Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Jekyll and Hyde on the roads
Laila Nasry takes a look at road manners (or their absence) and how being behind the wheel sometimes brings out the worst in a person

I am behind the wheel listening to 'Hootie and the Blowfish'… and just loving every bit of my Sunday. The bright red traffic light before me brings none of the impatience generally associated with a harried weekday morning. As I wait, my thoughts wander off… I miss the lights changing but not for long. While I swiftly change gears to take off, a sleek Audi draws abreast. A Sri Lankan male with average looks is behind the wheel. He could have passed off as handsome had his face not been, at that moment, contorted in fury. He's yelling. I spot a hands free kit dangling from his ear and pity the person on the other end. Hey, wait a minute, he's looking my way… geez, he's yelling at me.

Stunned, I don't react (how I wish I had stuck my tongue out). The barrage goes on, I catch a word or two about lady drivers who think they own the road and before I know it he drives off in a huff jumping the light which by now has turned red. I hope he gets copped while taking the bend (where are cops when you need them?) as I wait for another two minutes for the lights to change.

Nothing new
Any regular driver in this city will tell you that road rage is as commonplace as the potholes. From aggressive hand gestures to chauvinistic or caustic comments to verbal garbage of obscenities and swear words, road rage is a display of anger by the driver of a motor vehicle, as a result of another driver's action (or inaction). At times this results in actions that are dangerous or cause injury to persons or property.

One wonders whether it is the narrow Sri Lankan roads, the endless traffic jams or the heat and dust that is doing this to people, where within the close confines of a vehicle they change from the affable father, distinguished CEO or astute professional to the finger wagging, obscenity yelling unrecognisable individual in no time.

Split personalities
People are generally so accommodating, but not on the roads. It's amazing how the courtesy extended to co-workers, visitors or family members goes out of the window the moment one gets behind the wheel. While we wait patiently for the old man before us to shuffle ahead on a supermarket queue, the same man on a pedestrian crossing would get his eardrums blasted with loud and impatient honking.

Studies indicate that road rage is most often triggered off due to bad driving habits which is almost second nature to Sri Lankan motorists. In this part of the world road signs are mere street decorations with U turns made in view of the No U-turn Sign, one way streets having vehicles travelling in the wrong direction and double lines crossed with scant disregard to the danger posed to oncoming vehicles. Road manners (road what?) are as unheard of as mammals in Mars, the right of way concept is alien, sudden 'vettus' are made with no signals given and people feel free to drive slow while having a conversation on a cellular phone… all of which contribute towards leaving even the most conscientious driver angry and frustrated.

Now or never
Relaxed driving is a thing of the past. Now it's a case of getting from point A to point B in the shortest available time at any cost, with the exception of dying along the way, of course. In the thick of traffic vehicles overtake with absolutely no idea of whether they will have a slot to creep into ahead. Some people travel bumper to bumper, some cut to the left, then to the right, trying their hardest to overtake and then give up and honk as if the vehicle in front had remained stationary all the while. Once the driver of one such vehicle being honked at rolled down his shutter and bellowed "why don't you fly, you @#$%*&#" It's nothing short of war with everybody fighting to keep ahead.

Road rage is brief when the offender and the victim have the opportunity of moving on after exchanging insults. However when stuck at traffic or stopped at a traffic light, the chances of road rage continuing and heightening to dangerous proportions are very likely. At times people actually get out of their vehicles and confront each other and only the police (or in their absence the cacophony of horns from other vehicles that cannot get a move on due to the ensuing mayhem) that lead to resolving the situation.

At the end of the day
True we lead stressed out lives, with so many things to do and so little time to do them, bad days at work, domestic troubles, money problems, etc, etc. The reasons couldn't get any better to justify our unaccommodating ways on the road, but instead of taking it all out on the stranger in the next car, experts advocate conscientious driving, recognising one's levels of anger, what precipitates it, ways to control it and lastly (this is the hard one) a conscious effort to control one's self when the person in the front car does something stupid.

How to steer clear of 'road rage':

* Gain control of your own responses and reactions.
* Choose to ignore or rise above any negative behaviour that you encounter.
* Choose to keep yourself and others safe from physical and emotional harm.
* Choose peace over anger, calmness over chaos.
* Don't take traffic problems personally.
* Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver.
* Don't make obscene gestures (that makes you a player and suddenly makes the crisis escalate)
* Don't tailgate.
* Use your horn sparingly (the polite honk can be misinterpreted).
Don't block the passing lane (some drivers take it personally when you do this).
* Don't block the right hand turn lane.

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