{"id":760,"date":"2014-04-08T14:18:33","date_gmt":"2014-04-08T13:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.ingenie.com\/young-drivers-guide\/?p=760"},"modified":"2019-05-01T15:54:18","modified_gmt":"2019-05-01T14:54:18","slug":"how-to-avoid-road-rage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ingenie.com\/young-drivers-guide\/how-to-avoid-road-rage","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid road rage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Road rage: sudden violent anger provoked in a motorist by the actions of another driver. <\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n

Come on. Admit it \u2013 it happens to the best of us. We\u2019ve all been in a situation where another driver has done something inconsiderate or dangerous and we just see red.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Getting mad doesn't make you feel any better and you then have to drive the rest of your journey with a bad attitude. Or, if you\u2019re anything like me, you dwell on it for most of the day, getting more upset about it, telling everyone and anyone who will listen about the @!\u201d&*% that cut you up at the roundabout.

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Breathe.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Once you\u2019ve calmed down you feel a bit silly for getting so wound up and can\u2019t help but feel that the other driver probably didn\u2019t even give it a second thought. You\u2019ve wasted A LOT of emotion and energy on something that you didn't need to.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

5 pieces of advice to keep the red mist at bay<\/h2>\r\n\r\n
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  1. \r\n

    Plan your route<\/h2>\r\n\r\n

    Yep, it sounds obvious but planning your route will mean you\u2019re setting off on the right foot. If you know exactly where you\u2019re going, how to get there and how long it will take, you\u2019ll generally be calmer behind the wheel and those MINOR inconveniences that crop up just won\u2019t bug you.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n

    Top tip: give yourself an extra 10 minutes of travel time - that way, if you come across a load of road works you\u2019ll be breezy knowing you won't be late.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n\r\n

  2. \r\n

    Be chill before you set off<\/h2>\r\n

    Someone said to me once that you should never go to sleep on a row as you never know what may happen next (plus you'll be grumpy the next day). And driving is the same. If you\u2019ve just had a barney with your girlfriend on the phone or an almighty rant with your parents, try not to jump straight into the car.<\/p>\r\n

    You might not realise it, but all that adrenaline and emotion will come out in your driving style and you\u2019ll end up finding people on the road to fall out with as well.<\/p>\r\n

    Equally, a stressful day can have the same results. Take a breath, put some chilled music on and don\u2019t keep replaying it all in your head. Just focus on driving. <\/p>\r\n

    Once you\u2019re out of the car you can call your BFF immediately to vent. <\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n\r\n

  3. \r\n

    Get your Zs in <\/h2>\r\n

    Raise your hand if you get cranky when you\u2019ve not got a good night\u2019s sleep. You know it.<\/p>\r\n

    Not getting enough sleep not only makes you feel tired (obvs) but can make you prone to getting annoyed that bit quicker. It\u2019s also really dangerous to drive when you\u2019re not fully alert.<\/p>\r\n

    Do yourself and everyone else a favour: get some shut eye. <\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/li>\r\n\r\n

  4. \r\n

    Don\u2019t lose perspective<\/h2>\r\n

    If someone pushed in front of you in a supermarket queue, you wouldn\u2019t shout and use all sorts of hand gestures to express your upset. Hopefully, you would politely point out to them that you were next in line and wait for them to courteously join the queue behind you. <\/p>\r\n

    You may feel that bit more protected and isolated in your car, but it doesn't mean you should act in ways you wouldn\u2019t normally in public. You wouldn\u2019t scream at someone\u2019s mum in Sainsbury\u2019s so don\u2019t do it behind the wheel.<\/p>\r\n

    Transport for London's Share the Road video really brought this message to life.<\/p>\r\n\t \r\n\t\r\n\t