Why Does Road Rage Drives Motorists To The Verge Of Danger?

Driving at valid reasons against road rage is as simple as understanding the differences between red, amber, and green traffic lights.

Your driving instructor already spent a great amount of time explaining you about the consequences of aggressive driving.

Now it’s up to you to put everything you learnt in practice by remaining calm and focusing on your drive.

Alas, driving is a challenging task, and revisiting the reasons why you need to avoid road rage is a top priority.

Below you’ll find 6 reasons why road rage drives motorists to the verge of danger.

Statistics urge drivers to avoid road rage

One reason why drivers are vulnerable to distractions is associated with road rage.

Giving into impulsive emotions lead motorists to accidents, even when those accidents do not cause serious injuries.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently reported that approximately 94% of driver mistakes are the main cause of crashes.

From that amount, 33% are likely associated with road rage behaviors such as swerving and illegal maneuvering.

Some accidents caused by road rage result in severe injuries

Two decades ago, a study reported that approximately 12,500 reported injuries on the road were associated with accidents caused by road rage.

The number of the reported injuries also included 200 cases in which drivers simply lost their temper and committed homicide.

Researchers also found that the number of road rage crashes and deaths owing to erratic driving increases 7% each year.

Road rage creates public altercations

A typical angry driver would start honking horns, swerving, trying to overtake other drivers, and use inappropriate language under a challenging scenario.

Though what makes road rage even more aggravating is when drivers shift from minor conflicts to physical altercations.

Once drivers engage in physical fights, they scarcely respond to appropriate reasoning, which cannot be resolved in good terms.

SafeMotorist.com has found that 37% of recent road fatalities attributed to road rage occur when a driver uses a fire weapon to intensify any possible altercation.

Hence, road rage chiefly suggests that discrepancies between drivers could lead to physical confrontations, resulting in serious damages, if not tragedies.

Victims rapidly become perpetrators

Did you know that road rage is contagious? Once you engage in road rage, the other driver immediately starts reacting erratically.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) carried out a poll in which results suggested that half of participants (motorists), who shared road rage experiences, confessed to react erratically in response to road rage.

AAA advices drivers to refrain from reacting angrily to road rage incidents, which only increases the chances of getting involved in crashes and other serious damages.

Driving aggressively could result in legal troubles

Road rage could also lead to a serious action in which public safety is at risk. Legally, road rage may result in moderate charges related to aggressive driving.

Yet incidents could escalate to vehicular homicide or intentional damage, leading to more serious charges.

Note that in some places road rage is treated as any other form of criminality.

Increasing levels of stress

Again, driving can be a challenge regardless of how experienced you are at sitting behind the wheel.

Your stress levels increase as you focus on your drive and other vehicles you are sharing the road with.

Your “proneness to road rage” increases significantly, which could make the driving experience less enjoyable banking on how you manage your emotions.

To avoid falling victim to road rage, be patient, listen to slow pleasant music, avoid erratic drivers, and follow the traffic rules accordingly.

SEE ALSO: New AAA Study Links Teen Passengers To Higher Fatal Crashes