Suppose someone cuts you off while you're driving on the highway or steals the parking space you've been patiently waiting for. Is your first instinct to (a) take a deep breath and move on; (b) honk and then move on; or (c) repeatedly honk, yell out and pound your fists against your steering wheel, wondering how the other person even got a driver's license in the first place?



If last one is your response, you might have got a problem mate, that of road rage and you just might be in need of help (either by yourself or through some anger management, stress reduction professional). Before you ask incredulously; what me, read on'to avoid being the next aggressor on the road.

According to a study published by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, or what some people call "road rage"--is defined as "An incident in which an angry or impatient motorist or passenger intentionally injures or kills another motorist, passenger, or pedestrian, or attempts to injure or kill another motorist, passenger, or pedestrian, in response to a traffic dispute, altercation, or grievance."

High-anger drivers have following characteristics according to a wide based study:

? Hostile, aggressive thinking. High-anger drivers report more judgmental and disbelieving thoughts about other drivers than low-anger drivers do.

? Take more risks on the road. High-anger drivers more often than not speed--usually 10 to 20 kms per hour over the speed limit--rapidly switch lanes, tailgate and enter an intersection when a light turns red.

? Get angry faster and behave more aggressively. High-anger drivers most commonly reported the following aggressive behaviors: swearing or name-calling, driving while angry, yelling at the driver or honking in anger.

? Have more accidents. In driving simulations, high-anger drivers have twice as many car accidents--either from a collision with another vehicle or off-road crash.

If somebody exhibits such characteristics, he/she really needs to de-stress himself/herself. Following techniques have been proved to be good help in stress reduction:

?Breathe: Focusing on your breathing brings your attention inward and makes frustrations seem more removed, without taking your focus too far away from the road.

?Listen: Music supply you with a mild distraction that can make your drive enjoyable enough that you find annoying drivers and bumper-to-bumper traffic less frustrating.

?Relax: Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) and Deep Muscle Relaxation (DMR). These techniques will help you learn to quickly release the tension.

?Plan: Manage your time wisely. Often, when we're frustrated on the road, it's because we're in a hurry and can't get there quickly enough because of traffic.

Don't provoke

Don't block the passing lane, don't tailgate, use your signals, don't make rude gestures, don't blow your horn in anger, avoid blocking the right-hand lane at an intersection, be considerate when parking, avoid a stare-down etc., if you don't want to be a victim of road rage. Road rage stuff apart these are basic traffic manners which should be followed normally by every responsible citizen.

If you really feel you need help, don't hesitate, just get it. Read some ?how to control anger? self help book, get counseling from anger management professional, or take online psychiatric help. Anger management and road rage prevention are major concerns in psychiatric circles these days. You can find more discussions, articles, help on all that on www.biam.org.uk.