Teen drivers suffer highly elevated car accident rates. Perhaps it would come as a surprise to many, then, to learn that teens are rarely responsible for road rage incidents. Drivers in their 20s, 30s and 40s are responsible for road rage events more often than teens. That could simply be the result of having a better understanding of when they have been victimized by poor driving. When teen drivers are cut off or find themselves behind people driving slowly in the left lane, they might be less likely to hold the other driver personally accountable for the inconvenience. Whatever the reason, teens manage to avoid engaging in rage-related driving incidents better than their older counterparts.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that Florida had the highest percentage of road rage incidents of any state in 2010. In that year, more than 12,000 car accidents were attributed to road rage. The NHTSA considers road rage to be the cause of two-thirds of all fatal motor vehicle accidents. The problem is widespread and serious.
Driving can undoubtedly be a frustrating and stressful experience. It might be your natural response to get angry when someone drives poorly around you, but that response must be controlled. Road rage causes injuries, quite frequently to the person exhibiting the aggressive driving. As difficult as it may be, it is important to stay calm and be smart in the face of bad drivers. If it helps, remove yourself from the situation. Pull over and breathe deeply until you are ready to continue driving in a safe manner.
Source: Historic City News, “Guest Column: Aggressive Driving,” by David B. Shoar, 4 March 2013
