Avoiding your own road rage
Avoiding other’s road rage
Final word
Avoiding your own road rage
Avoiding your own anger fueled driving tendencies will go a very long way in terms of avoiding road rage situations. Sometimes a road rage situation will unfortunately find you regardless of your actions but much more often than not, if you find a way to curb your own aggressive initial action or reaction, you can sidestep the potential danger stemming from road rage.
First and foremost, always make sure that you are never in a rush. Always give yourself at least five extra minutes of time on shorter drives and at least ten extra minutes of time on longer drives. Never do anything aggressive including honking out of anger, using offensive hand gestures, stopping to confront another driver, tailgating, cutting people off and brake-checking. Finally, if you do find yourself getting angry and frustrated at another person on the road, take three deep breaths. If that does not alleviate the anger, then pull over and wait for a minute or two before continuing on.
Avoiding other’s road rage
You will also want to do whatever you can in order to avoid another driver’s road rage. This will unfortunately not always be possible, but you can do your best to do so. If you do notice another motorist driving their car aggressively, do what you can to stay away from them. This will include changing lanes or pulling over in order to let them pass as well as changing your route entirely in order to get off of the same road as them.
If someone does commit aggression towards you on the road such as making a lewd gesture or cutting you off, just let it go and never attempt to return the gesture or “get even”. If another driver is angry at you and trying to get you to pull over to confront you, make sure you keep your doors locked and never pull over. If they continue to follow you, look for a police car or station and go there and make them aware of the situation.
Final word
Road rage can lead to very serious and dangerous situations out on the road and Alaska is no exception to that. Avoiding road rage will start with yourself. Always give yourself extra time to drive somewhere in order to avoid having to rush. Never drive aggressively and never try to confront another driver. If someone else seems to have road rage who is driving near you, then do whatever you can to let them pass. Never pull over to allow someone to confront you in a road rage situation. If a road rage situation is getting serious enough, drive to a police station or to a nearby police car.
