Road Rage: Why We Lose It

In a new survey on which of 25 major U.S. cities have the most aggressive drivers, Miami dropped from 1st to 7th, Reuters reports. The Top 3: 1. New York 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 3. Detroit Hey! My city should be No. 1. @#%$@#! Yes, and it's exactly that attitude that gives us road rage. While no statistics are kept specifically on road rage, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that aggressive driving causes about a third of all crashes and about two-thirds of automobile fatalities.

And studies show it's not just total jerks who become enraged. But why does getting behind the wheel transform the meek and mild into raving, dangerous idiots? What causes road rage? Simple: "Human beings are territorial ... The car is an extension of this territory," according to AAA. True that. Plus, as a 2008 study found, humans crave violence just like sex. Watch out particularly for wide-faced men, known to be more aggressive than others. There's another factor: Negative actions play out bigger than positive acts, University of Chicago researchers say. Feeling slighted can have a bigger effect on how a person responds than being the recipient of perceived generosity, the researchers found.

Everyone is entitled to lose it once in a while! I know it's not proper and we feel ever so badly afterward, but sometimes it just takes you by surprise. At least that's how I get into it when I should know better.

The road rage incidents that really bug me are the ones I call second-degree road rage. Someone does something stupid or dangerous in traffic and you indicate your disapproval by gesturing or honking your horn and that sets them off. They're the ones who messed up to start with!

I point this out because it has made me much more careful in traffic since I know I am defenseless if someone comes after me with a weapon.

I have a fifty year plus old felony on my record, and despite a “full and unconditional” pardon issued by the governor over 40 years, ago I am still stymied in getting a permit to have a weapon. I also can't get permission to work in the school system or around children. The purpose of the pardon was to clear my record and restore my rights but the legislature has passed numerous laws that in effect negate the governor's power to issue a pardon. Several times I have an attorney tell me this would be a piece of cake and they will take care of it for two or three grand or more. I don't have that kind of money so I've just resolved myself to go through life with it.

self absorbed inattentive morons

Bingo!!!

I just want to drive the speed limit, but for the guy driving 5-10 mph below the limit in the left lane while chatting on the phone (and gesturing with the other hand...meaning he's driving with his knees).

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