Almost all drivers have experienced some occurrence of road rage. Most of these occurrences are as innocent as a rude gesture, but some drivers have lost their lives because of them. “Traffic is a cooperative activity” (2-3-7). When a driver decides to take control of the road, the consequences can again be fatal. Almost every driver on the road has been involved in one incident or another. No one is immune from road rage, therefore it effects us all. Road rage is an act of aggression that can destroy the life of an innocent driver, but current research is helping drivers cope with the stress of everyday life on the road.Many cases of road rage are caused by simple misunderstandings. Whether it be that a driver was not looking before he turned, or a he forgot that his turn signal was left on, people tend to take things the wrong way. Because of this, the term “road rage” was born. There are thousands of recorded accidents every year as a result from a simple misunderstanding on the road. For example, “an average of at least 1,500 men, women, and children are injured or killed each year in the United States as a result of aggressive driving” (6-3-4). The number 1,500 may seem like a lot, but that statistic was taken from a report back in the mid 1990’s. Today, it is estimated that there were about 84,000 road rage incidents last year alone. That’s exactly 56 times greater than what it was a few years ago. Not all of these incidents involved physical injuries, but they were all recorded as aggressive incidents. Anyone can be at fault in a road rage situation. Race, sex, religion, age, or any other human characteristics, play no role in determining a common offender. Frequently, accidents of aggressive driving have tended to involve more than a simple rude gesture or a vile word. On many occurrences drivers used weapons to vent their frustration on the road. “Without...
