WHO? ME? AGGRESSIVE DRIVER?

DRIVE SMART - DRIVE SAFE DRIVE WITH PACKS
PACKS =Patience-Awareness-Courtesy-Knowledge-Skill

Safe drivers learn to understand and respond to road dangers when an aggressive driver is in their vicinity. Safe drivers also look in the mirror and see an aggressive driver or just an occasional “get even” driver. Is one of those you? ”Who, me?” "Maybe once in a while when some guy cuts me off. Or maybe once in a while when someone is pushy and tries to get me to move out of his way so he can go speeding by. Nah! I’m not an aggressive driver. Do I close the gap when someone signals that he wants to get into my lane? Never! Hah! Well, maybe sometimes." The inability on the part of many drivers to allow a car to get into the line of traffic ahead of them, is AGGRESSIVE DRIVING. Safe drivers put themselves in danger by inappropriate responses to other drivers’ takeover of road space.

Webster’s definition of aggression is, “hostile, injurious, or destructive behavior or outlook, esp. when caused by frustration.”

Both the safe driver and the aggressive driver have to know that aggressive driving is a crash waiting to happen. Aggressive drivers, though they may not be looking for trouble, learn soon enough that trouble will find them. Simply, when you drive aggressively, you are not a safe driver.

This brings me to point out that we are not always the same nor do we always act in the same manner. When a normally placid person who works in a job situation that causes him frustration leaves his place of work and gets behind the wheel of his car, he finds himself in total control of his universe. That normally placid person may become a very aggressive driver who needs to work out the frustrations that were generated during his work day. He becomes an aggressive driver. A a person may be angry at some happening or a fight with someone and they vent their anger on the road. There are many reasons for aggressive driving – none of them good reasons !

Safe drivers must learn which driving behaviors of others upset them and make them angry and lead them to drive in an unsafe and aggressive manner. So the safe driver, being an aware driver, not only recognizes the behavior of the aggressive driver, but also recognizes his own internal aggressive responses to what that driver is doing. He overcomes those natural responses and habituates himself to not mimic the behavior of aggressive drivers. The safe driver will choose to remain safe on the road. The need for the safe driver is not to understand the psychology of the aggressive driver but rather to understand his own psychology, to understand the pulls on his driving behavior that are roused by the aggressive driver and by the actions of other drivers on the road.

Are you listening to me! Have I put you to sleep with this lecture? Wake up and live!

Safe drivers teach themselves the habits of patience, awareness, courtesy, knowledge, and skill; driving by not responding to the aggressive driver's behavior, by not trying to show the aggressive driver how to drive correctly, by not engaging in the games of an aggressive driver, by not trying to teach an aggressive driver the speed limit by getting in front of him and slowing down.

By mimicking an aggressive driver's behavior on the road, safe drivers are exposing themselves to highly dangerous situations created by aggressive drivers. For example, seeing the excessive speed of an aggressive driver, you, the safe driver, may lose good judgment and decide to keep up with her. An aggressive driver weaving in and out of traffic seems to be inviting safe drivers to follow him. If you do, you too are inviting a crash. When you are being tailgated, do you slow down, inviting the tailgater to drive even closer to your rear bumper. Is it an emotional response? It certainly isn’t a brainy response.

So, the rule is, when usually safe drivers become aggressive, they are increasing the danger for themselves and for others and they cease to be safe drivers.

Uncle PACKSman

Quick Tip: When you are being tailgated, turn on your emergency flashers and maintain speed.







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