Hand-Held Thoughts (TM)

Driving in traffic routinely involves events and incidents. Events are normal sequential maneuvers such as stopping for lights, changing lanes, or braking. Incidents are frequent but abnormal events. Some of these are dangerous and frightening, such as near-misses or violent exchanges, while others are merely annoying or depressing, such as being insulted by a driver or forgetting to make a turn. Driving events and incidents are sources of psychological forces capable of producing powerful feelings and irrational thought sequences. Driving is a dramatic activity performed by millions on a daily basis. The drama stems from high risk, interactivity, and unpredictability. Predictability creates safety, security, and escape from disaster. Unpredictability creates danger, stress, and crashes.

The anger we feel behind the wheel may have either (or both) of two sources: another driver's behavior or some earlier event unrelated to driving. Displaced anger is a common defense mechanism used in many situations. On the road, displaced anger seems to be triggered by a driving incident, and the other driver becomes the enemy target. Some drivers seek medical help after a scary driving incident, even when not obviously injured. These symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can last for months, even years, according to Dr. Arnold Nerenberg, a noted road rage psychotherapist. There are few self-referrals at the Harborview Anger Management clinic, according to Dr. Maiuro:

People exhibiting road rage often do not seek help because of their limited self-awareness and a tendency to see the "other guy" (perceived as provocative and deserving of retaliation) as the problem. Consequently, self-referral to programs such as ours is rare, and an afflicted driver usually arrives for help at the request of a traffic court judge, lawyer, or family member concerned about the person's own safety and the risk to others.