Road rage is fairly common, especially if you're dealing with city traffic on your daily commute. It's easy to get ticked off at the slow truck taking a "Sunday drive" or the SUV that forgets to use a turn signal. While violence and irrational anger are not the answer to a smoother drive, research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that nearly 80 percent of Americans admit to being aggressive when driving.
Looking to control your road rage? Here, we'll discuss 5 sure-fire ways to recognize your aggression behind the wheel and take action to calm yourself down.
What Is Road Rage?
The dictionary defines road rage as "violent anger caused by the stress and frustration involved in driving a motor vehicle in difficult conditions." Think of your worst day at work. Now, picture the commute home in heavy traffic. You're stressed about your day and any small inconvenience-like someone cutting you off in traffic-just might set you off. You might swere. You might curse and try to outrun them. That's road rage.
4 Tips for Control Your Road Rage
1. Take a deep breath.
Before you do anything, take a deep breath. Remember that safety is your number one concern and you don't have to react to other drivers actions on the road. Breathe in. Breathe out. Let the negative feelings wash away and continue on your drive without an aggressive move. For any negative feelings, focusing on your breathing can help bring your attention inward and make frustrations seem more removed.
2. Listen to a podcast.
Take your mind off the challenges of the road (and your stressful workday!) by letting your mind wander. Choose a podcast of interest to you-like news, politics, spirituality, true crime, or meditation-and listen on your commute. Putting your mind on listening mode will keep you from focusing on the negative in the present. Plus, you might learn a thing or two!
3. Don't personalize the incident.
Unless you are law enforcement, it's not your job to police others for poor driving. Try not to take every cut off, impromptu lane change, and honk as a personal attack. Sometimes others are simply having a bad day. They're not mad at you; they're mad at the world. Remembering this sentiment can help you remove yourself from the situation and calm yourself more easily.
4. Plan ahead.
Road rage is often caused when we're in a hurry to be somewhere. Plan ahead and leave earlier than your GPS tells you to. Why? Because the more time you have, the less anxious you'll be in traffic. If you're prone to road rage, giving yourself 5 to 10 extra minutes to arrive at your destination could save you the headache.
Have an Accident in Seattle, WA? Call Suburb Service ASAP
Find yourself in a fender bender? Seattle traffic at its worst is no joke. Don't worry, though, the team at Suburb Service is always prepared to help. We offer maintenance and repair services for all types of Subaru models in and around the Seattle area. You can schedule a regular maintenance check-up today or, if your Subaru is giving you trouble, you can call us at (206) 705-8695 to schedule a repair. Show your Subaru some love.