DISCUSSES
ROAD RAGE

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It is really unbelievable that in this day and age, we have added the words ROAD RAGE to our vocabularies.  What exactly IS road rage?  It's the expression of such anger and frustration that it manifests itself in harmful driving activity.  People giving each other the finger.....slowing down RIGHT IN FRONT OF OTHERS ON PURPOSE.....and the extreme......SHOOTING EACH OTHER.  What has happened to civility?

Here in Los Angeles during the 1984 Olympics......the roads were empty and people were actually NICE to each other, so don't tell me we CAN'T do this.  We are so anonymous in our cars, we dare to "flame" others like we do on the Internet.  NO ONE would ever flip off someone who they KNEW!!  The nicest guy in the world can turn into a monster when he gets behind the wheel, and the lady of class and intelligence will start pointing middle fingers when confronted by some other jerk.

In Ohio, there is a mother of two who was jockeying for position on a highway with a pregnant woman. She ended up slamming on her brakes on purpose to SHOW HER RAGE, and the pregnant woman hit a pole and went flying....lost the baby.  The mother of two was sentenced to over a year in prison for Vehicular Manslaughter of the fetus (cause Ohio has a statute that recognizes the rights of a fetus).  This could be ANYONE of us who inappropriately expresses him/herself this way.

Since Mr. Traffic does NOT speed, I was doing 65 in a 65 with my 10 year old little brother (I used to be a "Big Brother") in the car.  It was not fast enough for some jerk, so he moved in front of me and slammed on his brakes and laughed. UNBELIEVABLE.  If only I had a badge!!!!

For those of you who watch the TV series STEP BY STEP (with Suzanne Somers & Patrick Duffy), the kid that plays their son, Brandon Call, asked directions from a guy and a girl parked in a car in Venice,California.  He was shot TWICE when "Screw you's" started flying via finger gestures.  He's lucky to be alive and he knows it!!!

Don't be a jerk.....your car is a lethal weapon.  DRIVE AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT....cause it does, and the lives of others as well.  If you cannot control your rage, GET HELP....before you get help from a cell mate named Bubba (Or Bertha), who wants you to be his little hunk-a-chunk-a burning love!!!

WOMEN INCREASINGLY GIVE INTO ROAD RAGE
A freeway confrontation that led to a fatal crash illustrates the findings of recent studies showing that women are becoming increasingly aggressive drivers.

Recently, two women were killed on the Golden State Freeway in a wrong-way collision, moments after they allegedly taunted another driver. The fatal collision highlights a growing trend of women drivers involved in incidents of aggressive driving. Over the last 20 years, the number of fatal traffic accidents involving women drivers is up 18 percent, and women are involved in a higher rate of nonfatal accidents than men.

Though men are still more likely to be involved in aggressive-driving accidents than women, the number of women involved in these incidents is on the rise, studies have found.

The increased aggressiveness of women drivers may also reflect changes in society, said Candysse Miller, regional director of the Western Insurance Information Service. Just as we have an increased number of women in the work force since the 1960s, more women have also gotten behind the wheel, and taken out their daily stress on the other drivers on the road. In 1963, about 43 percent of drivers, or 40 million motorists, were women. Today, more than 88 million women are licensed drivers, accounting for about 50 percent of motorists in the U.S.

These changes have also been reflected in the premium women pay for insurance. The cost of auto insurance has slowly increased for women, gradually erasing a disparity that once existed for insurance costs between the genders.

Twenty years ago, young female drivers paid about 46 percent above the base adult rate for auto insurance, while young male drivers paid on average 187 percent above the base rate. Today, while inexperienced young male drivers continue to pay about 185 percent above the base rate, similar groups of women now pay 115 percent above the average base. As motorists grow older and gain more driving experience, these rates typically decline.

AND CHECK THIS OUT:
SUSPENSION FOLLOWS INSTRUCTORS ROAD RAGE
A driver's education instructor for Durham N.C. Public Schools, was suspended for allegedly ordering a student to pursue a car that had cut them off and then belting the car's driver, the Associated Press reports.

The Herald Sun of Durham quoted unidentified officials as saying that the instructor was teaching two female students how to drive when the another car cut them off. Angered, Cline instructed the student driver to chase down the car.

Police spokeswoman confirmed parts of the newspaper's account. She said a police officer pulled the driver education vehicle over for allegedly speeding. She didn't know how fast they were going.

She said while the officer was talking to the instructor, the driver who cut him off pulled up and swore out an assault warrant against the instructor, who was arrested and released on $400 bond. The girl was not ticketed.

I'm from Gilroy, CA and I'm the exact idiotic unsafe driver you describe in
your road rage text.  Well, partially.  Let's just say that I was on my
way to become one but got my 1st speeding ticket (77 in a 65 mph, highbeaming of a car in the fast lane) last night that made me wake up.  I found my way
to your web site by searching for CHP.

In any case, I like your suggestions about how to avoid stress and useful
attitudes.  My problem was exactly that, stress due to my eagerness to get
home quickly (I have a long commute).  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Well, thank
goodness I didn't cause an accident and got the "green light" to drive safer.

Keep up your site, maybe someone else will benefit, too...

- Scott

This actually gives Mr. Traffic hope!!!!

BUT THEN.......

Dear Mr. Traffic,
         I live in Jakarta, Indonesia. A city known for its traffic jams
and crime rate. I would like to ask you, what do I do if one day, while
moving slowly through a narrow lane, or at a traffic light, a group of
bandits surrounded my car, preventing my escape, and tried to force me
out of the car to rob me ? I asked you this, cause this cases are quite
common here !
         Do I stay in the car no matter what, even if they bang the car.
And if they start smashing the windscreen and stab the tires ? Your
comments/advice please..

Thanks/Best Regards

Rochili . S

YIKES

What can you do to avoid ROAD RAGE???

• Don't take your eyes off the road.
• Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver
• Stay cool -- don't react to provocation
• Keep away from drivers behaving erratically

• Do not make obscene gestures
• Use Your Horn Sparingly (it's ILLEGAL to HANG on the horn anyway!)
• Don't block passing (fast) lane
• Don't switch lanes without signaling
• Avoid blocking the right-hand turn lane
• Do not take more than one parking space
• If you are not disabled, don't park in a disabled space
• Do not allow your door to hit the car parked next to you
• Do not tailgate
• If you travel slowly, pull over and allow traffic to pass (It's the LAW)
• Avoid unnecessary use of high beam headlights
• Don't let the car phone distract you
• Don't stop in the road to talk with a pedestrian or other driver
• Don't inflict loud music on neighboring cars

• Assume other drivers' mistakes are not personal
• Be polite and courteous, even if the other driver isn't
• Avoid all conflict if possible. If another driver challenges you, take a deep breath and get out of the way.

• Allow plenty of time for the trip
• Listen to soothing music
• Improve the comfort in your vehicle
• Understand that you can't control the traffic, only your reaction to it

Some states have a cellular telephone number that motorists can use to report dangerous driving to the state police or highway patrol. If you have a cellular telephone, learn what the number is in your state and use it when you see a driver behaving in a threatening manner -- changing lanes often, speeding, flashing lights, tailgating, and so forth. You could prevent a tragedy.

Finally, if you are tempted to participate in a driving duel, ask yourself: "Is it worth being paralyzed or killed? Is it worth a jail sentence?" An impulsive action could ruin the rest of your life.