you know that sometimes you can feel a little out of control behind the wheel, or your family has mentioned that they feel unsafe in the car with you, start to think seriously about your driving behaviour. Van Zyl suggests taking the following steps:
- Never get behind the wheel if you are already angry – it’s like driving drunk
- Never drive drunk – alcohol reduces your inhibitions
- Work through your triggers. What most often makes you angry on the road? Discuss it with your family – or even a therapist. Then, try to replace your current response with healthy thinking. Take a deep breath. Make a conscious effort to shrug it off. Remember that the rage adds no value to your life.
Remember that other people are not your enemy or your competition. We all share this road space and we all have somewhere to be.
Let go of your prejudices. Being angry or out of control because someone is a certain age or race or gender is not justified. Don’t look for a reason to justify your rage.
If your general anger in life is as a result of unfulfilled ambitions, toxic management at work or relationship problems at home, address the cause. Seek professional help to work through your issues.
If you frequently suffer from outbursts – at the shops, at work or with your children – then you may also need professional help for an explosive disorder.
Manage your time better. Accept that roads can be congested. Leave early enough to complete your journey with time to spare. Don’t add panic and anxiety to the emotional mix you are already experiencing on the road.
Remember that other drivers are also
stressed and angry – don’t enter into a situation in which you and another driver are likely to blow a fuse.
Eat healthy food and drink enough water throughout the day – especially if you have a car trip coming up – so that you don’t have a blood-sugar low to contribute to your bad mood.
Van Zyl sums this all up as: “Mind your drive, then drive your mind.” Be aware of your driving experience and then gain control of your thinking and emotions.
On the other hand, it is also very easy to get into a situation where you are on the receiving end of someone else’s rage. Van Zyl says that road rage incidents are often the result of two people refusing to back down.
Remember that there are people out
there who attack and kill other road users, so do everything you can to calm the situation down, rather than bring it to a boil.
“Drive away if you can; apologise if you must. It is not cowardly to back down and it may even save your life,” he says.
If you are being pursued or threatened, drive to a petrol station or a police station, where there are other people – this will almost always force the other party to think twice. If you are somehow trapped or constrained, get a friend or family member on the phone as quickly as you can and start describing your assailant’s details.
Van Zyl adds that if you are confronted with an escalating situation, the worst thing you can do is get out of your car. Be aware that the courts view your exiting your own vehicle as 'intent', so whatever happens next will be regarded as your fault, even if the other person assaults you.
There are currently 11.9 million vehicles registered in South Africa and Gauteng has 4.5 million of those. Van Zyl says a recent study revealed that among Gauteng drivers, 48% said they either experience or perpetuate some form of aggression on the road every day. If you consider that there are 4.5 million cars on the road – which probably do two trips a day – that’s almost 4.5 million incidents of anger on Gauteng’s roads every day.
“That tells you there’s a problem,” says Van Zyl. “We all need to start finding ways of driving better and calming down.”
As with anything, the first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem. With Van Zyl’s observations making it clear that South Africa does have a road anger problem, it’s now up to each and every one of us to make a concerted effort to mind our drive and drive our minds.
According to the South African National Taxi Council, the taxi industry employs more than 600 000 people and transports 15 million commuters per day. It is serviced by 300 000 vehicles, the majority of which are in Gauteng.
Psychologist Jacques van Zyl says that minibus taxis are often the justification for instances of road rage – and their erratic driving is frustrating for other drivers.
However, as a driver, you know that taxi drivers are going to stop suddenly to release their customers and then weave through traffic to make up for lost time. While there is no excuse for reckless or negligent driving, accept that taxis are part of the road user experience and don’t let them get to you.
Remember that every taxi carrying 15 individuals means that there are 15 fewer vehicles on the road for you to contend with – and 15 people
Jacques van Zyl is currently carrying out a study on South African road behaviour. If you participate in the study, you’ll get a free copy of the report. You can participate here: http://www.assessmentworld.com/aw_public . Click on Road Behaviour test
