Steering Clear of Road Rage
How often does a scene like this play out? It’s a busy freeway and someone is trying to get over a lane. The person next to them doesn’t let them in, either because they don’t realize or they don’t want to. The guy trying to get over gets frustrated and agitated. He then gets behind the unhelpful driver and follows him. He honks his horn, tailgates, makes obscene hand gestures and screams at him. This behavior is what is known as road rage.
How Big a Problem is Road Rage?
In Houston, it seems road rage is pretty real or at least there is a true perception of aggression on the roads. AutoVantage’s 2014 In the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey found Houston to be the least courteous city for drivers.
Nationally, AutoVantage conducted a survey with the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA) that found:
- 66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving
- 37% of aggressive driving incidents involve a firearm
- Males under the age of 19 are the most likely to exhibit road rage
- Half of drivers who are on the receiving end of an aggressive behavior, such as horn honking, a rude gesture, or tailgating admit to responding with aggressive behavior themselves
- Over a seven year period, 218 murders and 12,610 injuries were attributed to road rage
- 2% of drivers admit to trying to run an aggressor off the road
Aggressive Behaviors
Road rage or aggressive driving takes many forms. Some of the most commonly reported behaviors are:
- tailgating
- honking the horn
- flashing lights at someone
- yelling or cursing
- obscene gestures
- following someone to intimidate
- not allowing someone to change lanes
- cutting someone off in traffic
- getting out of the car in confrontational way
- bumping someone or otherwise hitting their car
While the above are mostly innocuous, there are many stories of road rage escalating to violence. These severe cases include:
- brandishing a weapon
- running someone off the road
- following to their destination and then physically attacking them
- shooting at someone on the road
- hitting a motorcycle with their car
Steering Clear of Road Rage
The best option is not to engage in any behaviors that might cause anger or aggression in another person. Follow these tips to ensure you are a courteous driver:
- Be helpful. Why not let the person over who needs to change lanes or to merge? Having one more car ahead of you won’t affect your arrival time, so what’s the downside to just letting them in?
- Pay attention. Stay off your phone and be aware of your surroundings. It is frustrating to miss a green light because another driver is not paying attention. Don’t be that driver!
- Use your signal. Always signal when you are changing lanes and check your blind spot. The perception of “being cut off” is a leading agitator on the road.
- Turn off your brights. If you are using your high beam lights at night, turn them off when a car approaches from the other direction. It is not just rude, but dangerous, for the other driver to have the bright lights in their eyes.
- Keep with the flow of traffic. Driving too slow or too fast attracts attention you don’t want. Similarly, weaving in and out of traffic may set someone off if they think you are putting others in danger.
- Plan ahead. Know when you need to exit and get in that lane early. Don’t try to cut in front of a long line of cars that has been waiting. Jockeying for position is a dangerous game. Signal in advance of your turn so the person behind knows you will soon be slowing down.
If you are Targeted by Road Rage
Often, it doesn’t matter how courteous a driver you are or how cautious and careful you drive. Certain people are repeat road ragers and do not have control of their emotions and aggression. Whether you feel you have offended them or not, do not engage with them. Face forward and continue to drive safely. Do not retaliate or get into a screaming war or other interaction. Try to safely get away from them but do not pull in somewhere that they could follow you and attack. If they won’t back-off, despite your ignoring them, call 911 and stay on the phone with the police until someone gets there to help you.
Stay Safe
As the fourth largest city in the US, Houston has a lot of drivers. With a vast suburban community, commuting is the norm, putting many of those drivers on the roads daily. When it comes to safe highways, there are enough factors at play already without adding behavioral issues to the mix. In addition to being a courteous driver, it is important not to respond or retaliate when someone else is not so courteous. Cultris Security cares about your safety! AutoVantage will do their next survey in 2019; let’s hope Houston is not at the top of the list again then!
