Road Rage

            
             What is causing people to act out in violence towards one another when poor judgment is used on the nation's highways? Drivers of today experience a daily lesson in defensive driving while trying to maintain a polite reserved attitude. When careless drivers cut someone off, the "normal" reaction is to honk the horn, flash the lights, and in some cases, flip the old faithful finger. Nowadays, there are an alarming number of violent retort towards tailgaters and otherwise reckless drivers.
             The major cause of road rage stems from traffic congestion, and the lack of people's patience. With the population growing at a faster rate than our roadways, major traffic jams are more frequent. This in itself is a big stressor. When this is accompanying a driver with the typical overstressed day, patience begins to fade rapidly and tensions may rise beyond control. This is the birth of road rage.
             Cases of road rage are reported not only nationwide, but also worldwide. Dominic Connell, a psychologist with the Automobile Association (AA) in Britain and author of a 1995 study titled "Road Rage," states, "It is very difficult to communicate with someone in another car." Occasionally it is difficult to determine the intentions of reckless drivers. Whether the driver's recklessness is derived from poor driving skills, traffic induced stress or just plain rudeness, the retributions of victims are steadily becoming more violent. (38-41).
             On today's busy highways, road rage has become a serious epidemic. A report recently published by the AAA foundation for traffic safety in Washington D.C., shows evidence of the serious incidents that occurred in the East Bay of California. It says, "A good Samaritan stops to help a stranded motorist during the morning commute, then tries to get back on the freeway in front of a creeping truck. The pickup driver would not let him in. The good Samaritan becomes violent and proceeds to pound on the truck hood, then pulls a knife and kills the driver of the truck.