For a lot of people, driving can be a completely wonderful experience. Nothing but the rumble of the engine and tyres underneath you and the road out there ahead of you. But, there is often one thing that can take that experience and make it into a total nightmare: other drivers. There are few things more frustrating than trying to get out on the road, and other drives are being inattentive, careless, or just plain reckless. It’s enough to drive you to distraction! (Pun very much intended.) However, getting angry when faced with someone driving irresponsibly is often the worst thing that you can do. Road rage might feel satisfying at the time, but in reality, it can often make the situation worse. It can lead you to lose your concentration or make bad decisions that, when you’re behind the wheel of a car, can have some pretty serious, and even sometimes deadly, consequences for you and the other drivers around you. The problem is that it’s so easy to end up falling into the same old habits when it comes to road rage. With that in mind, here are just a few of the things that you can do when you’re out on the road, and you want to keep a cool head.
Stay focused
The reality is that any kind of road rage is going to distract you from what you’re doing. And you can ask any car accident lawyer what happens when people aren’t concentrating on the road ahead of them. If you want to avoid this, then the best thing to do is just to try and stay as focused on driving as possible. Not only will this make it easier to avoid the kinds of drivers who are going to lead you to get angry, but you’re going to give them a lot less thought if you’re focusing on what’s going on in front of you. It’s often pretty easy to allow a dangerous or irresponsible driver to ruin your entire journey but the less thought that you give them, the less distracted you’re going to be from the task at hand. Of course, staying focused is just good advice for any driver that you should always try to keep in mind. Make sure that your devices are out of sight and out of reach and don’t let your attention wander at any time no matter what.
Give yourself plenty of time
Speaking of time, there are few things more stressful when you’re behind the wheel as getting stuck in a traffic jam and realising that you’re going to be late. Not only are you going to feel tense and frustrated but those emotions could quite easily lead to you making some pretty bad decisions. If you’re late because of a traffic jam, then you’re much more likely to drive faster and more recklessly than you otherwise would in order to make up the time. Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to recognise the potential consequences of speeding at any time. The best way that you can avoid this is to make sure that you’re planning your journeys to allow for any delays that might come up. That way, if you happen to hit standstill traffic, you’re not going to end up being late and getting stressed. Sure, you might end up getting to your destination a bit earlier than you planned a lot of the time, but it’s always better to be early than late anyway!
Keep the music calm
Music has a pretty remarkable impact on a person’s mood. The right music can get you pumped up, or chill you right out. If you find yourself feeling stressed while you’re driving, think about the music that you’re listening to. If you’re listening to fast, aggressive music, then that’s going to make it much easier for you to start to become stressed out while you’re behind the wheel. Instead, why not switch to something a little bit more chilled out? Studies have actually shown that listening to music above a certain tempo can actually encourage you to drive faster than you would otherwise. So bring the tempo down and find something a little more relaxing to listen to while you’re on the road.
Keep things cool
You know the phrase “hot and bothered?” Well, it turns out that it’s pretty accurate. If you’re feeling hot, then you’re going to be a lot more short-tempered than you would otherwise. And there are few things that can make you feel cramped and claustrophobic faster than a hot car. Make sure that you always have ways to stay cool when you’re in the car. Avoid wearing too many layers when you’re on long journeys, make sure that your air conditioning is functioning properly, and keep the windows open whenever you can. A lot of the time you might start out the car journey feeling pretty cool, but the sun can warm up the inside of a car much more quickly than you would ever expect. Because of this you can often get to the end of a drive and realise that you’re stressed, angry, and drenched in sweat. Make sure that you’re keeping an eye on the temperature so that you don’t start to get angry and make any rash or reckless decisions that could put yourself or anyone else in harm’s way.
Sure, there are always going to other drivers who will make life difficult for you and will put you and themselves in danger. However, it’s your responsibility to make sure that you’re driving as safely and responsibly as possible and there’s no way that you can do that if you’re yelling and screaming instead of concentrating on the road. Staying calm when you’re behind the wheel, especially if you’ve been stuck in traffic, and you’re already feeling pretty stressed out, but it’s still incredibly important for keeping you, your passengers, and everyone else on the road as safe as possible.
