Friday 12 October 2012

Road Rage

My elder son Prateek: Needs to learn about road rage!



Road rage is a serious problem in countries around the world. Like in most criminal fronts, both juvenile as well as adult, Bhutan doesn’t fare too poorly in this. A couple of years ago, there was a reported case in Paro where two people attempted to see the end of each other as an offshoot of road rage. ‘Having outs’ of smaller dimensions are common in Thimphu, where I live. My friends and relatives from other urban centres can share their tales and woes.

What is road rage?

Road rage is an angry or violent behavior by a driver of a motor vehicle. Such behavior includes rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. In extreme cases, road rage can lead to arguments, assaults, and collisions, which result in injuries and even deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive driving.
What are the signs and symptoms of road rage?

Road rage has many manifestations and incarnations and the following are the most common ones:

·      Aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and tailgating.

·      Cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately preventing someone from entering a lane.

·      Chasing other motorists.

·      Flashing lights and/or sounding the horn excessively.

·      Driving at high speeds to terrify other drivers

·      Rude gestures (such as "the finger").

·      Shouting verbal abuses or threats.

·      Intentionally causing a collision between vehicles.

·      Hitting other vehicles.

·      Assaulting other motorists, their passengers, cyclists or pedestrians

·      Exiting the car to attempt to start confrontations, including striking other vehicles with an object.

·      Threatening to use or using a firearm or other deadly weapon (this happened in Paro).


How can we reduce road rage?


Most of us drive. The number of cars and the number of people behind the wheels are increasing by the day in Thimphu. As per RSTA statistics, there are about 36,000 cars and 46,000 driving licenses in Thimphu region. For Bhutan these are big numbers.
It is you and I who engage in road rage and become victims of road rage. It is you and I who can make a difference. Together we can help improve the image of drivers in Thimphu and reduce road rages.  I offer the following by way of suggestions to reduce and eliminate road rages:

a)    Wear a smile on your lip: Positive thoughts lead to positive behaviour and positive actions. The moment we get behind the steering wheel, we should forget any negative thoughts and tensions we may have had at home or at work.  Very often, we behave aggressively on the road because we have been frustrated at work or at home. It could be because your boss advised you to roll up your sleeves or you had an altercation with your spouse.  Come to think of it, it is unfair to pour (and often empty) your frustration on people who have nothing to do with the cause of your frustration. I am not advocating that you should do it on your boss, for it may cost you your job!
So a simple mantra (and quite a workable one at that) is: every time you are in the driver’s seat try and wear a smile on your lips. It doesn’t cost you anything except some Vaseline to heal the cracks!

b)    Let the other be: Many road rages occur because of people who drive rashly. There are people who are in a perpetual hurry. There are also some who want to overtake you with the presumptuous idea of showing off their purportedly bigger and better cars. Then there are trucks and taxis.  Leave them alone! People driving these motors belong to a different generation. Sometimes I wonder if they are dropped from Mars.

Knowing that there are all kinds of ‘funny’ people from the boisterous spoiled brat who wants to advertise his ill-gotten Honda to the wrong-brained taxi driver, what do you do? Join them, beat them, or let them be? I suggest we just let them be! Ignore them; let them overtake you as you trudge up in your hard earned Alto.

c)    Enjoy your driving: The spoilt brat and the taxi driver are in a hurry. You are not!  Enjoy your driving. Put on a nice soothing music. And engage your soul with the music and the lyrics, not with the cacophony of the rude driver honking behind you. With Kenny Rogers  (or who have you?) soulfully gasping on your car stereo, you are less inclined to snarl at the incoming car, or at the one that just overtook you.

Friday brings out the best in people. Enjoy your Friday! Happy Weekend!