Yes, one of my friends told me the anger and road rage comes from one's expectation that the other driver is going to do the right thing and then doesn't. It really stems from disappointment in the actions of the other driver. I try to keep that in mind every day when I drive but it doesn't always help.

The funny thing is, I don't even commute any more. I moved to Dallas 10 years ago to work from home after making a 50 mile per-day commute in South Florida. I think because I'm not in the thick of it every day it just irritates me more. Or the fact that there are just more distracted drivers on the road these days. All it takes is for me to see someone moving into my lane while texting or talking on the phone and I blow a gasket. Gotta get over that as it is going to be more and more pervasive.

 

Great advice!

 

This is how I behave at work...not just drive

>>>Accept that most drivers (employees) these days are inconsiderate and not paying attention. Once you accept that, it no longer becomes so upsetting when you come across it. The acceptance takes some practice and getting used to over a period of time, but it works. Worked for me!<<<

 

Its really bad here, especially in the most affluent areas like Bethesda, Potomac, etc. People just stop in the middle of the road where it suits them. Double park places. Make U-turns in the middle of the road because they want to. No regard or even recognition that there are other people around them.

One of my favorite stories was one time at a title company in Bethesda (lots of "smug" lol) where a woman came in for a settlement and put her keys down on the reception desk and directed the receptionist to park her Escalade. Now...there was no valet. It was double parked out front...in the friggin street... Would it ever occur to you to walk into a professional office and expect the receptionist to park your car? It occurred to this woman. She didn't ask either, she directed. She wasn't even a customer of the title company...she was a real estate agent!

Before you even think about retaliating to "teach them something", you can't teach them anything because their whole worldview is that they're special and everything exists for them to use. My favorite is the 5'5", bleach blonde, 105lb 40-50somethings that dress like they're 19 with the big gold aviator sunglasses driving enormous Suburbans and Escalades and the like, hauling around those huge hideous poop brown Louis Vuitton purses. You know their husbands are cardiologists that nail all the nurses they can find.

But no, I haven't noticed this at all LOL

 

i assume and expect everyone else on the road can and possibly will do something crazy. they might cut me off, drift into my lane, run a red light (from another direction even), run a stop sign, drive off the road. since i've seen all these things, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise.

the only behavior that still bugs me is tailgating in the passing lane (when someone's driving so close behind, even if i'm going above a speed limit and faster than other vehicles). i find a way to pull over as promptly and safely as possible, and then take a look at the driver as they pass me. i've seen crazy people, people on their phones, or what appear to be normal people who think it's ok to drive 3 feet from my bumper at 70+mph. if i'm in an especially 'good' mood, they might get a middle finger salute and a smile as they pass. but i'm working on this too... in the past i might have braked suddenly or just slowed to a crawl to really mess with them...

ha - i can relate having moved from atlanta 11 years ago to working from home for the most part.

 

The double parking burns me the most when they are 25 feet from a place where they could actually pull to the curb. People sit in their cars double parked blocking traffic for the sole reason that it is right in front of their destination, instead of next door.

 

This. And on the phone while double parked sitting in the car.

 

Your friend is sage. But I personally would change the word "disappointed" to "disbelief" because it may be me getting old, but I sometimes can't believe the flat disrespect for the driving privilege I have seen and have almost been the victim of. The buttons on a phone are so much more important than navigating 3-4000+lbs safely.

I like this post. But I still kind of lose it when someone gets so frikking close to my vehicle as to take my loved one's life sitting next to me in danger. I would never ever have even the nerve to follow someone's car so closely at highway speeds like some of these people. I am too aware of the deadly weight of my vehicle being minimized and masked behind smooth motion in balance and power steering/brakes. All that goes away when reality hits.
Again, it's all about peoples' sheer lack of respect for the art and privilege that is driving.

 

see plenty of these out there -- all the time. very unfortunate.