Are we hard wired to get angry / road rage?
Discussion
Are we just pre-wired to get road rage?
I was just driving along, went past a bicyclist who was riding on the pavement, i indicate to turn left, 5 seconds later begin my turn, I see the cyclist beginning to ride down the lowered kerb for pedestrians to cross and is about to go into my path when I sound my horn and slow down, she stops too, though has already gone onto the road and so stops alongside the front of my car.
I lower my window as she is gesticulating angrily at me, I tell her to not drive on the pavement and to look before crossing a road, she tells me she already looked, then suddenly in autopilot I tell her to p
s off, or words to that effect, which is something I'd never normally do. Certainly not to someone I don't know or who hasn't been rude to me.
I wasn't particularly angry, it was stupid what she did but I saw it coming so was careful, and it would only have been herself she injured. If this was any other aspect of life I would have never come close to swearing, but for some reason when it's on the road (especially involving cars vs bicycles) all control is lost.
I was just driving along, went past a bicyclist who was riding on the pavement, i indicate to turn left, 5 seconds later begin my turn, I see the cyclist beginning to ride down the lowered kerb for pedestrians to cross and is about to go into my path when I sound my horn and slow down, she stops too, though has already gone onto the road and so stops alongside the front of my car.
I lower my window as she is gesticulating angrily at me, I tell her to not drive on the pavement and to look before crossing a road, she tells me she already looked, then suddenly in autopilot I tell her to p
s off, or words to that effect, which is something I'd never normally do. Certainly not to someone I don't know or who hasn't been rude to me.I wasn't particularly angry, it was stupid what she did but I saw it coming so was careful, and it would only have been herself she injured. If this was any other aspect of life I would have never come close to swearing, but for some reason when it's on the road (especially involving cars vs bicycles) all control is lost.
rohrl said:
The roads are too busy.
Put one or two rats in a cage and they'll be happy enough. Fill that same cage to the brim with rats and they'll be less happy, to the point of fighting each other.
But people don't get as aggressive in crowded situations involving pedestrians - you don't often see people shouting at each other in busy shopping centres.Put one or two rats in a cage and they'll be happy enough. Fill that same cage to the brim with rats and they'll be less happy, to the point of fighting each other.
Seems a particularly odd thing to be angry about because had the cyclist been on the road, you would have to give them priority anyway; and had it been anyone else on the pavement you would have had to give them priority because a pedestrian crossing a side-road has priority over a car turning into it if the pedestrian steps into the road before the car enters the side-road.
kambites said:
rohrl said:
The roads are too busy.
Put one or two rats in a cage and they'll be happy enough. Fill that same cage to the brim with rats and they'll be less happy, to the point of fighting each other.
But people don't get as aggressive in crowded situations involving pedestrians - you don't often see people shouting at each other in busy shopping centres.Put one or two rats in a cage and they'll be happy enough. Fill that same cage to the brim with rats and they'll be less happy, to the point of fighting each other.
kambites said:
But people don't get as aggressive in crowded situations involving pedestrians - you don't often see people shouting at each other in busy shopping centres.
I would quite happily have physically assaulted at least five or six people in the Trafford Centre yesterday.Because I'm not a sociopath, I didn't, but the irritation was there. Add the "invincibility" factor of being in a big metal box, and lots of people struggle to contain their anger.
I didn't feel angry, just was perhaps more rude than I would have normally been if it was not in a car situation. Which I don't have any idea why. If someone bumped into me in the street my automatic reaction would be to apologise.
As I said, I saw the whole thing happening so had slowed down just in case the inevitable happened, so it wasn't really dangerous at any point.
As I said, I saw the whole thing happening so had slowed down just in case the inevitable happened, so it wasn't really dangerous at any point.
I wonder if part of it is the fact that we have such a rigid set of rules on the roads; this could lead people to believe they have a "right" to expect other people to obey the rules (even if they don't do so themselves) and hence they feel their rights are being infringed upon when someone doesn't?
Anger comes from a variety of places. Anger can simply manifest from tiredness, subconscious worries, external factors from the day, surprised instances. Many argue that it is in our nature and other state that it is nurture, or could be learnt behaviour from peers, parents, upbringing, hence psychological. It could also be down to diet, medication, or other biological factors. It can also be a social issue from (like I said above) scenarios, relationship situations, preconceived ideas of hierarchy and so on. It can also be a biopsychosocial instance.
Therefore, anger cannot be associated to just one thing and cannot necessarily be attributed to a group thought per se.
.....and so on.
Therefore, anger cannot be associated to just one thing and cannot necessarily be attributed to a group thought per se.
.....and so on.
sealtt said:
Are we just pre-wired to get road rage?
Are you hoping to convince yourself we are so you don't have to feel guilty?I've done stuff like that as well. Say "this is not the person I am", learn from it, don't do it again. And if by freakish chance you see her again tomorrow, get out and apologise.
kambites said:
I wonder if part of it is the fact that we have such a rigid set of rules on the roads; this could lead people to believe they have a "right" to expect other people to obey the rules (even if they don't do so themselves) and hence they feel their rights are being infringed upon when someone doesn't?
I agree with this. Before I got to this post, there were words like "entitlement" and "rules" popping into my head.Kenny6868 said:
I think the security of a big metal box around you makes you feel braver than you would if you were outside of the car and so you are more likely to mouth off about something.
A stressful journey doesn't help either. I think it makes you more likely to vent in a road rage fashion.
Sometimes I think it is like when a dog gets all cocky because its under a blanket, some people do seem very quick to resort to very aggressive behavior almost because they feel they should, something to be offended by. A stressful journey doesn't help either. I think it makes you more likely to vent in a road rage fashion.
We had someone blowing his horn and gesticulating as my son was trying to negotiate a very busy roundabout (where nobody indicates) whilst he was learning to drive, L plates displayed. I got out of the car and walked to the drivers window and gestured for him to wind the window down, he was initially very aggressive, I politely explained the meaning of the L plate and that it was hard enough for a new driver to negotiate the roundabout without being intimidated or distracted by the driver of the car behind, I suggested it may take longer if he continued his distracting racket and perhaps he might like to keep quiet for a minute, which to be fair, he did but he still felt the need to offer a single fingered gesture when he eventually went past, which was disappointing.
I did make the point to my son that despite that pressure and his aggression, you will never see that a
hole again and it is infinitely preferable to getting rattled and having an accident because of Billy Blood Pressure in his 5 series who would just ps off anyway, he doesn't matter one iota.Someone said on here, dont let knobheads become part of your future, just avoid them.
I think the thing is, if i were the cyclist i would have looked before crossing the road, same if i were a pedestrian.
But then again, you don't know what the other person is going through in life, could have just been fired with their minds on other things/cant afford christmas with eyeballs of debt... where do you stop!
it does annoy me when i see bad driving, but im sure we have all done something silly when not concentrating... we are only Human!
But then again, you don't know what the other person is going through in life, could have just been fired with their minds on other things/cant afford christmas with eyeballs of debt... where do you stop!
it does annoy me when i see bad driving, but im sure we have all done something silly when not concentrating... we are only Human!
I don't know about hard wired for road rage, but other road users can really get on ones nerves.. It's occured to me before whilst shouting at some fking dhead who's cut me up, or is dawdling, that actually this person is most probably a perfectly nice human being.
When driving though, nearly everyone else seems like a fking retarded dog nobber
king dhead who's cut me up, or is dawdling, that actually this person is most probably a perfectly nice human being.When driving though, nearly everyone else seems like a f
king retarded dog nobberGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff