GEM Motoring Assist is encouraging drivers to protect themselves from road rage as thousands of families take to the roads during the summer holidays.
In order the do this the road safety and breakdown cover experts have compiled a list of tips that will help drivers reduce the risk of being the target of someone else's aggression.
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GEM Motoring Assist's road rage avoidance tips
- Keep calm and show restraint. Every journey brings the risk of frustration and conflict. Make a pledge to be patient. Avoid using your horn or making gestures in anger.
- Avoid competition and resist the desire to ‘get even’. If the standard of someone else’s driving disappoints you, don’t attempt to educate or rebuke them.
- Don’t push into traffic queues. If you wait and clearly signal, you won’t wait long before another drive lets you in.
- Say thank you, say sorry. Courtesy encourages co-operation on the road. If you make a mistake (and we all do!) or perhaps cut things a bit fine, then a gesture of apology avoids confrontation and helps defuse anger.
- Move away from trouble. If you feel seriously threatened by another driver, then ensure your car doors are locked and drive (at legal speed) to the nearest police station or busy area (petrol station forecourts are ideal). Use your mobile phone to alert the police. Pressing the horn repeatedly or continuously is likely to deter a potential attacker.
"Most of us will have some experience of being on the receiving end of someone else’s aggression," said GEM road safety officer Neil Worth. "Thankfully, violent and unprovoked attacks are rare, but it pays to be observant and if possible to recognise signs of trouble at their earliest stages."
"We encourage drivers to leave plenty of time for their journeys, which means they can feel calm and in control at the wheel," Worth added. "Stress can lead to risk taking, and this in turn increases the likelihood of aggressive incidents."
"We also urge drivers to avoid becoming involved in situations they recognise as dangerous or risky. If you’re worried about another driver who may be in danger, then stop and call the police."