When and When Not to React

For many young adults, being able to drive brings them one step closer to adulthood. As a child, it is only a dream to be able to have a car, drive, and be able to go and do whatever you want. However, as the number of people behind the wheel continues to increase, it seems the importance of drivers education has begun to hold little importance. But how can we solve this? The real answer is not in the books but in the people we surround ourselves with.

Every day on average, around 3,700 people die due to car accidents and ages ranging from 18-44 take up more than half of those accidents. It is important to remember that many drivers do hold a license and have had prior experience to driving before these accidents. But it is not the fact that people took the necessary steps to be driving on the road but what steps they didn’t realize they needed to take. Something that has become very apparent in recent years and has continued to increase is the road rage within individuals. Everybody sees it everyday and has not only encountered it but has felt it themselves. Even I am guilty of such a negative feeling. But this negative feeling is something that can get you killed and it is important to recognize it yourself and take the necessary steps in order to not only prevent it, but prevent others from doing the same.

Prior to me getting my license and even being able to drive, I experienced road rage firsthand within my own family’s car. This road rage continued for many years and eventually without realizing it, became a part of me. People say that if your parents have road rage, it is likely you will also develop the same characteristic and it is true. And only after being in a car accident myself, and realizing that my road rage was a key factor in it, is when I realized it needed to change. The road rage between me and another driver got intense and without realizing the intensity of it, I ended up getting hit from the side. Of course getting annoyed with another driver is normal, but it is certainly not worth your life or anyone else’s. Which is why in order to prevent such road rage, there are steps you can take to avoid it.

One of my key realizations when overcoming road rage is that it starts with you. That first step is recognizing that road rage is a problem and in order to stop it, you have to stop yourself from feeling it. If you allow yourself to feel such negative thoughts while driving it will only cloud your judgment and mind which is necessary when driving. Another step to overcoming it is realizing that you likely have passengers, who can likely be your younger siblings who are learning from you. I learned road rage from my parents, so it is not unlikely that my siblings can be learning it from me. It is all a cycle and if you continue the cycle, you will only be playing into the possibility that others can be in a car accident just because you allowed yourself to feel anger with them in the car. The last step to avoiding road rage is to avoid it altogether. You cannot stop someone else’s road rage, but you can certainly prevent yourself from playing into it. One of the key things to remember when driving is to not allow your pride to get in the way. Yes, sometimes you will get off, yes, someone will honk at you, yes, someone might try to start something with you, but just remember that sometimes putting that pride away can quite literally save you. And if you start a new cycle of healthy driving, others will begin to follow, and eventually the friends of those other people will do the same. One change in a reaction, can change so many.

However, there are other means to showing drivers the importance of driver education and how we as a community can all avoid reckless driving due to road rage. Since road rage is something that is formed from within there are a few things that drivers should take into consideration before getting behind a wheel. At all times, drivers should be aware of their mental state as it could alter their normal driving habits. If you feel you are angry or upset, play some calming music or make sure you are comfy in your car before leaving. If you know you have to be somewhere, plan ahead so you don’t leave in a rush and feel agitated while driving. But don’t just consider yourself; consider everyone else around you. Everyone is trying to get somewhere just like you and by using your signals, avoiding nasty gestures, following safety laws, and using your best judgment, you can deeply change the after effects of driving while also learning how to become a better driver yourself.

In all, by being an educated driver, you are being a safe driver. It is everyone’s job to practice safe driving and also teach it when necessary. So as a community, everyone should continue to practice safe driving, increase their knowledge in being an educated driver, and understand that one person’s safe driving can save another.