Furious while driving?Beware of road rage, don’t be a road mood killer

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Text: Yang Yuzhu “Ming Pao”

Road rage, also known as road rage. It is a commonly used term in Western countries to describe impetuous behavior while driving, and is often classified as a type of “dangerous driving”.

Road rage, is it a disease?

(Hong Kong News) The latest hit American drama “BEEF” (BEEF) on the video streaming platform started with a “road rage” (road rage) incident. In the dispute, the two refused to give in to each other and drove crazily; then they did everything possible to retaliate against each other, leading to a tragedy.

On February 10, 2018, 19 people died in a KMB car accident on the Tai Po Highway. The driver of the bus was accused of being scolded by passengers for leaving work, and then drove too fast due to deep dissatisfaction, which eventually led to a tragedy.

The court finally convicted 19 counts of manslaughter and dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm to others, and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. When sentencing, the judge accused the bus captain of being controlled by his emotions and using the bus as a “weapon” in order to retaliate against the scolding of the passengers and claimed the lives of many passengers.

Medically not identified as a disease

Ho Ho-yin, a specialist in psychiatry, pointed out that road rage is a problem in the ability to deal with emotions. “When someone overtakes another vehicle, or someone else drives badly, they will feel offended, and then make some counterattacks or aggressive behaviors, such as yelling, swearing, making rude gestures; Stopping suddenly in front to offend or attack the other party may lead to traffic accidents.”

Psychiatrist Huang Zongxian said that road rage is not medically defined as a disease, but it can be an emotional condition caused by mental problems.

He quoted a document in “Psychiatry” and pointed out that road rage can be caused by three types of reasons, including environmental, psychological and mental problems. In terms of environment, if the driver is in a hurry but encounters a traffic jam, he is prone to road rage; in terms of psychological factors, it may be due to the depression of some life pressure, or some unpleasant incidents happened recently, and the anger is transferred to the road while driving. Let it out; in addition, drivers who drink alcohol or use drugs can also lead to road rage behavior.

80% of people have encountered a road rage driver

As for his own mental problems, Huang Zongxian said that studies have shown that some road rage sufferers have “intermittent explosive disorder” (IED, intermittent explosive disorder). In one of the disorders, it is difficult to control some violent impulses, with repeated outbursts, either physical or verbal.

“It may be a trivial matter that triggers the patient’s attack, but it has turned into a serious violent consequence; the patient does not commit violence in a planned way, nor is it for any reward. It can be said to be random, but it often seriously affects his daily life and interpersonal relationships. relationship, and even legal consequences. Patients with intermittent rage disorder may have abnormal brain secretion, or the sequelae of brain damage caused by trauma.

He Haoxian added that since road rage is not officially listed as a disease, it is difficult to count how many drivers have this problem. However, foreign surveys have pointed out that about 80% of them have encountered road rage drivers, which shows that the situation is common.

If you are in a bad mood, you should not drive

There are many people and vehicles in Hong Kong, and the roads are narrow and busy. Coupled with the high pressure of life, will there often be road rage drivers?

Huang Zongxian pointed out that he drives every day and once encountered a road rage driver. He recalled that one night he was driving at a normal speed on a road in the New Territories, and then found a car closely following him. The car was playing strong music, and the driver was yelling loudly and flashing high lights from time to time; shortly after, he suddenly cut the line Climbed to the front, but did not speed up to leave, but tried to block him.

He said the driver’s behavior was clearly aggressive, with road rage characteristics. In addition to this type of drivers, there are also people who like to deliberately “harass” “newcomers on the road” with school or test cards, and they are also likely to have road rage problems.

How to deal with road rage? Huang Zongxian pointed out that if you think you may have road rage problems, you must first understand your own situation. If you are in a bad mood that day, you should not drive, and you should not drive illegally if you drink alcohol or take drugs. In addition, if you expect heavy traffic jams on the road you will be traveling on that day, it is better to choose to divert.

He advises patients with impulse control disorders who are being treated not to drive. If the patient refuses, “I will tell the patient’s family and tell the patient not to drive.”

As for ordinary drivers, you can maintain empathy. When encountering a road rage driver, the other party may be experiencing bad things or have other illnesses. Cursing will only escalate the conflict, and giving in can prevent the conflict from happening.

Relaxation exercises to deal with the root cause

He Haoxian said that when dealing with a case of road rage, he will help the other party to do relaxation exercises first, such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, etc. Treat the “root cause” with prescription medications.

“There are also some people who are easily dissatisfied or impulsive about many things. They may be caused by some trauma in the past. This requires counseling from a psychologist to prescribe the right medicine.”

Putting peppermint essential oil in the car can help reduce aggressive driving behavior

Studies in the UK have pointed out that placing peppermint essential oil in the car can help drivers reduce aggressive behavior.

Men and young people are more likely to suffer from road rage. Psychiatrist Ho Ho-yin pointed out that men are more impulsive than women and less able to control their temper. Therefore, more men have road rage problems; young people are also more impulsive Age group, so it is easier to have road rage, “as you get older, you will know how to control your emotions.”

An earlier study by Monash University in Melbourne, Australia found that:

“A quarter of motorists have experienced road rage as a perpetrator or victim, and more than two-thirds of these said they had gestured inappropriately at or by someone else; 51% of men and 39% of women Respondents said they had yelled, swore or made offensive gestures at other road users.

One of the questions in the survey, ‘Have you ever intentionally damaged or attempted to damage another car’, found that the proportion of drivers aged 24 to 39 who answered ‘yes’ was much higher than that of older drivers, with the former accounting for 21% of the total respondents; Only 4% were over 56 years old. “

Road rage is more common among men than women

To reduce the problem of road rage, an experiment by the research team of Northumbria University in the United Kingdom pointed out that placing peppermint essential oil in the car, its aroma can help drivers reduce aggressive driving behavior.

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