Road Rage 101 – Road Safety

It can be said driving is as much a sport as it is a passion. People drive for different reasons; most people drive to get to their destination and others drive as a form of therapy. Driving is appreciated to the point that there are several businesses, such as Roberts, that sell quality car parts and tools such as a U-bolt in the Philippines. Unfortunately, even the best forms of protection will be useless in the face of road rage.

Studies show that at least 66% of car related fatalities are a result of aggressive driving caused by road rage. 37% of traffic related violence is caused by drivers who own and carry a firearm. Finally, males under the age of 19 are usually involved in road rage related incidents. These numbers show a majority of the accidents or incidents that befall car owners are all caused either directly or indirectly by road rage.

Road rage, whether on yourself or on another driver is something that is avoidable. Here are some tips in order to keep a cool head while enjoying safe driving:

Put Others Before Yourself

While the dreadful traffic of daily commute has made most people jaded and grumpy, it helps to keep an open mind when driving. If someone wants to overtake, let them. If someone honks at you, it could be because you are doing something wrong. The point being is it would be more productive and a hundred times more appropriate to think twice before reacting.

Keep Your Cool

Patience is one of the virtues that should be extolled while on the road. Traffic is an inevitable debacle, but that’s okay, it happens. Learn to find some peace when on the road because when the driver loses his cool, he also loses overall game of surviving the road. In simpler terms, zen always wins.

Do Not Carry a Weapon

As mentioned earlier, a big chunk of road rage incidents occur for people who carry weapons. Psychology suggests that the weapon gives its owner a false sense of superiority. In other words, carrying a weapon does not help in keeping oneself calm— it only adds fuel to the driving induced rage. Also, majority of the weapon related traffic incidents result in people getting injured or at times even killed.

Make Your car your own

A lot of people dread being in their cars because of the heat or because of the traffic. However, making your car a haven for yourself will not only alleviate your stress, it will also give you a way to enjoy driving. Try decorating the interior of your car by personalizing your seat covers or by adding a scent you enjoy. Music also helps because it prevents the driver from falling asleep behind the wheel.

Truthfully, road rage incidents are things that do not need to happen. Most squabbles can be resolved by driving defensively and if ever they do happen, a healthy conversation will almost always calm the situation down. While dressing up your car with intricate parts such as an exhaust system in the Philippines will definitely increase its performance, keep road safety by careful driving and maintaining composure behind the wheel.