How To Avoid Road Rage

Step 1: Check yourself

While someone's response to your actions may be out of order, it's important to make sure you're not behaving in a way that is guaranteed to annoy your fellow drivers. Before you get in the car, take a moment to de-stress. Do some stretching and breathing exercises, try to leave your problems in the car park.

Step 2: Be respectful

Once you're in your car, try to remember that you are not the most important person on the road. Don't allow yourself to get away with things that would annoy you if someone else did them to you. What may feel like a 'cheeky little manouvre' can come across as a piece of selfish, disrespectful driving.

Step 3: Cutting people up.

Being cut up is one of the most infuriating things that can happen on the road, and you should always take care to avoid it. Use your indicators to show your intentions before making a move, and make sure you have plenty of room. If you do accidentally cut someone up, apologise immediately…the best recognised way of doing this is to hold one hand up at about head height for a couple of seconds, like so....

Step 4: Steer Clear.

If you see someone driving aggressively, just try and stay out of their way. You don't know what their state of mind is, and what stresses and strains they are dealing with. Do not hold your ground! This will only infuriate them. A driver who is visibly stresses or aggressive is more likely to "snap" and become confrontational.

Step 5: Gestures.

Almost nothing makes another driver angrier than an obscene gesture. Keep your hands on the wheel. Avoid making any gestures that might anger another driver, even "harmless" expressions of irritation like shaking your head can be misunderstood.

Step 6: Don't Engage.

An angry driver can't start a fight unless you are willing to join in. You can protect yourself against aggressive drivers by refusing to become angry at them. Eye contact can make a bit of poor driving into a personal affront, so don't look at aggressive drivers, just ignore them. Do not under any circumstances pull over and try to sort things out “man-to-man.”

Step 7: Get Help.

If you think another driver is following you get help. Do not get out of your car and definitely don't drive home. Instead drive to a place where there are people around, such as a police station or a busy local pub, stop, and then use your horn to get someone's attention. Once stopped you can call 999 safely. This will usually discourage an aggressor.
If the aggressor gets out of the car and challenges you then lock all the car doors, wind up the windows and stay in the car. Wait until they either drive away or help arrives