Sharing the road can be increasingly frustrating when the drivers around you aren’t driving like they should. Maybe they’re swerving, tailgating, or driving fifteen under the speed limit. For whatever reason, you’re experiencing road rage. There are plenty of road rage causes that are common amongst drivers. While you want to be able to stay calm, cool, and collected behind the wheel— that’s not always a small task.
Road Rage Causes: What’s Making Me Angry?
The Last Parking Space
One of the most common road rage causes comes from fighting over parking spaces. Whether you’re shopping at the mall, or making your way through the parking deck, spots can be hard to come by in busy areas. Therefore, when there’s only a few spots, some people will be willing to fight for it— literally. So, try to avoid these parking lot confrontations before they turn into a brawl, or a passive aggressive honking match.
Furthermore, if someone was at the spot before you, let them have it. Parking can be stressful. Try and make it easier by finding lesser known parking areas, leaving earlier, or generally just finding your calm when you know that it’s going to be difficult. There are plenty of road rage causes, so let’s look for solutions along the way.
The Infamous Cut Off
Being cut off is one of the more common, and frustrating, road rage causes. Nothing can be quite as irritating as someone jumping in front of you without a real purpose. Not only is it upsetting, but it’s dangerous as well. In most cases, you may need to slam on the brakes or swerve to avoid hitting them. In this instant, you might begin to throw your hands up, yell obscenities, or try and retaliate in some form or fashion. We’re here to say: don’t. It’s not uncommon for you to lose focus, or driving abilities, when you’re trying to make a point. While what the driver did is infuriating, what’s even worse is getting into an accident afterwards.
The Box Out
Not allowing someone to pass will most likely cause anger. In some cases, the driver may need to move over to make a turn or get to an exit. Or, in other situations, maybe the driver’s around them just aren’t fully observing the speed limit, or road rules. Therefore, the boxed in driver might be looking for a way out. We all know that this is frustrating, and absolutely one of those road rage causes we’ve been talking about. So, make sure you’re not doing this to others. Pay attention to drivers around you, make sense of what they’re trying to do, and allow them to pass when safety allows.
The Excessive Honk
Honking too often, or for too long, is also one of those common road rage causes. We’ve all been there– the driver up ahead isn’t paying attention to the light or they cut you off. You blow your horn once but then lay on it again to really send the message. While this might make you feel better, it can cause them to become angry and retaliate in some way. So, try to use your horn for defensive driving only. Use it when you need to make a driver aware of you. But do so sparingly to avoid unnecessary confrontation.