Road Rage is increasing everywhere even outside of the automobile. People are seemingly even more intense and not just behind the wheel.
We will stick to road rage in the automobile for this post, as we all can relate to this topic. Drivers are more aggressive causing careless mistakes while operating vehicles and others are quick to react unfavorably.
People who are following the laws of the road suddenly turn aggressive when wronged by another driver. Keep in mind, answering aggressive driving with aggressive driving takes bad situations to entirely new levels.
A young lady who just graduated from high-school earlier in the day ended up dead because of another driver who shot her due to aggressive driving as the result of road rage.
A motorcyclist shows his road rage by kicking a car door on an Interstate highway at speed. The driver veered losing control of the car, hitting the median and crashing into an innocent party, causing them to flip their truck.
In my hometown of Cedar Rapids, there is a ramp where people have two lanes that eventually merge. There is a traffic light before this on ramp and people will line up in one lane, leaving the other lane completely open. Both lanes are meant to handle the traffic, but drivers are notoriously showing road rage to drivers who use the open lane.
How many times have you innocently made a mistake only to have another driver act up showing road rage putting both of you at risk? Quite often, you did nothing wrong, and the other driver perceived you as doing something wrong.
The best thing you can do is to stay calm, and show control. Let the other person express themselves. Do not react but turn the other cheek to the aggression.
You will likely never cross paths with the other party, so let them have their say and move on safely. There is no reason to “Win,” or prove anything. Stay safe for everyone around you.
“If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, off your shirt also.” Luke 6:29 NLT
Let them have the spot that they feel they deserve. Give them the control or space that calms their aggression and stay safe.