive driving as a traffic offense.

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ACTS Improper Lane Usage Improper Passing On the Right Improper Shoulder Driving Following Too Closely (TAILGATING) Disobeying Police Officer Disobeying Traffic Control Device Or Sign

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING Drag Racing Speeding - In School & Construction Zones Improper U-Turn Failure To Signal Failure To Yield Disobeying Railroad Crossing Signal

Symptoms of Aggressive Driving Thoughts of violence against other users Always driving in a hurry Constantly criticizing other drivers Not observing laws you do not agree with Believing that your driving is not part of the problem

Emotional Impairments Associated With Aggressive Driving Category 1: Impatience and Inattentiveness Driving through red lights. Driving through yellow lights. Rolling stops. Cutting corners or rolling over double center lines. Blocking intersections. Failure to yield.

Emotional Impairments Associated With Aggressive Driving Category 1: Impatience and Inattentiveness Improper lane change or weaving. Driving 5 to 15 miles per hour over the limit. Following too closely. (TAILGATING) Not signaling when required. Erratically slowing or speeding up. Taking too long/ inefficient driving.

Emotional Impairments Associated With Aggressive Driving Category 2: Power Struggle Closing the gap to prevent entry. Threatening or insulting by yelling, gesturing, or honking repeatedly. Tailgating to punish or coerce. Cutting off to retaliate. Braking suddenly to retaliate.

KEEP THE BIRD IN THE CAGE! IS THIS YOU IF YOU WANT TO GET EVEN WITH ANOTHER DRIVER? KEEP THE BIRD IN THE CAGE!

Emotional Impairments Associated With Aggressive Driving Category 3: Recklessness Chasing in a duel. Driving drunk. Pointing a gun or shooting. Assaulting with the car or battering object. Driving at very high speeds.

Aggressive Driving Trigger Events Dr. Arnold Nerenberg - Characterizes four major traffic situations that trigger aggressive driving. Feeling Endangered Being Detained (When Others Drive Too slowly) Watching Others Disregard Rules of the Road Feeling the Need To Retaliate

Aggressive Driving Personality – Emotions - Attitudes Territorial Nature: People See Their Vehicle As Part Of Their Personal Space Learned Behavior: Children Grow Up Watching Their Parents Drive Aggressively Along with Media Reinforcement. Acceptance: Societal Acceptance Of Aggressive Driving Increasing. Power & Control: An Addictive Sense of Power & Control Are Attributed To Aggressive Driving

Aggressive Driving Solutions Before You Drive Create a relaxing environment with music. Remind yourself that you can’t change other drivers, but you can change your response to them. Practice self conscious driving: Think positively regardless of the bad driving around you.

Aggressive Driving Solutions While You Drive When you do get angry create a distraction: - Count to 20 - Turn on the radio. Calm yourself by talking through the situation. Breathe deeply, use breathing techniques to relax and regain control.

Summary - Be Wise Avoid all conflict if possible. If challenged: - take a deep breath - get out of the way (Even if you are right.) Instead try to be more forgiving and tolerant. Recognize the absurdity of traffic disputes. Focus on what’s really important in life. Save your energy and your life-for something really important.

Summary Emotional Challenges Driving is emotionally challenging because unexpected events happen constantly. Drivers must learn to challenge the thoughts that provoke anger before it leads to aggressive & unmanageable driving. This may necessitate drivers undergoing a driving personality makeover!

ROAD RAGE No national definition for the term “road rage” It is commonly defined as a societal condition where motorist lose their temper in reaction to a traffic disturbance. In most cases, the traffic situations encountered are typical of today's normal driving conditions in higher traffic volumes

What is Road Rage? Road rage refers to a display of aggression by an angry or impatient motorist who attempts to injure or kill another driver over a traffic dispute.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE Generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and close tailgating. Cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately preventing someone from merging. Chasing other motorists. Flashing lights and/or sounding the horn excessively.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE Rude gestures (such as "the finger").Shouting verbal abuses or threats. Intentionally causing a collision between vehicles. Hitting other vehicles. Assaulting other motorists, their passengers, cyclists or pedestrians

THIS IS ROAD RAGE! IS THIS YOU WHEN YOU DRIVE?

