Road rage, the display of angry and aggressive behavior by a driver, is all too common in Los Angeles. As Los Angeles accident attorneys, those of us here at Steinberg Injury Lawyers often deal with repercussions from some of the worst and most tragic instances of road rage.  The truth about road rage is that while everyone experiences it at some time or another, whether exhibiting it or on the receiving end of it, road rage is entirely preventable. In fact, there are some common-sense precautions you can take both before and after you get behind the wheel that will help you to control your emotions while driving. Here are a few tips to follow so that you don’t let road rage overtake you behind the wheel.

If you’re feeling emotional, take a breather before you start the car.

While this seems so practical that it hardly deserves a mention, many of us have an unfortunate tendency to storm off in our cars when provoked into anger. This is understandable. On the one hand, we’re typically escaping a situation we don’t want to be in in the first place. On the other hand, it also feels good to peel out of a driveway and put the pedal to the metal, so to speak. However, doing so can drastically increase the likelihood that we will end up taking out our frustrations on drivers or even pedestrians we encounter while driving. Instead, when you’re about to drive angry, force yourself to sit still behind the wheel for a few minutes until you’re able to control your emotions – and your driving.

Expect other drivers to make mistakes.

Even when we start off calm on a drive, it’s easy to get flustered when other drivers cut us off, tail us too closely, or swerve into our lane. The fact of the matter is, no driver is perfect and that includes ourselves. When we expect other drivers to make mistakes we are better able to watch out for them, and we are less likely to get angry and aggressive in response.

Listen to music or a podcast to center yourself.

No one has to tell us how bad Los Angeles traffic gets. In fact, it probably contributes to road rage more than any other factor, including individual driver behavior. When you feel like traffic is getting the worst of your emotions, try turning on music you like or a podcast you enjoy listening to. This will help you relax and center yourself so that you are less likely to lash out at others (who, let’s remember, are also stuck in traffic!).

With so many incidents of road rage, it’s no wonder that Los Angeles experiences a high rate of traffic accidents and injuries. If you’ve been involved in an accident, whether from road rage or otherwise, you should call the Los Angeles accident attorneys at Steinberg Injury Lawyers today for a free consultation. Our number is 1-800-350-8888 and we are here to help. 

Peter Steinberg
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Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Since 1982
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