Impatience on roads - Research Paper Example

? Topic: Road Rage: Why and how normally patient people become impatient behind the steering wheel Introduction Driving is an art, well people definitely believe so and they are not wrong in believing that way. Driving is definitely an art, and one who is proficient in this art is very well the master of the roads. But when thinking of roads jammed with high traffic, only being a master of roads would not do the job. In today’s world, the efficiency of driving mostly depends on the driver as well as the driving techniques he profess. Good and bad driving is a part and parcel of roads and highways, and controlling one’s senses is the best practice when it comes to avoid reckless driving. When we discuss about reckless driving, the most important thing to be thrown light upon is the patience possessed by the person sitting behind the steering wheels. Normally, when a person is in a hurry to get to a place, he hardly thinks about safety and puts most of the people on the road on risk alert. There are many men who drive recklessly to reach a destination, and in this effort he never thinks twice about the people riding along with him safely on the road. Here the people who are cautious and alert have to pay the price for no fault of theirs. According to (Mesriani)“Aggressive drivers pose a high risk to other motorists, their reckless and impatient driving behavior can cause collisions, crashes and property damage as they pass on the right, make hand and facial gestures, scream, honk and flash their lights”. Why drivers get impatient while driving? The main and the very obvious danger of impatient driving is very well the accidents and ravage it causes to public on the road. One of the biggest frustrating facts is that, the people driving impatiently become selfish and solely think on their motive by ignoring all other drivers on the road. They take extreme tactics while driving to reach their final destinations, and others who drive along meet with accidents and unwanted tensions. In (Swift Cover) it is written that, “One of the biggest areas of frustration is on the highway where drivers who tailgate, cut-up others, talk on their phones or don't let cars out at busy junctions, drive the rest of us crazy. Ironically this frustration not only makes us impatient, it can trigger anti-social behavior”. The lack of patience is a very annoying attitude of drivers as they put all the drivers on the road at risk. Driving is a very risky affair and if the drivers are not careful and patient enough, they can end up both himself and other parties in disastrous situation. It is not necessary that a patient who is behind the steering wheel is necessarily an impatient person in real life. The reason could be that some people get irritated and restless of other drivers on the road and get impatient .In the same way,if a person is in an immediate rush to reach a place or in an emergency, then he might end up being impatient and anxious. Most probably people with abundant patience get impatient while driving because the vehicle could not be moved as indented by the driver .In the motion process, if hurdles come on the way any person could grow impatient and end up abusing and yelling at the other drivers. If a person regards the safety rules and law of driving and ride the car smoothly and suddenly encounters with a couple of reckless drivers he can get frustrated and restless and can drive in an ill mannered fashion. It is more or less connected with psychology than physiology as a person get nerve wretched, as he finds that other drivers are not driving as cautiously and patiently as him. If a man or woman who is very calculative and patient enters a road with a highly busy traffic, and finds that most of the drivers are riding their cars in a dangerous way, he can grow impatient .When a man gets behind a steering, wheel his whole behavior changes and a kind of empowerment shadows him and he gets in this adventurous kind of attitude. As per (Tasca)“The motor car offers man a tremendous increase of power and by identification it becomes the driver's own power and will which are thus multiplied”. A person mostly tend to think that period of driving is not a part of his real life but some thrilling experience of unrealistic nature. So when a person is undergoing this thrillful experience and someone obstructs him in it , he ruthlessly becomes impatient and revengeful. The specific behavior causing impatience in drivers There is some specific behavior by drivers, which causes many people to go impatient while behind the steering wheel. Tailgating: Tailgating is a driving process in which a vehicle comes so close to the vehicle in front that it causes difficulty for other driver. This is a very dangerous practice as this kind of driving can cause collision .Tailgating is a very common practice on roads worldwide, and little is done by traffic police on such cases. Swift lane changing: This is an act of changing lanes in and out several times while driving by creating troublesome time for other drivers on the track. It is kind of street race, wherein lane changers tend to show their