We Have Too Much Road Rage In North Texas
Driving on DFW’s congested highways can make anybody feel stressed, but even in the most annoying of circumstances, nothing is worth losing our tempers behind the wheel.
Who better to make this point than World Champion boxer Evander Holyfield? In this road rage PSA, a black SUV backs out of a driveway in front of a white pickup truck, forcing the driver to brake. The pickup truck driver pulls around and in front of the SUV and stops. The angry driver gets out of his truck yelling and cursing and stomps toward the SUV. The door of the SUV slowly opens and a very calm Evander Holyfield emerges. The message is powerful.
Guns and Cameras Can Fuel the Rage
CNN reported that 33 percent of people surveyed for an International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine article reported road rage. However, as CNN points out, most road rage incidents don’t amount to much. Usually, after some shouting, cursing and hand gestures, the driver moves on. However, cameras and guns can bring road rage to another scary level.
Numerous YouTube videos of people losing their cool on the road regularly go viral. Now instead of walking away a little embarrassed, the perpetrator’s actions are put up to public shame. Some experts think that snapping that picture or running the video could send some aggressors over the edge. On the other hand, these videos can also serve as valuable evidence against somebody who commits an assault.
Putting a gun into the hand of an irate driver can seriously escalate the road rage from yelling to assault. Approximately half the individuals surveyed in a Texas Tribune poll said they or a family member owned a gun. Many of these people are no-doubt driving around with their guns in their cars.
If you feel the urge to respond to an angry driver, remember, you never know who you might run into, or whether she or he is carrying.