Road Rage
Road rage is aggressive behaviour by drivers on the road. It has become so common that some psychologists say it is a mental disorder. Many things can cause road rage. Some driving experts think that road rage occurs because people watch chase scenes on TV. Others watch Formula One races and want to copy their favourite driver. Road rage results in accidents, which can lead to serious injuries or the death of other road participants.
In today’s world, driving is a very stressful and risky activity. A driver must be alert at all times and not get distracted by other things, like phone calls or fellow drivers. When a motorist becomes angry they often do wrong things, which lead to aggressive behaviour. Drivers tend to change lanes frequently or increase their speed to overtake another car because they are not patient enough. Others flash their lights all the time to show their impatience. Road rage also includes gestures or shouting towards other drivers, bad language or threatening others.
The most important causes of road rage are
- bad behaviour by other motorists
- getting into traffic jams
- driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- being tired due to work or stress
- problems with the family
- having a bad day
Fortunately, many things can be done to avoid road rage. For one, you can try to calm down as far as possible and not become aggressive yourself towards other drivers. You can also try to get farther away from aggressive drivers. You might also think about taking your time in getting to the place you are going to. Listen to music and drive with enough rest. You might also try pulling over for a break and getting some fresh air before you continue on the road.
Scientists in Switzerland are working on software that may help combat road rage. They are testing a special camera that can be mounted on the dashboard of your car. It recognizes your facial expressions and judges by the way you look if soft and calming music should be turned on.
Related Topics
Words
- accident = crash with other cars or people
- alert = prepared, watchful
- avoid = stop something from happening
- bad language = using words that you shouldn’t; to swear
- behaviour = the way you act towards others
- break = pause
- calm down = be quiet and peaceful
- cause = lead to
- chase = follow someone very fast in order to catch them
- combat = fight
- common = everyday, widespread, normal
- copy =imitate, do the same as someone else
- dashboard = part in the front of the car that has the controls on it
- distract = worried about something, or not able to think clearly because of other things that are happening
- due to = because of
- facial expressions = the looks on your face that show what you are feeling or thinking
- fellow = other
- flash = turn on and off a few times
- fortunately = luckily, thank goodness
- frequently = often
- gesture = sign, movement
- impatience = if you do not want to wait or if you get angry at something very quickly
- include = contain
- increase = move up
- influence = affect
- injury = being hurt
- judge = decide
- lane = one of the areas on a road or motorway that are divided by white or yellow lines to keep traffic apart
- mental disorder = a mental illness , in which parts of your body do not work the way they should
- mount = put, place
- overtake= pass by
- participant = here: person who also travels on the road
- patient = to be calm for a longer time
- psychologist = a person who studies the mind and how it influences the way we act
- pull over = stop at the side of the road
- recognise = know, find out, understand
- risky = dangerous
- scientist = a person who is trained in science
- serious = very bad
- tend to= do something more often
- traffic jam = long line of cars or trucks on the road; they move slowly and you cannot overtake them