Road rage affects drivers all over the world, making them act irrationally when they are normally very level headed drivers.  While we all want to put rude drivers in their place, we should always pay attention to our driving first and our emotions second.  Never retaliate against another driver who is driving badly.  That could lead to an accident or a confrontation outside the vehicle that you least expect.  If another driver is harassing you on the road – honking the horn, tailgating, making rude gestures, etc. – don’t react.  Instead, calmly drive to a busy place or if you are able to get their license plate number, the nearest police station to get help and report their dangerous driving.

Of course road rage can also happen when you are stopped.  A rude driver who may have it out for you for some perceived ill, may try to do something to you while you are at a stop light, stop sign, or in stopped traffic.  Leave yourself an escape route if possible in case of aggressiveness on the part of the other driver.  If someone should try to gain access to your vehicle, keep your doors locked and honk your horn over and over.  Never carry a weapon in your vehicle.  It may be illegal and your attacker may see it as an aggressive tactic and get it away from you to use against you.

If you are the victim of road rage, seek help immediately and report the violator.  If you are driving and someone triggers your own temper, pull over and calm down.  The last thing you want to do is cause an accident.

Accidents happen and who is at fault for the accident should be decided by the police and the insurance company.  While it’s hard not to say ‘I’m sorry’ when things of this nature happen, never admit to liability.  Let the professionals sort that out.  So what exactly causes a motor accident?  Some people will blame their vehicle.  Some will blame the weather and the traffic environment, and, as always, some will blame the other driver.  Occasionally, all three of those are to blame.

We can all blame our vehicles for our driving problems but in reality human error is the reason traffic accidents happen most of the time.  While things can go wrong with our vehicles when we are driving that could cause an accident, sometimes we will overcompensate and make matters worse.  Obviously we don’t mean to, but sometimes a person’s driving experience may be such that they don’t know how to handle, say, a blown out tire.  No matter who is to blame for an accident, remember that you and the other driver – if another is involved – will ultimately be the one that takes the blame for the accident, not your vehicle.

Personal attitude is a big factor when driving and you should never drive aggressively.  Always drive defensively with a proactive attitude when it comes to potential road hazards.  Never overestimate you driving abilities because we are all fallible at some point and certainly none of us are perfect drivers.  Never think that just because you are in your car that you are not vulnerable to injury.  Accidents can and do happen, and some of them are of course fatal.