Keep Anger Under The Hood

This past week we were all scandalised when two incidents of road rage were exposed on social media. The one involved that of a Porsche passenger in Fourways, Johannesburg and the other happened in Pretoria. Both are now matters being probed by law enforcers and that should be welcomed.

They are definitely not the first incidents of road rage in our country. We see this behaviour every day on our roads but fortunately for the perpetrators they are not caught on camera. In this day of social media, people can cause themselves a lot of damage in terms of reputation by how they (mis)behave on the road.

But good behaviour on the road should not be induced by the fear of being caught on camera doing something one may later regret. Rather, it should come because of respect for other road users and a sense of acknowledgement that a road is a shared space. This requires a complete mindset shift by all road users.

In our country, the concept of a road as a shared space is still foreign, it would seem. That is why there are motorists who bully others on the road, believing that they are more entitled to the road than the next user. This is especially true of motorists' behaviour in relation to pedestrians and cyclists. We have heard of horror stories involving motorists knocking cyclists off their bikes, at time resulting in serious injury or death. Indeed, we have seen motorists hurling abuse at pedestrians. The fact that it is more pedestrians who die on our roads is perceived, their own negligence notwithstanding.

At times motorists are themselves at the receiving end of road rage from other motorists or other types of road users, be they cyclists or pedestrians. Whoever the perpetrator or victim is, road rage is simply not right. In fact, it can be very dangerous and it must be discouraged. People have died or been seriously injured as a result of road rage incidents. Getting our of one's car to confront another road user who is a complete stranger is risky and it is irresponsible. You never know what the other person is capable of. This type of behaviour on our roads must be condemned in the strongest terms it deserves.

Before we can look at how one must conduct oneself in a road rage situation, it may be worthwhile to understand the underlying reasons for this kind of behaviour: I have already alluded to the lack of appreciation of roads as shared space. Those who do not pay the fuel levy are seen as less deserving to be on the road.

But there is also the aggressive culture we have to contend with in our country. We see to be a very angry people who can go over the edge at the slightest provocation. It is worse when they parties involved come from different racial backgrounds. Sometimes it is a macho thing, meant to demonstrate power (and that is why women are seldom involved in road rage fights).

Also, we live in a highly stressed society and any perceived act that interferes with one's state of equilibrium can trigger a barage of emotions. How then does one deal with road rage? If you are always the aggressor, stay conscious of your challenge and avoid putting yourself under pressure (for example, leaving late for appointments) when you are on the road. If you put yourself under pressure you are likely to see other road users as irritants ot hurdles between you and your destination - in which event you are likely to be aggressive towards them.

A personal one I always try hard to put in practice, especially when taxi drivers cut in front of me, is to respond instead of reacting. The former allows one time to think whereas the latter is impulsive. When you choose to respond you are more likely to be polite and to allow the other driver to pass you or to get over into your lane. When I do that I find myself at peace not just with the other driver, but myself as well. Nothing beats or pre-empts road rage better than being a courteous driver.

Another valuable tip is to avoid confrontation. If another driver gesticulates in a rude manner, avoid eye contact, don't retaliate and keep your eyes fixed on the road. Gesticulating back will most certainly distract you, raise temperatures, and put you and other road users' safety at risk. Back to the shameful road rage incidents we witnessed last week here in Gauteng. Difficult drivers are not unique to Gauteng but are common throughout the country. Focusing on them won't assist your driving ability. Focus on what you can do better on the road - and road rage is simply not an option.

#photo