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Rage on wheels
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Does your blood boil when you are edged out and abused by a driver? Or do you give as good as you get, even becoming violent in the process? Read on to find out the potential hazards of the `road rage' phenomenon...
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SMUGLY SEATED behind the wheel of your car, you start to switch lanes. Out of the blue, a car overtakes you, forcing you to swerve back. You are shocked and irritated. Just as you control your impulse to yell, the driver of the other car honks and gestures offensively. You still haven't recovered from the feeling of being in peril and there you are being insulted and provoked. Adrenalin floods your body and emergency hormones push you to aggression. Welcome to the `road rage' phenomenon.
Though there has been no agreed-upon definition, people use the phrase `road rage' to refer to an extreme state of anger that often precipitates aggressive behaviour, sometimes restricted to words and gestures, and which, at other times, takes the form of an assault.
A host of factors are responsible for the aggressive behaviour. These dark and volatile emotions affect some people more than they do others, but what needs to be recognised first is that they can affect anyone at any time.
Says Pradeep Gopal, who heads a software firm, "Anger is sometimes energising, even exhilarating. Venting rage behind the wheel is cathartic. But it does not validate hostility or incivility."
Gopal points to the "seductive power of anger, of the delusion that it is uncontrollable, triggered automatically and that we are not responsible when it comes out all of a sudden". "In reality, the triggering stimulus is merely the sudden realisation of being in danger. Someone cuts us off and we hit the brakes. As the foot moves, the brain reacts simultaneously and prepares for the worst. This is the moment of choice. It is a free choice and its outcome depends on the symbolic value we attach to the event. If we attach the event to our self-esteem, we may go down the road of rage, feeling insulted and wronged. But there is another choice that is available to us at that precarious moment -- the choice of letting go. The problem is not actually the absence of self-esteem, but an utter lack of self-restraint."
Our city has not yet confronted `road rage' of the magnitude of that seen in metros such as Delhi where a driver was shot at by another, consumed by rage. However, instances of hostile exchanges, which could take a turn for the worse, are not infrequent in our city too.
What triggers off `road rage'? "Rude gestures, failure to yield to merging traffic, flashing high beams at other drivers, turning without signalling, unnecessary honking of the horn or driving far too slowly - all these might irk you," says E. P. Namboodiri, a chartered accountant.
Few of us can claim not to have faced such hostile encounters. "Mostly, the incidents don't come out into the open or are ignored. We get used to them and consider them normal. But we run a risk each time because it's not possible to predict which little incident will turn vicious," Namboodiri adds.
The cumulative effect of our daily encounters with hostility has toughened us and promoted a culture of mutual disrespect on the road, says Baton Joseph, a psychiatrist. "Driving incidents are capable of producing powerful feelings and irrational thought sequences. Driving is a dramatic activity performed by millions on a daily basis. The drama stems from high risk and unpredictability. Driving has conflicting structural components in predictability and unpredictability. Predictability creates safety, security, and escape from disaster. Unpredictability creates danger, stress, and crashes."
Why are more and more people prone to aggressive behaviour on the road these days? Road rage runs rampant in high-stress societies. The pace of modern life is maddening, and all are in a great urgency to reach their destination fast.
Kuriakose, owner of a boutique in the city, attributes the "strange conduct" of drivers and pedestrians to "cinema and TV that teach that vigilante behaviour, even that which harms others, is virtuous and heroic".
He explains that dysfunctional driving style has two complementary elements -- one is an extraordinary anxiety to avoid slowing down. The other is the consequent anger against anyone who causes a slowdown. "In this mental state, we are perpetually anxious on the road, berating ourselves for being slow, late and behind others. This mental attitude creates impulsive driving that is unpredictable and difficult for other drivers to read."
For many, driving is linked to a value of freedom. "On one hand, we can get into cars and drive where we want to, the very symbol of freedom and independence. But on the other hand, we encounter restrictions such as road regulations, congestion, and the unexpected action of other motorists," says Jayalaksmi, a professor at the N. S. S. College, Karamana.
Driving is a social activity that requires constant and instant cooperation between strangers. "So we need to be sensitive to each other in order to anticipate what other drivers are likely to do," points out Valerie Rodriguez, a Goan settled in the city. "Things are harsher when one is a woman driver."
Even the best and most experienced drivers have problems managing negative emotions. Many drivers believe that expressing anger is their right and retaliation is unavoidable.
People justify aggression by fabricating an illogical sequence. There is a feeling of being `right' in the show of aggression.
One sure sign of high road rage tendency is the strong desire to let the other person know what you feel.
Says Viju Krishnamurthy, a lawyer who also happens to be a self-confessed `road rager', "When I'm driving along heavy traffic and am in a hurry, I get irritated if I get into a slow moving lane."
Psychologists say there is no excuse for the dangerous behaviour exhibited on the road. They describe road rage as a "mental disorder".
The answer to this problem lies in understanding the biology of violence.
Understanding the brain, behaviour and environment can help break the vicious cycle of aggression.
The solutions to road rage include driver education, warnings or tickets from law enforcement officers and refresher driving courses for adults.
It is said that the character of the residents of a city is reflected in the manner its traffic moves.
When people lack the cardinal three Cs -- care, courtesy and consideration -- road rage bares its ugly teeth.
And remember, with all the haste to reach the destination, we would not have gained more than a minute or two.
If provoked, a good idea would be not to react. Take a deep breath and mentally count from one to 10.
ROOPA NAIR
Graphics: Sasikumar
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