Road Rage: It's Not Just for City Slickers!

It's not surprising to read about yet another LA road rage incident. Recently a Van Nuys man was charged with four felony counts for shooting another driver on the perpetually crowded and crawling 101 freeway. The suspect has been charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon. (CBS 2)

But in the gorgeous Matanuska valley (just over the hill from Sarah Palin's home town of Wasilia), road rage flares, too.

WILLOW — Alaska State Troopers say a driver suffering from road rage flashed a gun at another motorist and ended up in jail.

The call reporting the incident came in at 1:40 p.m. Friday. Troopers say Perry Breeding, 36, of Willow, was southbound near Mile 75 Parks Highway when he and another motorist both passed the same slow-moving vehicle.

“Breeding became upset with the other driver and started tailgating him at a high rate of speed and making obscene gestures toward the other driver,” troopers wrote.

He also waived a gun at the other driver.

Clearly, road rage is not just a product of environment. I've driven both highways on numerous occasions. As ugly and depressing as the 101 is, Park Highway, through Willow, is beautiful and uplifting.

Rage is not about what happens to us, about the circumstance we're in; rage is what happens when we cling to angry thoughts about how we have been wronged.

Road rage is the product of an angry mind. Clearly, using anger management skills could have prevented either situation from occurring. How much better life would be if we all had learned basic anger management skills as a part of growing up. Until that day, however, anybody can benefit from an anger management class.

Road Rage & Bumper Stickers

A study by Colorado State University social psychologist William Szlemko found drivers of cars with bumper stickers, window decals, personalized license plates and other "territorial markers" are more likely to be aggressive drivers.

It's a pity. Granted, one needn't be a genius to put a sticker on your bumper (as those still driving around with Bush 04 stickers prove), but personalizing a car, especially with a clever plate, seems more interesting.

This study supports the notion that IQ isn't enough. No matter how smart a person in this society is, no matter how creative, chances are that they've never learned the skills to handle anger well. And this translates to rage and tragedy.

I recently spoke with a person whose spouse had pursued another vehicle, resulting in a crash that killed their teenage daughter. Both parents are thoughtful people with plenty of psychological growth experiences. But neither had learned the skills of assertive communication or adequately developed their emotional intelligence.

Anger Management; consisting of understanding anger, learning to manage stress (and today's traffic can be a stressor), developing emotional intelligence, and learning assertive communications; can free up the creativity and genius that goes wasted when good people road rage.