It’s an unfortunate fact of our modern, hectic world – many people are stressed out and are under a tremendous amount of pressure. All too often some of these people take out their frustrations while driving their cars. Incidents of road rage, of aggressive and sometimes violent behavior on the roadway, are on the rise. There are a number of triggering factors that can cause people to lose their cool – from traffic congestion to being cut-off on the freeway. The results of such behavior can sometimes lead to tragedy.

It would be easy to assume that the dangerous ”road rager” drivers that we hear about in the news -- you know, the ones who resort to violence -- are ex-cons or are otherwise mentally unstable. But it has been proven the most people who succumb to road rage are average, every day people. But for one reason or another they snap and take out their anger on an unsuspecting fellow traveler.

So what do you do if you are confronted with an aggressive driver? What is best way of handling them?

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Avoid Confrontation

This is the general rule to remember when faced with an upset motorist. Do not try to escalate the conflict. Like many things in life, it is important to be the better person. Swallow your pride, and don’t try to “win.” This is not a game, and there are no victors - only losers if the confrontation results in a crash. There are certainly more valuable things in life to worry about, and besting your fellow driver is not something worth pursuing. The risks while cruising down the freeway at seventy miles-per-hour are simply too great.

Don’t Make Eye Contact

Let’s say, for whatever reason, the person in another car has lost their temper and you are the source of their grievances. They glare at you, wait for you to look at them so they can demonstrate their anger. Well, don’t do it. Don’t make eye contact. If you return their stare, this could be seen as a type of challenge, and you could be provoking them. The best thing to do is to keep your eyes trained on the road ahead, and try to ignore the aggressive driver.

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Don’t Respond To Their Gestures

Giving someone “the finger” or “flipping them off” are universally understood hand gestures in our society. We are all pretty aware of what they mean. If you are flipped off, it might be tempting to respond in kind. But you must resist this temptation. Getting into a war of offensive hand gestures will only feed the anger between the two of you, and could escalate the fight. Ignore the finger, and keep driving.

This applies to any type of gesture that is thrown your way. Disregard it or you might risk further antagonizing the infuriated driver. Once on this path, it is unclear where it might lead or how the confrontation could end.

Get Out Of The Way

It may seem like a particular driver is on the warpath – and that very well could be the case. The best option is to get out of their way. Don’t become a target. Go over to the right lane, and if the driver seems to be provoking you, try to put some distance between the two of you.

Call The Police

If you truly feel that you are in danger, seek help. Do not try to resolve this on your own if you feel your safety is in jeopardy. Call the police or drive to police station. Do not pull over and get out of your car. Do not drive home. Go to a place where you can get help.

When faced with a hostile driver, it is important to keep calm. You don’t know the other person who is driving that car, who they are and what they are capable of. What you can control is your response to the situation. If you remain levelheaded, the other driver won’t have anything to react to, and will simply drive off. Remember, this situation is only temporary, but a devastating encounter and crash could be permanent. Stay safe out there.

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