How to Handle Road Rage: Tips For Dealing With Aggressive Drivers

By Reader's Digest Editors, RD.comBy Reader's Digest Editors, RD.com
How to deal with road rage - driver honking in carPhoto: Shutterstock

Aggressive driving contributes to 56 per cent of all fatal car crashes. Here's expert advice on how to avoid becoming a victim of road rage.

Here are four tips on how to deal with road rage from J. Peter Kissinger, president of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety:

When you assess a situation as dangerous, don’t hesitate to call it in to the police.

  1. Take the high road. If a driver makes an obscene gesture, don’t respond in kind—it will only escalate the situation. In fact, avoid eye contact altogether.
  2. Give them space. Let angry drivers get well ahead of you, or change lanes.
  3. Don’t give them a reason to be angry. Are you driving too slowly in the left lane? Did you cut off other cars or take 15 seconds to notice the light was green? If you’re guilty, give an apologetic shrug or wave, or mouth “Sorry.” (Here are 13 driving tips you’ve probably forgotten since driver’s ed.)
  4. Report it. “We’re not advocates of using cell phones if you’re behind the wheel,” Kissinger says, “but in a situation where you think there is a dangerous driver, don’t hesitate to call the police.”

Now that you know how to deal with road rage, check out these car gadgets that make driving safer.

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Originally Published on Reader's Digest