Avoiding Car Wrecks — Don’t Let Road Rage Come Back To Hurt You

There was a horrific accident in Temple recently, and investigators are now attributing the victim’s injuries to a case of road rage.

According to a report in the Temple Daily Telegram, a tractor trailer pulled into a lane in front of a motorcycle.  The motorcyclist was apparently upset.  The rider pulled into the center lane, passed the truck, made a hand gesture, pulled in front of the truck and then hit the brakes.  Unfortunately, the truck couldn’t stop in time, and the truck hit the motorcyclist.

While it seems ridiculous, this type of road rage seems to be more and more common.  Newton Hightower, a Houston author and director of The Center for Anger Resolution, found these road rage statistics:

• Aggressive driving may be a factor in 50% of auto crashes.
• A Gallup poll reported that motorists are more concerned about road rage than about drunk driving.
• The problem is getting worse, with problems growing about 7% per year.

If you’re out on the freeway and someone does something that makes you mad, don’t let them hurt you twice.  Don’t respond in a way that creates a danger to you and to others.