I am addicted to watching the local news as well as HLN on a week night basis, as far as television goes those are the most important things for me to watch. I am not big on keeping up with celebrities, I want to keep up with real life people. Lately one of the stories that keeps coming up is road rage, and I do not mean your racing and normal old school flip a person the finger road rage, I am talking extreme rage, violence behind the wheels that is causing pain to not only adults but to children as well.
There was a hammer attack during a road rage situation in Brockton, Massachusetts. What happened was there was a minor traffic incident where someone cut another person off and then when cutting them off again they crashed. Two men got out and beat a man in the head with a hammer, seriously?!. Read more here.
In another incident there was a mother driving a mini-van with a few kids in the back. Some guy was upset, from what I heard, that the woman didn’t take off from the red to green light fast enough and ended up shooting (a gun) into her van hitting a little 4 or 5 year old boy. The boy is fine, with no major damage from what the news covered if the bullet had been just a hair one way or the other it would have caused major damage to this little boy.
My Thoughts….
What is with all of the anger in society today? Is it lack of sleep? The need to get where we are going fast? A feeling that wherever we are going is more important than where someone else is going? The need for control?
I don’t really give a crap what the excuse is, I do feel this is completely wrong. People are going mad, crazy so to speak. I get it with lack of sleep your brain is unable to function and lack of sleep with long work hours is what is being blamed for a majority of road rage incidents. As if I wasn’t paranoid enough driving down the road with crazy drivers, I now have to fear for mine and my children’s life when taking a drive.
I am that mom in a mini-van, I am that mom with three kids in the back most days. I am that mom who drives no more than 5mph above the speed limit. I am that mom who may not move right away when the light turns green because I am looking real quick to ensure everyone else at the intersection has stopped for their red light.
I am that mom who would stop and help a stranger, I am that mom who would smile and gently let someone sneak in line in front of me if traffic is backed up. I am that mom and I am that caring person. I can’t imagine being anything else and to think being that mom and that person may get me in trouble with a road rage idiot.
Have you been a victim of road rage? How about the person who flips someone off because they ticked you off while driving? I know we have all been in one situation or another like this, but we didn’t inflict true violence, I hope.
My husband gets a smidge of road rage. he will cuss in the car but nothing like you hear on the news. I have no idea WHY people get so pissed off so easily. There is no reason for it and usually when someone cuts you off or drives badly they just aren’t thinking, it is not because they hate you personally. I don’t get the really bad road rage.
In fact, once I was driving and didn’t realize I had cut someone off. They were speeding and I turned into their lane going the speed limit and they zipped around me, flipping me off. Gotta love it.
Road rage is getting ridiculous. I’ve had people flip me off….walk towards my car…only to turn around again (thank goodness) I’ve had people stop their car in front of me, to cause an accident. Pass me on yellow double lined roads,. It’s ridiculous. If you are in a hurry, leave a few minutes before hand. It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’ve flipped people off as well. It’s terrible here in Joliet…everyone is always honking, even if YOU are not the one who made the error. That’s what ticks me off. HONK at yourself. LOL….
I agree I don’t understand why everyone is so filled with rage when they are driving. Don’t get me wrong some drivers make me shake my head but I will get there when I get there and if I’m late it is not traffic it is my late of preparation before I got on the road.
I am totally a cautious soccer mom in a minivan. BUT even I get road rage but usually because of people cutting me off etc.
IT’s really bad itsn’t it. I have just a little bit myself, I get so upset with other people sometimes, Mostly it’s in response to their road rage, but my kids remind me of what I’m getting into when they say, “mommy, who are you talking too” So I hardly have any at all anymore Thanks to the kids and wanting to be a good example.
There are a lot of hostile men out there…some women, but a LOT of angry, nutso men on the road who go nuts on women. I don’t understand it. They should be on meds, locked away tight. Why did that jerk have a gun? He doesn’t have a brain!
I’m from MA, so I use to have road rage. Well not really, but I would toot at people & get mad. They are crazy drivers. Don’t use their blinkers & just pull out in front of you. I’d always be so stressed out. Now that I live in NH I’m much more relaxed driving. I do think people are crazy to shoot someone over something like a road fight.
People act differently when in their cars than when out of them. It’s the craziest thing!
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Thankfully, examples like those in the news are rare; I think most drivers are not lunatics (or at least don’t act on their road rage).
I once tapped my break because a guy was RIGHT on my bumper. He responded by running me off the road! I had the kids in my car, and that scared me straight–I try to never give the finger or respond to idiots; it’s not worth the risk.