As I was saying...
It's easy to distinguish between a friendly challenge (revving, smiles, etc) and outright aggression (tailgating, slamming on brakes in front of you, etc). Sometimes we find ourselves in aggressive encounters such as this. They may not even start out as our own choices; there are jerks out there who will act aggressively towards us, just because we drive a nice car. Yes, that sucks! But each of us can to decide how to deal with it, and the likely outcome in doing so.
Once you see someone exhibiting aggressive behavior on the road, commonly known as "road rage", and particularly when that behavior is directed
at you, it is up to you to decide how to deal with it. Once you realize that you are in such a confrontation - even if you did nothing to warrant it - there are things that you can do that are likely to be perceived as responding to the individual, and there are things that you can do that are likely to be perceived as not responding to him. This is your choice, and knowing how your actions are likely to be perceived can help you determine the likely outcome. If you do something that is likely to be perceived as a direct response, the aggressor may feel a need to react even more strongly to your actions, and the situation may escalate in a way that may be beyond your control, such as if he forces you off the road or pulls a gun. Yes, it happens, and people have been killed in road rage incidents. So think carefully about how you want to react, and what is more important to you - "showing him up" vs arriving home safely with your car and yourself.
When I am driving my car, and I see someone acting aggressively and trying to provoke me into reacting, and I wish to avoid a confrontation, there are three things I do:
1. Stay away. That means staying in other traffic, or keeping at least a few cars in between mine and his.
2. Move with traffic. That means doing what the other cars on the road are doing, driving at the same speed, and basically not doing anything that could be perceived as a reaction to his antics, such as speeding past him.
3. Stay behind him, preferably with some distance between you. In any encounter, you have all the options if you are behind another car. You can watch him at a safe distance and see any unexpected moves. You can take a turn or exit after he has committed to going straight. (In fact, you can take an exit, and get right back on the highway a minute later, and unless you drive fast enough to overtake other traffic, you're unlikely to see him again.)
Here are some other tips about how to avoid being a victim of road rage, from the
AAA Foundation website (and notice the bolded part, which is the precise point I had made previously):
The risks of driving alone can be exaggerated -- be sensible about your safety but don't be afraid to drive on your own. However, if you feel threatened by another motorist, the following gives advice on how to defuse the situation or protect yourself:
- If you're being hassled by another driver, try not to react. Avoid making eye contact, as this is often seen as confrontational. Don't be tempted to accelerate, brake, or swerve suddenly; again, this may be seen as confrontational and increases your chances of losing control of your vehicle.
- If a driver continues to hassle you or you think you are being followed, drive on to the nearest police station or busy place to get help.
- In town, lock the car doors and keep the windows and sunroof only partly open.
- When stopped in traffic, leave enough space to pull out from behind the car you are following.
- If someone tries to get into your car, attract attention by sounding your horn or a personal alarm.
- Do not be tempted to start a fight and do not be tempted to carry any sort of weapon. It may only provoke a potential assailant and could end up in his or her hands.
Be safe out there, and bring it home in one piece. There are already too many wrecked NSXs in the world.
Just want to see if anything like that happened to some of us here?
