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Road Rage
The contemporary society is marred in instances of road carnage, especially on highways. Nowadays, aspects such as the high costs of living have caused people to turn into stressed beings. Such behaviors are reflected on the roads particularly when drivers take their anger out on other drivers and the road itself. Over the years, the aspect of road rage has been perceived in lighter terms. This is based on the manner the popular media portrays it especially in crime-based entertainment. However, road rage is an affective and damaging issue if left resolved. Incidences of people driving fast to unknown destinations, rebuffing basic traffic rules, overtaking aimlessly, and fighting have led to a significant number of accidents on a daily basis. Indeed, this form of aggressive driving has become a primary indicator of the current society. With some causes such as stress, and traffic-related nuisances, road rage has led to common effects that involve accidents and physical altercations mainly.
In definition, road rage is viewed as a type of destructive or belligerent driving that is derived in the event of a disagreement between drivers. Simply, when a particular driver is stressed or furious from a traffic-related incident, it automatically translates into an example of road rage (Asbridge, Smart, and Mann 113). Road rage can affect any person depending on the situation. Common actions that are annoying can cause a perfectly calm person to turn into an angry driver. In most situations, disagreements that take place on the roads between two or more drivers generally turn into verbal and physical assaults that are largely destructive. Even though it may come across as a non-issue for many individuals, road rage is actually a concern that needs to be addressed. This is based on the devastating implications it can cause in respect to occurrences such as accidents or violence-based injuries.
Handling road rage involves having an understanding of the factors that contribute to its derivation in the first place. In most cases, causes that are associated with the respective concern tend to be common. One common causative factor comprises stress (Britt and Garrity 129). Underlying stress is a general cause of road rage among drivers. It mostly arises from the workplace or matters associated with one’s family. Such underlying stress leads to the origination of aggression or anger that is unchecked (Britt and Garrity 129). Therefore, such persons are usually likely to engage in road rage since they are easily volatile. If an incident takes place, the respective individual may react undesirably without focusing on the actual reason that caused the incident in the first place. Simply, persons with underlying stress along roads may attack innocent drivers or pedestrians irrationally or without thinking of the consequences.
Another common cause of road rage involves traffic-related disturbances. Drivers may exhibit road rage if certain actions are committed against them by others while going towards their destination. For example, a driver may change lanes fast thereby affecting the one behind him or her. This may lead to the exhibition of aggression between both drivers. In other circumstances, actions such as loud hooting or honking or the utilization of bright headlights especially at night may cause road rage. For stressed individuals with unchecked aggression or anger, such actions may lead to verbal or physical exchanges between the drivers involved. Furthermore, the lack of emotional intelligence on the part of the drivers largely leads to confrontations that are associated with road rage. Other factors also comprise narcissism, the desire to control, ego, and significant superiority complexes. Such reasons indicate why men mostly exhibit road rage.
Indeed, the causes of road rage possess undesirable effects. In fact, in numerous circumstances, the causative factors lead to unfortunate outcomes such as car-related accidents. In common situations, road rage leads to the occurrence of confrontations among the drivers and other members of the affected party. Usually, such behaviors come across as problematic due to the consequences they pose on any individual within the environment of confrontation. Hence, since road rage may lead to confrontations, it possesses various consequences. In most situations, road rage causes drivers to engage in violent scuffles, especially among men. In other instances, persons that engage in such confrontations receive citations from the police. Further implications involve incarceration due to engagement in reckless behavior, revocation or suspension of driving licenses, increasing insurance policies, damage to one’s car, tort-based lawsuits, and injuries (Asbridge, Smart, and Mann 116).
To this end, road rage constitutes aggressive driving that arises as a disagreement between drivers. Mostly, drivers that are stressed engage in such actions. This is due to the presence of unchecked aggression or anger. In this context, other common causes of road rage involve disturbances that are largely related to traffic. This involves effects arising from actions such as irresponsible lane changing, loud honking, or flashing headlights. Such causative factors lead to road rage, which influences the derivation of confrontation among the affected drivers. As such, the effects of road rage involve vehicle-based accidents and violent brawls among drivers. Other implications comprise suspension or renovation of the driving license, vehicular damage, lawsuits, arrests, and physical injuries.
Works Cited
Asbridge, Mark, Reginald Smart, and Robert Mann. “Can We Prevent Road Rage?”. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 7.2 (2006): 109-121. Print.
Britt, Thomas W, and Michael J. Garrity. “Attributions and Personality As Predictors of the Road Rage Response.” British Journal of Social Psychology 45.1 (2006): 127-147. Print.