Controlling Road Rage: How To Curb Your Anger

I admit I have a problem.

The problem is the guy in front of me, driving too slow. The doofus who fails to use a blinker before turning. The totally oblivious parent who has wasted my time by turning around to yell at her kids, becoming blissfully unaware that the light turned green 30 seconds ago. The loser who just darted in front of me from a side road, then goes 20 miles an hour on a main street.

OK. The problem might just be me.

While most people can deal with these minor irritants, some of us are plagued with an almost uncontrollable urge to take another driver out of their vehicle and slap them silly. I am one of these people. And not to my surprise, there are many of "me" out on the road going to work, school, or home. You see them on a daily basis and sometimes can distinguish them from other drivers. They swerve. They swear. They squeal their brakes in a vain attempt of controlling other people's moves.

Driving is very much a chess match. You control your own moves, not others. A wrong move can be devastating in the game, or in this case, life itself. But there are some ways to spear-head the problem of road raging. And someday I might even be able to practice them fully myself. Despite two New Years' resolutions, I know I still have a lot of work to do in combating my own road rage. But I digress. Do not follow my example on the road. Instead, if you have a problem, read on.

1.) Stay a safe distance from the other driver

This remains true whether you are the road rager or the individual who sees someone driving erratically. If you feel burned up by the "jerk" in front of you, its time to do the complete opposite of what the rage is telling you: Back off. Slow down and create a space between you and the focus of your distress. Just like you should back off if someone prepares to start a fistfight, you should avoid the aggressive desires that are burning in the back of your head. Crowding the bumper of the person in front of you can result in one of two things: You'll get even more upset when the car in front does not speed up or the car in front might even jam on the brakes! Err on the side of caution, my father always says.