mightiness on the road. Usually chronic and horrendous drivers indulge in such practices causing immense trouble for other people on the road. Driving on the road shoulder: Driving vehicle on the road shoulder is not a good practice as it can cause harm to pedestrians and motorists .Also it can induce collection of debris or garbage by vehicle from road shoulders and create disturbance in driving. According to (Garcia)“Highway shoulders are designated for emergency use only, not for driving, and certainly, not for passing. They exist for disabled vehicles, stranded motorists, and other emergency situations” Speed Driving: Excessive ; Speed while driving is a major concern of today’s drivers and this has been causing more than countable accidents and fatality across the globe. Abnormal speed causes annoyance, hostility and physical harm to the people on road. Psychology related to Impatient Driving It is believed that stress is a main culprit behind reckless attitude and impatience displayed during driving. In the driving process a person make use of his cognitive process and prevalence of stress can induce complication and make changes in his controlling and thinking ability of a driver. The stress also develops anger among the people behind the steering and lead to poor driving and collisions. On road, drivers mostly experience lack of control as they are acting in a limited space and if this is added with stress can give way to disastrous outcome. “The lack of control is frustrating and stress - producing and tends to lead to drivers’ vending their anger on whoever is around – another driver, or a passenger, pedestrian, construction worker or government official”(Rothe,22). It is a known fact that, how much ever safely and smoothly one ride a vehicle, beating the traffic jams is inevitable. Most of the time, accidents and collision can occur for no mistake of people. Normally, people are very over protective of their vehicle and even a scratch can cost them time and money. Usually, people get aggressive and impatient when there is emergence of risky situation, as they become helpless to protect their vehicle. Evidently, it is a psychological act of protecting their vehicle and also showing of their ego which results in driver getting anxious and impatient on the road. Despite our continuous effort, fatalities on road and accidents only have continued to rise. Generally people are today more impatient and this attribute of people have resulted in extreme loss of life and innumerable traffic injuries on the road. Conclusion In general, driving a vehicle is an amazing experience, but when other drivers on the road drive senselessly and impatiently things can take a devious turn. Most people if not all, turn impatient once they get back the steering wheel and reasons for it can be many. There are obviously more external factors influencing patience rather than the personality trait or characteristic of the specific driver. Additional to this, the modern man is impatient and he cannot wait for anything to happen.So when these restless souls get on the road, they become all the more impatient with the adventurous vehicle and road at their play. Driving is a means by which most people built their self –confidence and for some being impatient while driving is a natural phenomena. For youngsters and people in adulthood, driving is a feeling of power and fulfilling their desire to be in a place at a chosen time limit. Everyone aims at achieving success in a quick time, and when it comes to driving people are thrilled, confident and adventurous, which make it a risky sport. According to (Dichter,303) “Car is a tool of success and symbol of achievement in everyday life of a person. Every financial or social development is normally translated in to a car”. Moreover, when men and women are driving, they also test their ability in conquering the roads and keeping in the control the automotive vehicle. If they ride the car faster, they assume that they are the kings and queens of the highways and bother less about the negativity of impatient driving. Bibliography Dichter, Ernest. The strategy of desire. 2ned.,. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 2004. 303. Print. Garcia, Ernest. "Passing On The Shoulder A Dangerous Risk To Take ." www.kshighwaypatrol.blogspo t.com. KS Highway Patrol, 27-04-2010. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . Mesriani, Rodney. "Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Cause Accidents." www.caraccidentattorn eys.com. Expert Hub, 2011. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . Rothe, John. Driving lessons: exploring systems that make traffic safer. 1sted.,. Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press, 2002. 22. Print Swift Cover, . "Nearly one in ten men have caused accidents with their impatient driving." www.swiftcover.com. Finanacial Services Authority, 07-12-2009. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . Tasca, Leo. "A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON AGGRESSIVE DRIVING RESEARCH." www.aggressive.drivers.com. Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 1969. Web. 20 Apr 2011. . Read More