Road Rage

[Half_A_Person]

I've noticed that I have really, really bad road rage. I get so angry that I start shaking, my chest tightens up and it feels like my whole body is on fire. A couple of times I even started to cry because it was just so overwhelming.

Tonight someone cut me off. At the red lights I purposely stopped my car really close to them to try to get their attention. They were going the same direction I was going and turned into my neighborhood so I decided to follow them home. I had to drive fairly fast to keep up with them and to make sure no one got between us so I made it known I was following them. I know I scared them a bit because they started flying and they took the turns really fast to try to lose me. This was at night too, so they couldn't really see that I was just a harmless teenage girl.

There have been other incidents where I swear to god that if I hadn't been with my mom or dad I would've done something real stupid. It is just getting worse. I find that each time something like this happens, I come closer and closer to acting on my anger.

I realize that reacting like that is stupid, immature, childish and unsafe. Sometimes I can calm myself down but other times I cannot control my emotions. It's upsetting to know that I let complete strangers have that much control over me. I was just wondering how people deal with this?

[Setolac]

The scary thing of all of this is that you are female.

[layitontheline]

Well I've definitely felt pissed at drivers before, and when someone cuts me off I will do like you do and pull up really tight behind them or slow down at the last minute to scare them a bit. Just thinking about other drivers is annoying me because they do get to me too, but I can control it somehow. I remind myself that it's not worth it. I don't want to get involved in some situation where the person will then try to get back at me and follow me home or do some crazy stuff. I want to get home as soon as I can and go back to my peace, so I always focus on that. I also find it helpful to quietly swear and call them names outloud in the car. I doubt something that small would help most, but it makes me feel good.

[Prakas]

Funny that you mention this. I did something very similiar on Thurs. night on my way home from class. There was a fair bit of traffic, and I was travelling ~60mph in the passing lane, and this guy on my right decides to change lanes without checking his blind spot. Nearly collided into me, I had to slam brakes and honk the horn. I tailgatted him very closely for a few minutes until I turned off on another road. Idiots need to learn how to drive.

Another thing that pisses me off, and this is especially for the state of Delaware. Why, please people...why do people go 10mph or more UNDER the speed limit for no reason. Of course they don't get pulled over for obstructing traffic, only the speeders do. They don't even get over to let you pass them, whats their deal.

[millenniumman75]

Originally Posted by Setolac

The scary thing of all of this is that you are female.

This shouldn't make any difference. Anyone can get road rage.
Anger and control are also anxiety issues. We have to learn to let go of things we have no control over. People are people and they have issues, too. We all do dumb things - it's our reactions that we can control.

[Timmy92]

Hey there,

I have the same issue. Bad drivers just piss me off real bad. Well...I think 'bad' is too general a term and may in fact be hypocritical. Maybe 'careless' or 'erratic' would better suit. Yes, careless and erratic drivers PISS ME OFF.

For example:

- People who drive 80km/h in a 60 zone and then don't speed up when they reach a 100 zone. This often leaves one frothing at the mouth with anger, trying to resist the urge to re-educate them with your middle finger.
- Those who indicate after they have already completed a turn; more annoying than infuriating.
- Those who take 35 000 years to react to a green light.
- And last but most certainly not least: drivers who don't turn off their high beams at night while coming the other way, leaving you with a giant purple or green spot in your vision where the road used to be. In serious cases, one may experience a level of infuriation so intense that you have to run over at least 12 letterboxes and a pedestrian to feel better. Special note: always ensure that your 3rd party insurance is up to date and covers "vandalism and grevious bodily harm committed while under the influence of high-beam-induced rage".



Lol. But seriously, you're definitely not alone. I find myself getting very angry at trivial things, especially bad driving. It seems to depend on what mood I am in; if I'm feeling anxious or restless (pretty much all the time when I'm out), anger is usually intensified. But while in a depressed mood, I usually just don't give a crap and get more annoyed and sad than angry. But regardless of mood one thing can be sure; I'll be playing the event over and over in my mind, blowing it out of proportion and increasing my anxiety and stress. Just like with with social situations.

By the way I think I've edited this post about 7 times now and read it over at least 15 times, courtesy of my OCD. And you know what, the insuppressible urge to press 'edit' still remains. Joy.

Make that eight times. No, nine times. This is getting ridiculous.

[markx]

My dad was in a filling station one day when two cars screeched to a halt at the opposite side of the road. The guy in the first car jumped out and began advancing on the other car cursing and swearing. When he saw the size of the other driver he had a change of heart - he **** himself, jumped back in his car and raced off!

The moral of that story is, unless you're built like the guy in the second car, your luck is likely to run out one day. Even though you might be in the right, it won't help you when you're laying in a hospital bed.

[Brightpaperwarewolf]

I think everyone is a ****ty driver. Most people go slow as molasses and instead of staying in the right, they spread out through all the lanes. I learned rather than to be raged about it, just go around them and if someone is an extreme bad example, I'll pass them so close it almost hits them, 9/10 of the time, they learn their lesson and move to the right after the fact. I don't recommend anyone to do it because it takes precision to make such a maneuver. Some people have nice cars but they drive like such cowards.

[ecotec83]

I occasionally get road rage. Normally the person ends up getting the horn and a two finger salute while i scream profanities at them despite the fact they cant hear me. Then i tend to drive a bit more aggressive for a while afterwards.