[jdasnt3]

Originally Posted by ChangerOfWays

Several years ago my office moved and my commute got a lot longer. During that time my road rage steadily grew - and so did my stress. Why don't people drive the way I drive? Why don't people drive the speed I want them to drive? I was very frustrated.

Finally one day I woke up and decided (or realized) it just wasn't worth it. I dreaded driving, and my stress levels were through the roof. And for what? So I could get to my destination minutes (more likely seconds) sooner? Just not worth it. Ever since, I have been much much happier about driving - even when I have to deal with the kinds of drivers you are complaining about.

One thing that helped me was to put myself in the shoes of other drivers. As mentioned above, maybe they are older. Perhaps they have had a bad day and are distracted (which is its own problem). Maybe they are a newer driver or are just not yet comfortable driving at the speeds you or I like to drive. I think back to the times when I had to drive with a very bad migraine, and I know for a fact I drove slower.

Fact is we all have to share the road together, and it is our responsibility to do so safely - getting angry and speeding past people aggressively just because they aren't driving the way you want them to is selfish, unsafe and not worth a possible accident. Truthfully, it also kind of makes you look like an a-hole. Even if you could have gotten to your destination 5 minutes sooner, is it worth the stress, anger and unsafe driving? No, it's not.

I know we drive fast cars, that beg to be driven faster - but when you encounter these situations, just chill out... breathe in... breathe out. Know that you will still get to where you're going.

Drive safe, and be excellent to each other.

Wise words indeed. It took me quite a while to learn this too. Especially when people that need to exit the highway and speed up in the left lane prior to swerving three lanes over and exiting. I guess their motto is “if you ain’t first, you’re last!” Of course, they only get to the bottom of the exit at the same time as the rest of us that drove slower and had the patience to stay in the right lane prior to the exit.