Road rage is never about the person being cut off or tailgated, etc. . The rage was already there and simmering when the raging person got on the road!
People are dealing with so much these days. I always think about what may be on a person’s mind. Are they headed to the hospital to say goodbye to a loved one? Are they going through a divorce? Are they terminally ill? Sometimes people are lost because they aren’t from the area. Sometimes they are elderly and deserve patience. … I always think about the many things that could be on a person’s mind. It’s just never that serious. But again, that rage was already simmering before they got on the road.
I realized this during my late teens. I was headed wherever was important to me at the time. A lady made a U-Turn right in front of me, causing me to almost run into her. I pulled up on the side of her to give her a piece of my mind and she was crying HYSTERICALLY. My irritation turned to compassion. From then on I remembered, people go through things and those things don’t go away when they need to drive somewhere.
Another time I made the mistake. I cut someone off or some other wrong thing. I didn’t mean to. I was just lost in my thoughts. He was in the lane beside me and began yelling and cursing at me. I yelled, “I’M SO SORRY! HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!” His rage melted. He slowed his car almost to a crawl, and in my rear view mirror I could see a look of sheer disbelief on his face. Had no one told him that yet? Was a bit of kindness all he needed?
No matter what crazy thing any of us do on the road, it’s so much better than an accident. LIVE ON!!!