Dealing With Road Rage In Your New Car Or Truck

In today’s times we probably all spend more time in our cars than we’d like to. With all the construction going on in the DFW area, the traffic congestion, and the bad drivers, it can all add up and it can get to you. Trust me I know. I’ve not only been a victim of road rage but i’ll admit i’ve been an offender of road rage a time or two.

There’s no question about it that there are a fair number of rude or bad drivers in the DFW area. I’ve grown up here, and trust me it can be bad. Aggressive driving, like speeding, tailgating, unsafe lane changes, failing to signal intent to change lanes, or others are sometimes accidental or sometimes caused by not paying attention. Some acts of road rage are 100% intentional. All too often we are on the receiving end of an angry driver’s rage…what do you do then? Fight fire with fire? Probably not the wisest idea.

In fact: “According to a recently released national survey, when a driver gets the finger, is cut off or tailgated, 50 percent of the victims respond with horn honking, yelling, cutting-off, and obscene gestures of their own. The survey, administered by Response Insurance, revealed that 34 percent of drivers say they honk their horn at the aggressor, 27 percent yell, 19 percent give the finger back, 17 percent flash their headlights, and 7 percent mimic the initial aggressive driving behavior. Two percent of drivers admit to trying to run the aggressor off the road. Road rage is a two-way street,” noted Ray Palermo, of Response Insurance. It takes two people to fight. So, if you are subjected to aggressive driving, often the best way to ensure it does not get any worse is to just ignore it.” Road and Travel

The bottom line is that we’re all guilty of having been involved in a “Road Rage” incident at some point whether we know it or not. Here are a few tips from Farmers Insurance to follow to keep from being not only a victim but also an offender of road rage.

Always use your indicators when changing lanes or merging.

Be courteous. If another driver is signaling to change into your lane ahead of you, let them.

Ignore drivers who make angry gestures at you. Separate yourself from them, if possible.

If a vehicle is tailgating you, attempt to change lanes and let it pass.

If you are being followed, drive to a nearby crowded public place and call for help or drive to a nearby police station. You can also alert police via a cell phone.

Never provoke another driver.

If you can think of any tips not mentioned feel free to let me know. There are also some good videos on youtube about how to avoid road rage if you want to check them out.