Fuel Efficient Autos

We have done a series of posts discussing the cities with the highest incidences of road rage, what sets drivers off and what they do as a reaction to being angry behind the wheel. Today, we are going to discuss the psychological reasons for road rage and some tips for avoiding it.

According to psychiatrist Richard Winer, drivers taking out their frustrations on the road ways is becoming more and more common as people become “much more stressed and more likely to talk about road rage.” Many of his patients describe the feelings they get when they are behind the wheel and many of those feelings cause them to act out. A lack of control, feelings of being trapped and scared and other emotions cause some drivers to lash out in various ways.

From the list of the top cities for road rage, we can also conclude that external stressors are helping to contribute to the problem. The crash of Wall Street and the flailing auto industry are probably major reasons why New York City and Detroit top this list.

Winer has one piece of advice for drivers – turn off the loud rock music and try something more comforting like Mozart of Beethoven. The cliché “music calms the savage beast” has some truth to it when it comes to driving.

Here’s the lesson: Do not use your VW cars or any other cars as weapons or avenues for exerting your stress and emotions. Regardless of your individual situation, take some steps to calm down and be a safer driver. Getting angry and taking things to the next level just makes everything worse.

Continuing with our theme of road rage, we would like to know what you do to show your frustrations when someone cuts you off or makes you furious. The same survey that ranked the cities with the angriest drivers and their pet peeves also found what many drivers do when they get mad. Do you do any of these?

• More than 40 percent of the drivers surveyed said they honk their horn at another driver at least one time per month.
• About 35 percent of the drivers asked said they yell at other drivers and curse at them when they get mad and frustrated.
• 13 percent of the drivers surveyed said they wave their fists or arms at other drivers.
• Only 10 percent said they make obscene gestures to other drivers when they get mad.
• Seven percent of drivers said they call the police to report drivers who have made them mad.
• One percent of the drivers surveyed said they slam into the car in front of them when they get angry enough.

According to Chuck Raison, MD, road rage occurs so frequently because drivers are simply “competitive.” He also said it is unhealthy to engage in road rage or get so angry when driving, but it is so common because your anger can be directed toward someone who is anonymous.

How do you deal with road rage when driving your VW cars? Let us know if you are productive or if you have ever done anything you are ashamed of when behind the wheel.

On Wednesday, we discussed road rage and the top cities in the nation for road rage incidents. But what is it that sets these drivers off into a rage? Following is a list of what drivers find annoying. You can look at the list and ask yourself if you are doing any of these things that set other drivers off when you are behind the wheel of your VW cars.

Cell phones – Nearly 85 percent of drivers surveyed said other drivers talking on their cell phones were a major pet peeve.

Speeding – Driving faster than you are supposed to drive was a major stressor for 58 percent of drivers surveyed.

Tailgating – Drivers who “ride the bumpers” of other drivers bothered 53 percent of those surveyed.

Eating and Drinking – Nearly half of drivers surveyed get majorly annoyed when they see other drivers eating or drinking behind the wheel.

Texting – About 37 percent of drivers are bothered when they see other drivers texting on their cell phone.

The survey was conducted by Auto Vantage’s survey firm and included more than 2500 drivers in major metro areas across the country. Are you committing any of these “violations” when driving your VW cars? Many of these are against the law and dangerous so let’s keep an eye on our behaviors rather getting mad at others.

If you have driven your VW cars around and realized that there are some angry drivers surrounding you, you may be living in one of the top cities for road rage.

A study done by Auto Vantage, a nationwide roadside assistance company, recently listed the top cities in the United States for drivers with road rage. Some of the answers may surprise you while you probably already know a couple of the other cities.

Topping the list is, of course, New York City. That city has a reputation for angry drivers, though. You drive too slow in the fast lane and you might just get run over. The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area comes in at the second spot followed by none other than Detroit. I’m surprised there are enough people left in Detroit for them to take any of the top five spots!

The next few cities on the list may surprise you. Atlanta, Georgia takes the number four spot followed by Minneapolis-St. Paul and Phoenix respectively.

On the other hand, Portland, Oregon and Cleveland, Ohio were listed as the two cities with the most courteous drivers.

Keep these findings in mind if you drive your VW cars around any of these cities this summer. Just follow the traffic laws and be courteous to avoid any major conflicts on the roadways.