When Drivers Attack...

There is something unique about the automobile and/or the act of driving that unfortunately brings out the very worst in people. Behavior so poor that it can only be compared to that of someone (non-techie) trying to deal with computer network connections or maybe cell phone customer service.

What is it that gets people so charged up when they are driving?

Is it almost as if we don our vehicles like Dr. Jekyl puts on a new personality, giving us what can only be considered a supernaturally righteous demeanor. Road rage is a term popularized around 1990, though “violent social behavior, behind the wheel” is a concept that has been studied as early as the 70’s. Apparently driving really only exacerbates a more general social phenomenon.

According to the AAA, there are about 1,200 reported incidents of road rage each year in the US, though these numbers sound suspiciously small. I have witnessed some drivers who are involved in this many episodes just going around the corner for dry cleaning and Daily Queen. I guess the key here is “reported,” as in bad enough that someone chased someone else all the way home and tried to rearrange their physiology or attitude on life (or both) with a tire iron. In reality, there are probably hundreds of thousands of interactions annually as people accelerate, cut-off, swerve, hold-up, talk on the phone, and clog up the left lane their way through the day.

And when you consider that the broad definition of the act includes everything from the “single digit salute” to “throwing objects from a moving vehicle with the intent of hitting the car behind it” and everything in between, it is no wonder that enterprising psycho-analysts have tried to deem it a viable mental disorder.

One might think that this issue would creep up in any place where crowds of people get together during rush hour, say on the subway, but you never really hear stories about “train rage.” The thing is, this disorder doesn’t seem to be limited to actual driving, though it does require the presence of a vehicle.

In San Francisco, the power of the people is starting to have an effect. Last year, 28 city workers were assaulted for doing their duty, which in this case happened to be issuing parking tickets. Whether or not it was justified is really another matter, but this number is up from 17 (again, reported) in 2005.

All of this anger, however, pales in comparison to the British. It was just reported that letter bombs have been received for the third day in a row in London and Berkshire, apparently targeting people and offices that provide technology for Speeding Cameras. Now that is one pissed-off motorist.

Admittedly, bombing takes road rage to a whole new level, but maybe this supports the mental disorder theory. That, or this guy was still bent for having to drive on the wrong side of the road.

To see an article on the San Francisco area, click here.
To see an article on the UK bombs, click here.
To visit sites on Road Rage and to tell your side of the story, click here or here.
To see an article on the cities with the most rude drivers, click here.

Comments

[Daz]

I have been subject of road rage many times. it not very nice.

http://www.carcredit-online.co.uk

[DensityDuck]

It's easy to understand; "road rage" comes from the same place as an internet flamewar. You're interacting with other humans, but in a very limited and anonymizing way. We're used to having all our interactions be personal, with body-language cues and immediate responses to our statements--and the (typically unstated) threat of immediate physical violence to keep our egos in check. In personal contact, when Joe says something stupid he immediately recognizes that he's said something stupid because of our reactions. When Joe is driving and he cuts someone off, there's no way for him to know it--indeed, he may well believe that he didn't do anything wrong at all (he was only merging, right?)

And when someone ignores the reactions of others, we say that they're being rude--and we assume that they're aware of this and making a conscious decision to do it, because who would continue to act like an asshole? So, when we see drivers do things we consider rude, we can't help but be angry about it, since our social training tells us that rudeness is intentional.

And when you're by yourself, it's easy to fall into solipsism--which means that they aren't just being thoughtlessly rude, they're being rude to you specifically.