How to Deal with Road Rage

Keeping calm and collected while on the roads can often be difficult when faced with a stressful or potentially dangerous situation. However, it is important to remember that our inclination to act with rage can be a hazard within itself. Therefore, it is important to control your anger as this is a crucial part of being a good and safe driver. We have compiled some top tips on how to beat road rage, as well as how to safely deescalate the situation if another driver is angry with you. 

Stay in Control

If you find that negative or angry emotions are starting to surface, taking deep breathes and concentrating on the action of breathing can often help lessen these feelings. Even though you may feel wronged by the other party, it is important to remind yourself that whatever is happened is not a personal attack and that responding in anger will likely only worsen the situation. If you remain calm and address them calmly, you will likely be able to have a more productive conversation which could result in you getting their details and being able to make a claim in the future if you wish. 

Relax

A great tip to try and remain calm on the roads is to reduce your general stress levels or tension before you even start your journey. If you are already upset about something else when you get in the car, this could potentially make you a more aggressive driver or more likely to react in anger towards other people. By beginning the drive with a peaceful state of mind, this reduces the likelihood that you will react aggressively towards others or be as upset if someone acts aggressively towards you. An important step for starting your journey with a calm mind is to leave ample time for your journey. You should avoid rushing from one place to the next as this could increase your stress levels. 

Vent Privately

If you are unable to keep your anger in check, you should close your windows if you feel that you want to vent. This way no one outside of your car will be involved in this display of anger and therefore they will not be inclined to respond. If you still feel upset by the situation, you should consider finding a place to pull over and remove yourself from the situation until you feel calm and in control again. 

Be a Polite Driver

You should avoid being an aggressive driver by cutting out any behaviour that could be perceived as hostile. This includes excessively using your horn, unnecessarily flashing your headlights, tailgating, changing lanes quickly or talking on your mobile phone. Furthermore, swearing or making rude gestures at other drivers will mostly only result in them becoming aggressive towards you, only escalating the situation and increasing the likelihood of an accident. 

Avoid Confrontation

Becoming involved in an altercation with another driver may seem tempting when you are angry, but it is both an unhelpful and potentially dangerous situation to get into. The driver may be even angrier than you are. As the person you are confronting is probably a stranger, you don’t necessarily know what they are capable of or how they might react to being confronted. They could potentially become verbally abusive or even violent. Therefore, confronting another person on the road only puts yourself and the other people inside of your car at risk. 

If someone is aggressive towards you, you should not react in kind. Instead of yelling or saying any rude remarks towards them, you should remain calm and try and deescalate the situation. If you behave in the same way as the angry driver, you are just as much a part of the problem as they are. 

If you become involved in a traffic collision as a result of another person’s road rage, you are probably entitled to compensation. Get in touch with First Personal Injury today to discuss making an accident claim. 

Making Personal Injury Claims

To learn more or to start your claim, get in touch with our expert team on 0333 358 2345 or contact us online.