TheBishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross once said that road rage "is when you see a man get out of his car which is stalled in traffic, walk back to the car behind him and kick it." Unfortunately not all motorist-on-motorist aggression is as innocuous as this. Now as motorists are given the chance to insure themselves against road rage attacks, Patrick Logue looks at a phenomenon that dates back to Oedipus
In Britain 54-year-old Kenneth Noye is serving a life sentence after a road-rage attack. Stephen Cameron (21) died when Noye stabbed him through the heart with a knife in front of his 17-year-old girlfriend, leaving him dying in a pool of blood at the side of the road. Last year British psychologist Dr David Devalle was jailed for three months after he reversed his Mercedes over a cyclist who, he alleged, had kicked his car.
Last March, former world middleweight boxing champion Steve Collins was cleared by a British court of assaulting a lorry driver during an alleged road rage incident. The 70-year-old lorry driver had alleged that Collins punched him in the face after forcing his lorry to stop in Southend in October.
The most recent mention of the phenomenon was earlier this month when we were told the alleged "dirty bomb" plotter in the US, Abdullah al Muhajir, had spent time behind bars for a road-rage shooting incident. He joins a list of other (in)famous "road-ragers" including OJ Simpson, Gene Hackman and Jack Nicholson, who allegedly left his car at a red light and hit the windscreen of a Mercedes with a golf-club because he thought the driver had cut him off.
It is these very high-profile incidents that have produced the hype of road-rage as a phenomenon, but it is not reaching epidemic levels, says Conor Faughnan of AA Roadwatch. "Road rage is a media-friendly term for a phenomenon that's as old as the hills," he says. "It's not the case that road rage is some modern social malaise. A number of high-profile cases in the UK have brought it to the fore." Indeed, Oedipus killed his father at a crossroads when they got in each other's way - perhaps the first case of road rage.
In Britain motorists are being given the chance to insure themselves against road rage attacks. Warranty Direct is including road rage cover in warranties sold after July 1st. The deal includes a maximum of 10 stress counselling sessions of up to £50 per session, as well £50 for every day in hospital and up to £500 towards emergency dental treatment.
According to Dr Ray Fuller, a specialist in transportation safety at the Department of Psychology in TCD, "road rage ranges from not yielding to a driver who is signalling to get into your lane to violent exchanges which are fatal."
Difficult as it is to define, it's even more difficult to gauge if road rage is on the increase or not; the Garda does not compile statistics on it because the term road rage does not as yet appear in any legislation.
"There is no such offence as road rage. But it's a fact of life that there is aggression on the roads," according to Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick who points out that anyone caught raging is likely to be prosecuted for assault, dangerous driving, or driving without due care.
Research by TCD discovered that 84 per cent of 120 drivers questioned had been the victims of some form of aggression while driving. Incidents included being "cut up", verbally abused and menaced with a shaking fist.
Almost 40 per cent of those surveyed were prepared to admit that they had done the same things themselves.
The last survey carried out in 1997 for Axa Direct insurance company in Britain showed three in every four motorists had experienced some form of road rage, but only 1 per cent said they had experienced physical assault.
In the US more than 20,000 Americans die because of aggressive driving, according to psychologist Dr Arnold Nerenberg. There is no doubt that the pace of modern living and the increased number of cars on the roads has added to stress levels.
Inevitably some of this will manifest itself in motoring fisticuffs, given the amount of time we spend in the car and the level of congestion.
New vehicle registration here peaked in 2000 at 225,269, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office. And last year 160,908 new vehicles were registered. Ireland's transport infrastructure tells its own story, but has clearly not improved fast enough to cope with the extra volume.
Against this background, the AA advises motorists wishing to avoid confrontations on the road to show restraint and to keep calm at all times.
They go on to say drivers should not respond to aggression on the road with sudden acceleration, braking or swerving. Nor should you push into traffic queues: say sorry and thank other drivers. The guidelines stop short, however, of advising against using the V sign, flashing lights, or hooting horns. These, presumably are a given.
Dr Nerenberg and his colleague, Dr R Jerry Adams, have advised motorists to make a "SORRY" sign - laminated and about nine inches wide - to calm the nerves of angry fellow motorists. Perhaps one could go further and laminate signs saying "Please turn off your rear fog light", "Have you read the rules of the road lately?", or "This is the fast lane, please get out of my way".
Nerenberg is described on his own website, www.roadrage.com, as America's leading authority on road rage and aggressive driving. His 10-step Compassion Programme for Overcoming Road Rage includes this advice: "Peace . . . take a deep breath and just let it go. Be peaceful and courteous in your actions . . . and most of the time such a peaceful action will result in a positive response."
So, who is the main road rage culprit? The young male driver - responsible for the high cost of insurance, as well as world famine, and Ireland being knocked out of the World Cup - is public enemy number one in this debate.
Dr Fuller of Trinity says: "There are violent people in society who drive as they live. And there is a particular group of young male drivers who commit more traffic violations and are involved in more road accidents than any other group. They are typically also likely to be involved in drug-taking, excessive drinking and minor criminal activity. In a very real sense their behaviour is anti-social.
"But the rest of us do not have to use their behaviour on the road as a model to imitate. We can still show care and courtesy to other road users."
10 MOST ANNOYING HABITS
1. Tailgating and flashing lights
2. Moving lanes without signalling
3. Leaving rear fog light on in clear weather
4. Forgetting to dip lights at night.
5. Forgetting to put lights on at dusk.
6. Cutting people off.
7. Driving too slowly.
8. Unnecessary blasting of the horn.
9. Pushing into a line of traffic after overtaking.
10. Swerving from left to right.
10 TIPS TO AVOID TROUBLE
1. Remain calm and show restraint.
2. Avoid confrontations - avoid eye contact.
3. Do not respond with sudden acceleration or braking.
4. Say sorry and thank you to fellow motorists.
5. Make a 'SORRY' sign to show to fellow motorists.
6. Remember most driver mistakes are unintentional.
7. Never carry a defensive weapon.
8. Keep doors locked and windows up in urban areas.
9. Avoid using the 'V' sign
10. Avoid young male drivers like the plague.