Other road users learned to drive with their eyes closed. We all know this. Never has there been a single instance of one driver commenting “that was smart, what that other driver just did, I’d have done the exact same thing”. Instead, what’s 100% more likely to be heard is something like “no way, is that driver for real – do they think they’re playing Mario Kart?”.
Aside from the obvious implications regarding road safety, witnessing poor driving can cause another hidden killer – road rage. When we feel a simmering road rage brewing and bubbling in our veins, finding a release valve is all that is on our mind. Unfortunately, for some people, that release valve comes in the form of shouting, gesturing, and driving dangerously (e.g. tailgating). Don’t let someone else’s bad driving put you at risk – learn how to stamp out your own road rage (if you have been affected by a car accident, due to road rage or otherwise, try speaking to Dallas car accident lawyers if you’re in the area).
Don’t be late
This is huge. Time is the one thing that no amount of money can buy and no amount of intelligence can create. There simply is not enough time, meaning we’re all rushed and we’re all susceptible to road rage when unexpected traffic adds minutes to our ETA. the roads will not be empty, they seldom are, yet we all expect a miraculously open road when we’re late. The best advice is to leave early. Hard to do, granted. But factoring an extra ten minutes of driving time into your journey will ensure that minor setbacks along the way won’t cause the onset of the dreaded rage.
(BONUS TIP: even if you are taking a familiar journey, such as a commute or visiting a loved one, always check the traffic online before setting off – avoid congestion, stay calm.)
Don’t take things personally
Each and every one of us thinks of ourselves as the best driver in the world, and each and every one of us rates other drivers’ skills as, hmm, well, like they’ve watched a “How to drive” YouTube video half an hour ago and decided to try it out. This “master of the roads” ego that we all carry around with us can cause us to overreact when faced with a poor driver. If someone is driving slowly, they’re probably old enough to remember when cars used to be driven with someone waving a flag in front of them – they don’t mean to personally offend you, so don’t take undue offense and stay calm.
Recognize where the fault was your own
All too often, a simple driver error will cause road rage in others, which then causes the original driver who was responsible for the error to take a defensive view and reflect that road rage back at other drivers. Does that make sense? Basically, where people choose to ignore the fact that they were responsible for causing a problem on the roads, and instead choose to shout and gesture and drive responsibly in response to the road rage that they have caused, tensions can escalate needlessly. Hold up a hand. Accept the error. Decompress the whole situation. Then go about your day.