Don’t lose your cool when faced with road rage
Written by: Fuel Card Services, Last updated:11th August 2020
The end of the summer is fast approaching and that means a last chance for drivers to get out and about in the sunshine. It’s a busy time of year for travellers, so there are more cars on the roads and that can, ultimately, mean tempers get frayed.
With this in mind, GEM Motoring Assist has offered some helpful advice on how to deal with irate road users – we’ve all been face to face with road rage, but keeping your cool is essential.
Don’t get drawn in
When faced with another driver who’s less than serene, GEM road safety officer Neil Worth advises:
- Keep calm and show restraint: Avoid using your horn or making gestures in anger; this will only antagonise others.
- Resist the urge to ‘get even’: Even if the standard of someone else’s driving is sub-par, don’t feel the need to educate or rebuke them.
- Say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’: Courtesy goes a long way, so always remember to show appreciation to other road users and apologise for your own mistakes.
- Move away from trouble: If push comes to shove, move away from any potential confrontation and don’t be tempted to engage.
Mr Worth concluded: “Most of us will have some experience of being on the receiving end of someone else’s aggression. Thankfully, violent and unprovoked attacks are rare, but it pays to be observant and if possible to recognise signs of trouble at their earliest stages.”
Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “With busy roads come a great deal of frustration, but knowing how to defuse a potentially volatile situation will ensure you avoid becoming the subject of others’ anger.”
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