Anger and Your Driving: How to Cope With Dangerous Emotions
(Part 1)
Are you driving under the influence of impaired emotions?
Dateline: December 4, 2002. Orange County, California. A 29 year
old man was shot to death, an apparent victim of road rage.
According to newspaper accounts, he had a reputation for never
backing down from a fight.
The man and his half-brother were heading home from a plumbing
job when the trouble began. Apparently, three men in another car
zoomed in front of their car. These men started hurling
profanities and flashing obscene gestures at the brothers, who
returned the insults.
Things escalated until a gun was pulled. Rather than backing
down, the man got out of his car and began walking toward the
gunman. Two shots rang out, missing the man who continued to
walk toward the gunman until he was shot and killed.
While this tragic incident is illustrative of an extreme case of
aggressive driving, there are thousands of lesser cases in the
United States yearly. According to the AAA Foundation for
Traffic Safety, incidents of aggressive driving have increased
by 7% every year since 1990; however, few courts mandate anger
management for traffic offenders.
Five Zones of Aggressive Driving: Research by Dr. Leon James at
the University of Hawaii reveals five categories of aggressive
driving. Which zone do you or a loved one fall in?
-The Unfriendly Zone: Example