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE Exiting the car to attempt to start confrontations, including striking other vehicles with an object. Threatening to use or using a firearm or other deadly weapon. Throwing projectiles from a moving vehicle with the intent of damaging other vehicles.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD RAGE Driving at high speeds in the median of a highway to terrify drivers in both lanes. Yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at roadside establishments.

ARE YOU LOOKING TO GET EVEN WITH SOMEONE ?

10 WAYS TO AVOID ROAD RAGE

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 1. Get your Zs. We all know how cranky we get without enough sleep. It makes us prone to feelings of annoyance, resentment and even anger. 2.Plan ahead Do you allow just enough time to drive to an appointment? Then you're probably also more prone to a lead foot and a lost temper. If you add 10 minutes to your expected travel time, you'll have time to stop for gas, safely navigate those snowy roads or detour around road construction.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 3. Your car is not a therapist. Many of us love and identify with our cars but sometimes you can take the "car as extension of self" idea too seriously. Competitive types (you know who you are) shouldn't try to prove themselves on heavily traveled thoroughfares — save that enthusiasm for weekend romps on your favorite back roads. No matter how much power you've got under the hood, your vehicle is first and foremost a mode of transportation, not a weapon.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 4. Turn down the bass. Without getting into the argument over "aggressive music makes people aggressive," it makes sense that listening to relaxing music — or even a comedy channel on satellite radio — will make you less pumped up for action than a driving bass line.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 5. Loosen up, then breathe: If you notice yourself clenching the steering wheel in a death grip, try flexing your fingers and loosening your hold — you'll find that you can control the car just as well. Periodically roll down the window and breathe deeply and slowly.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 6. It's not about you. Perhaps another driver cut you off. Or the car in front of you is braking erratically. Before you assume the driver is getting off on your rising anger levels, realize that you, as an individual, are not the target. Perhaps the driver simply made a mistake or was just being oblivious. Maybe there's a screaming baby, a loose pet or a crazed bee in the car. Maybe he was on a cell phone. The point is, don't take things so personally.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 7. Hostility is toxic. And risky. People most prone to anger are almost three times more likely to have a heart attack than those with low anger, according to the American Psychological Association. Safe driving promotes healthy hearts! Not only will giving into anger not resolve an irritating situation, it can increase the risk of retaliation. Think to yourself, "Is making my point worth endangering my life?" If all else fails, do a mental 180 and try to laugh it off.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 8. Use restaurant etiquette. While it's upsetting when a stranger is rude or cuts in line in a restaurant or store, most folks wouldn't lose their cool and become abusive as a result. It isn't only because they have good manners. Driving a car makes people feel more isolated and protected, allowing them to act in ways they would normally find embarrassing. So when another driver acts like a jerk, respond as though you're in a restaurant. And we don't mean Chuck E. Cheese's.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 9. Take the self-test. Classes designed to help curb aggressive driving often have participants tape-record themselves while driving. Hearing themselves swear or rant on tape is enough of a wake-up call for them to recognize and reduce dangerous behavior. So try analyzing your driving.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE Do any of the following statements sound like you? - I regularly exceed the speed limit in order to get to work on time. - I tailgate other drivers, especially those who sit in the left lane. - I flash my lights and honk my horn to let drivers know when they annoy me.

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE - I verbally abuse other drivers whether they can hear me or not. - I frequently weave in and out of traffic to get ahead. - I feel the need to set bad drivers straight

AVOIDING ROAD RAGE 10. Practice kindness: Dr. Leon James, a.k.a. "Dr. Driving" says that remembering simple courtesies, like allowing someone to merge or apologizing when we make a mistake, can go a long way in making the driving experience positive for ourselves and others. His basic motto is the old "do unto others" rule: Treat fellow drivers how you would like to be treated.