Is It Too Late to Rid the Roads of Road Rage?

Have you ever been tailgated or been the recipient of an obscene gesture while you were driving? What was your reaction? Did you ignore the other driver or react in a similar fashion? Every day Americans put themselves at risk when getting behind the wheel. Whether they are driving down the block to run an errand or embarking on a cross-country road trip, every driver is a potential victim of road rage. Road rage is gradually becoming a more serious problem in today’s society, although I feel that there are many solutions to the national dilemma.

I remember the first time I encountered a serious form of road rage. I was ten and in the car on the way to soccer practice with my mom. We were pulling out of our driveway, making a left turn onto a main road. From a distance, a car was traveling towards us, but my mother decided that she still had enough time to make a safe turn. Unaware of the high speed at which the other car was traveling, my mom accidentally cut him off. This forced the driver to hit his break, and aided him in the decision that revenge was the best solution to this situation. The other driver immediately pulled out into the other lane and flew past our car. Nervous and tense, my mom braced herself for what was to come. In a rage, the other driver abruptly cut back into our lane, giving us no room to successfully slow down. Our only option was to swerve off the road and stop the moving vehicle on the grass. Without any feeling of guilt, the other driver continued down the road, window down, holding up a rude hand gesture.

Although no one was injured, this is just one example of a serious problem in today’s society: road rage. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of rage is that of, “violent and uncontrolled anger.” (Vest) And the American Automobile Association (AAA) defines aggressive driving incidents as, “events in which an angry or impatient driver tries to kill or injure another driver after a traffic dispute.” To me, road rage is an act of violence that consists of a wide variety of aggressive acts committed by one driver to another. Though road rage incidents are often minor, according to a study done by AAA, the number of reported aggressive driving incidents has increased by 51 percent since 1990. (Vest) Road rage is gradually becoming a serious and more common problem on American roads and highways.

American’s typically live their life in a constant hurry. Therefore, due to this most people are driving faster and more aggressively. American highways are like racetracks and the drivers are the competitors. As a result, road rage occurs. What causes road rage? According to a study done by AAA, the reason for the increase in aggressive driving is a result of several factors including longer commutes to and from work, traffic congestion, or an overall increase in the daily stresses in peoples’ lives. Who are the typical road rage perpetrators? While there is currently no profile for one more likely to perform aggressive driving, I think that stress is a major contributing factor. (Vest) From past experience, I feel that drivers who have high levels of stress in their lives are often more susceptible to road rage. What can we do to stop this growing problem?

In order to combat road rage, there are many things that today’s society can do. I am a resident of the state of Connecticut and own a Connecticut license. Currently, the age at which one can receive their permit in Connecticut is sixteen. For the next four months, it is required that one must spend at least ten hours behind the wheel with an instructor in order to receive their full license. Driving instructors claim that it is hard to teach good driving when so few practice it. In the 1970’s, 90% of new drivers took driver’s education. Today, it is estimated that about 35% are taking the course. (Vest) Similar to most of this country, it is not required by law in Connecticut that any new driver must take a driver’s education course before receiving their license. The only benefit of taking drivers-ed is that it will lower a person’s driving insurance. Therefore, it is possible that with only ten hours of driving experience, any sixteen-year-old living in Connecticut can be granted equal driving privileges as one who has been behind the wheel for thirty years.

With such little driving experience, any new Connecticut driver does not have a good sense of the realities of the road