Daily Times

Oblivious lane cutters, tailgaters, speed demons, and cell phone talkers can make anyone’s blood boil. But next time, you might want to take a breather before losing your cool. According to a new Australian study, the stress associated with road rage could even have adverse health effects.

A San Francisco-based psychologist, has found in his research that many people identify road rage as a feeling they experience even if they don’t act upon it. In fact, a survey reported that 58 percent of commuters said they have experienced road rage while travelling to and from work and that nearly one in 10 have gotten into a fight with another commuter.

Traffic, long commutes, and the anxiety of running late can all contribute to driving frustration. But it’s the feeling of being anonymous and overly secure behind the armour of one’s car that can make us do things we wouldn’t do under normal circumstances. This sense of safety combined with the power we get from driving modern vehicles with sometimes unnecessarily high amounts of horsepower and untold numbers of ‘power’ buttons and ‘controls’ can give drivers a false semblance of invulnerability, which can lead to acting out in ways that one would never do in face-to-face settings, such as in line at a coffee shop.

So why do we feel compelled to shout out, “It’s called a blinker, buddy!” when we know full well we can’t be heard? We are seeking to make the other driver ‘know’ how we feel, to accept what he or she did wrong, and to validate our negative emotional experience. However, because no one can actually hear each other, we’re forced to act out our irritation with contorted expressions, flashing lights or a one-fingered salute. It’s no surprise that this form of communication rarely leads to an apology.

And while we may all find ourselves vulnerable to bouts of road rage from time to time, certain temperaments are more susceptible to aggressive driving and antagonistic behaviour than others. Research shows that these high-anger drivers tend to be more impulsive, engage in hostile thinking, take more risks behind the wheel, receive more speeding tickets, and get angry faster. Because you never know what is the mental state of the driver you are interacting with or whether he or she has a weapon, deescalating a conflict should always be your first course of action.