Five Extra Minutes and the Benefit of the Doubt

A small percentage of "Road Rage" can be attributed to anti-social folks and may not have a remedy. For the rest of the population leaving five minutes earlier and treating other drivers as innocent could go a long way toward reducing animosity on our roads. A substantial portion of angry drivers are anxious about being late and simply want everyone else to get out of their way. If these individuals focused on leaving for their destination with plenty of time, their lives would be less frantic and harried. In addition, these drivers are often part of a group who project negative meaning on how others on the road behave. In the anger groups I have conducted I hear projections about other drivers such as, " He was getting in my way"....Did that to mess with me".... "Knew I wanted to turn there". It became clear to these clients, through the process of the group, that strangers on the road can't read minds, have no interest in aggravating a stranger and may simply be confused or even lost. I recall my dad stating, while observing an errant driver in Manhattan: "He might be from another country and just learning how to drive". Anger at its base is the response to a threat. What if we viewed odd driving by others as strange, but without any motive directed at us? Perhaps they are just having a bad day and it has nothing to do with us. Sometimes I just wave, as if to a grouchy neighbor and proceed on my way.