Don't fall for road rage

• A teenager shot a 40yr old man on a Californian highway just because the driver would not speed up from the posted speed limit.

• A 57-year old man in Melbourne was bitten in the arm and punched in the face by a young male driver after they’d both stopped at a traffic light.

• In London, England the father of a young girl was attacked as he was sitting in the car waiting to pick her up from school.  The young man and his friends were convicted of assault.

With increase in traffic over the time driving is no longer pleasurable.

It has become one of life’s great stressors.  Longer wait time on the highways and increase in waiting to cross the intersections has resulted in many drivers getting irritated and angry waiting to explode.  A motorist forgetting to indicate or brake unexpectedly may trigger a violent reaction.  Obscene remarks are one of the most common reasons for road rage. 

But there are still those who got hurt without reason.

How to minimize your risk of becoming a road rage victim:

1. Always drive with your doors locked. Also shut windows, if approached in an uninviting manner.

2. Drive in an orderly manner; always think how your behavior will affect motorists around you. Check mirrors frequently, indicate early, brake intelligently and don’t change direction, unless safe.

3. Don’t aggravate any situation. Get out of the way, if someone insists on overtaking dangerously. Don’t try and teach anyone a lesson by driving slowly or play the policeman. After all, it could be a genuine emergency.

4. Drive away from trouble. If hassled, leave the area. Turn in the other direction or reverse. Blast your horn wildly. This irritates troublemakers and draws attention that something is wrong.

5. Try to identify the offender(s). Write down car number plates, descriptions of vehicles and people involved. Report the incident to the police as soon as possible.