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| 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!
