Unfortunately as roads become congested and vehicles become a personal survival capsule, drivers have a tendency to feel divorced not only from other road users, but the consequences of their own driving errors or aggressive actions. Although some motorists may not intend to be aggressive, manoeuvres such as improper lane changes or overtaking, may delay, endanger or irritate other road users.
Driver frustration and impatience may increase errors of judgement and the chance of a crash.
At some stage you will either be guilty of, or a victim of, driver error and aggression. How you deal with the situation depends on your frame of mind. Stress with personal and work-related issues all impact on our behaviour and an on-road event may trigger an outburst of underlying pressures.
Reduce stress in your driving environment by:
- Allowing plenty of time for travelling
- Improving the comfort in your vehicle
- Understanding that you cannot control the traffic, only your reaction to it
Drive defensively and avoid conflicts with other road users by:
- Remaining calm and relaxed
- Making allowances for errors by other drivers and road users
- Replacing an “I own the road” or “Me first” mentality with a “sharing the road” philosophy. Courtesy is free, but rewarding
- Using your horn sparingly and only as a warning device
- Putting isolated cases of minor delays imposed by others in the overall context of the whole trip
- Leaving unpleasant encounters with other road users behind and concentrating on the rest of the trip
RACQ Refresh (p14-15)
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter