Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared as the cover story in the Fall 2021 Edition of the National Motorists Association’s quarterly magazine Driving Freedoms. If you would like to receive our magazine, please become a member of the NMA today!

Driving is an act of responsibility and trust. On the road, we have faith that other drivers and road users will follow the rules of the road and make decisions that keep everyone safe. Unfortunately, when a driver violates that trust and does something discourteous or even irresponsible, some drivers become frustrated, frightened, and even angry in the spur of the moment. Often their reaction is to become more aggressive behind the wheel, thinking that this is a way not only to protect themselves but to get “even.” Aggressive driving can lead quickly to road rage, which puts everyone in the vicinity at risk.

No reasonable driver ever wants to become so incensed that they will willfully hurt someone. But that irrationality happens every day all across America. Here are the headlines of stories found one recent day:

• Man punches driver in the face, runs over leg following road rage incident on Saltillo Road in Lincoln, Nebraska
• Pennsylvania woman charged in road rage incident where shots were fired
• 22-year-old Hayden, Colorado man arrested on nine charges related to a road rage incident, shooting
• ‘You Know How Testosterone Is’: Edmond Road Rage Suspect Arrested, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Looks Into Crash Investigation

In the last headline, the man charged says he doesn’t know what came over him. Driving can sometimes be frustrating, but weren’t we taught in kindergarten that we shouldn’t take out our frustrations on others?

Here are the most recent US road rage statistics from DriversEd.com:

• About one-third of all traffic accidents involve road rage
• Sixty-six percent of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving
• Fifty percent of drivers get aggressive with those inflicting the road rage
• Two percent of drivers actively seek revenge on the road
• Thirty-seven percent of road rage incidents involve guns
• Thirty murders per year are due to road rage. Over a recent seven-year period, 12,610 injuries resulted from road rage.
• In a recent study, nearly eighty percent of respondents expressed significant anger or aggression behind the wheel at least once in the past year.

Aggressive driving is not road rage, though, which needs to be pointed out here.

The biggest difference is that aggressive driving, not to be confused with assertive driving, is a traffic offense, whereas road rage is criminal.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

“Aggressive driving is when an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses that endangers other persons or property. A distinction is made between the traffic offense of aggressive driving and the criminal offense of road rage, defined as ‘an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of one motor vehicle of precipitated by an incident that occurred on a roadway.'”

Aggressive driving can quickly escalate into road rage, a crime that can follow you home or whatever destination you are trying to reach. Aggressive driving actions include:

• Speeding in moderate-to-heavy slower traffic
• Running a red light
• Weaving in and out of traffic
• Changing lanes without signaling
• Tailgating
• Brake checking
• Flashing high beams at other drivers
• Intentionally cutting another driver off
• Blocking another motorist’s lane change
• Making obscene gestures

Making a gesture that you would likely not make in front of your grandmother is probably one of the biggest factors that creates a road-rage chain reaction. The other driver might respond by cutting your vehicle off or even forcing you off the road. The worst-case scenario is that the rager follows you home, and once you step out of your car, he or she uses fists or even a firearm to seek revenge.

Aggressive driving also increases the risk of accidents by reducing a driver’s ability to avoid a collision. To steer clear of this kind of trouble, practice driver courtesy—drive like you want others to drive:

• Maintain distance with the vehicle in front of you
• Always use your turn signal
• Check your blind spots before changing lanes
• Adjust your speed to accommodate traffic
• Allow other drivers to merge
• Utilize your horn to avert an accident, not out of frustration
• Turn the high beams off when behind another vehicle or oncoming

If another motorist becomes overly aggressive, stay calm and courteous. Let them pass, turn right at the next street, or take the next exit. If they continue to pursue you, pull over in a public place such as a police station, firehouse, or hospital. Lock your doors and call 911.

Here are some common rage factors and some suggestions on how you can stop your own rage:

Traffic Delays

Anyone can become frustrated in stop-and-go traffic, sitting at a stoplight for too long, not finding a parking space, or waiting for a late passenger. Before this happens, find a way that works for you to calm yourself and lower that blood pressure. Taking a deep breath (or several) and counting to 10 is one simple solution.

Running Late

This one’s easy—leave earlier than you need to so that you can avoid the X factor on the road and hopefully can still arrive on time for work, that appointment, or picking up the kids.

Habitual or Learned Behavior

This one’s probably a tougher nut to crack. Your role models might have raged while driving, and you always thought that being an aggressive driver was okay, but it’s not. Learning healthier habits won’t be easy. It’s well worth the time and effort, though, to keep yourself calm while on the road.

Anonymity

Don’t be that driver who thinks the road is yours because no one knows you. That can’t be an excuse for aggressive behavior. Driving courteously is the safest form of driving, and it’s a mindset that everyone needs to apply before they sit behind the wheel.

Disregard for the Law and Other Road Users—the Rules Don’t Apply

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the rules apply to everyone—if they didn’t, society would break down, and chaos would reign. Keep up with road rules in your area and learn to soothe yourself in any situation in and out of the car.

Road rage has somehow become ensconced into our driving society. We nervously laugh at YouTube videos of two drivers jumping out of their vehicles and going at it, and we’re probably glad deep down that’s not us. Controlling yourself behind the wheel needs to be something that you practice every time you drive. Also, working out beforehand ways to handle an aggressive driver or even a road rage situation will help protect you and your loved ones.

Be safe out there!