Road Rage

Many of us have an impulse to "flip off" or curse at a driver who annoys us. Most of

us don't do it; or we curse quietly. Others of us honk or flash our lights to express our

annoyance. A few of us take out our shotguns and fire at other drivers.

Interstate traffic in southeast Virginia and elsewhere has been steadily becoming more

crowded. All traffic between Norfolk and Williamsburg is required to squeeze through

one of two tunnels. Back-ups of an hour or two are common when there is an accident in

the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I was stuck in a 90 minute back-up recently, and I got

an opportunity to witness and experience a mild form of road rage.

As traffic ground to a halt on the interstate I noticed myself becoming extremely

impatient. I was in no particular hurry, but I did not want to just sit there. Cars started

using the shoulder to whiz by me, and I found myself getting irritated at them. Eventually

I used the shoulder myself for a short distance to get off at the nearest exit. I was able to

drive down a parallel road before becoming stuck again as I approached the Interstate

closer to the tunnel. As I merged in with another lane of traffic a car quickly drove beside

me to keep me from entering the lane. It began to feel like a competition. I kept driving

and she kept driving. She screamed something at me about a lawsuit, and I stopped to let

her continue. My heart was pounding as I pulled into the lane behind her.

We seem to be saying "I have this space right now, and I won't give it up until I'm

ready." Driving slowly in the "fast lane" seems to be conveying a similar message. Cars

also provide some degree of anonymity. It feels like it is my car against your car rather

than me against. you. This anonymity may allow us to act out impulses we would never

act out face-to-face. As highways become more crowded these problems will only get

worse. One of the bests way to avoid becoming a victim of a "road rage" driver is to

consciously avoid responding in kind. Remember that what may appear to be harassment

may be simply a mistake in driving. If the other driver's aggressive behavior is

intentional, the best thing to do is to avoid eye contact and get out of the way. Don't allow

driving to become a competition.