Road rage is common on our roads. Most of us would say that we have been victims of road rage or witnessed an incident of this type while driving. This anecdotal evidence is supported by fact. During the past six months, tailgating and overtaking have increased by 65 per cent, according to a survey published by this newspaper.
Few of us would admit to being the aggressor in a road rage incident, and of those who do, I suspect most would justify their actions by blaming the high volume of traffic or the searing temperature for causing them to blow a fuse. Some psychologists say that road rage could be attributed to a psychological disorder. My personal experience shows a different point of view.
A few months ago, I was driving my new car and was trying to change lanes to get to a nearby exit. Unfortunately, the car behind me tailgated my car and prevented me from moving across to the junction, meaning I missed my exit. I was outraged and slowed my speed. A few seconds later, the car behind – the one that had been tailgating me – collided with mine. Thankfully, no was one injured, but my car’s rear was damaged and so was the other car’s front bumper.
I tried to take away some lessons from what had happened. I asked myself: what if I had lost control of my vehicle and hit an innocent person’s car? What if I had been injured? These questions made me vow to change the way I conduct myself on the roads.
A few weeks after the accident, I received a phone call from the authorised dealer for my car. The dealer informed me that my car needed to be recalled due to a software glitch in the taillights. Asking them what was the fault, they replied that my indicators were not working properly.
Shocked, I recalled the accident I had been involved with. Overwhelmed by what I had heard, the first thing I did was ask myself how many times we have wrongly interpreted someone else’s actions? And how many times we assume things and react in an aggressive way?
While some psychologists believe that many road ragers could have a psychological disorder, I believe that most of these incidents are caused by miscommunication.
Driving, like most of our daily activities, involves communication. Many argue that the authorities should use strict laws against those guilty of road rage. However, I believe that we, as citizens and residents of this country, should develop a positive driving culture alongside effective laws.
Gestures such as waving hands could allow drivers to change lanes during heavy traffic. Another technique is to say “thank you” by using your hazard lights when another road user gives way or lets you in at a junction.
Other than developing a positive driving culture, we can simply use more sophisticated road safety techniques.
Authorities in Dubai recently introduced a system designed to limit the chances of tailgating, which is the most common aggression on the road. Sensors will be fixed to taxis. When a taxi tailgates a car, a message will be sent through the radio to tell the driver to back away and keep a safe distance.
If we were to apply this same system to all cars as a safety measure, reminding drivers to keep the correct distance, we could limit the number of accidents associated with tailgating.
Finally, I would say that we should communicate before we decide, think before we react and not always assume the worst of people. It is our responsibility to develop a positive driving culture and to ensure the safety of the roads that our loved ones use.
Roudha AlShehhi is an Emirati researcher interested in social issues
