Jane clearly reached coveted spot first, but other woman asked her to move, explaining she was 20 minutes late for a doctor’s appointment. At first, Jane thought it was a joke, but before she knew it, two women were tussling on concrete.

Most people feel angry in situations when someone making outrageous requests of us. This is because our brains are ‘hardwired’ to react with anger when we are frustrated or when obstacles prevent us from reaching our goals.

Aggressive driving behavior is due, in part, to a breakdown of an individual’s internal control of their emotions in public places.

Other common driving frustrations and irritations that often cause angry feelings and weakening of control include being:

-Stuck in traffic while late for an appointment

-Delayed by a driver going 10 miles an hour below speed limit

-Threatened by driver trying to intimidate you

-Getting cut off by a driver

Gaining control of our emotions – and more importantly, our behavior – is often a matter of finding a way to change our perspective or vista of situation.

Frequently, what we tell ourselves is so automatic that we don’t even realize what it is we are thinking; yet, our thinking patterns are what make us more angry or calm us by changing how we experience that which is frustrating us.

Example 1: Getting cut off. Someone triggers anger by cutting you off in traffic; you automatically tell yourself things like ‘What a jerk; he has no right to do that to me; I’m going to get even; he did that to me on purpose; why does he disrespect me like that? How dare he do that to me, etc.

The man and his half-brother were heading home from a plumbing job when trouble began. Apparently, three men in another car zoomed in front of their car. These men started hurling profanities and flashing obscene gestures at brothers, who returned insults.

Things escalated until a gun was pulled. Rather than backing down, man got out of his car and began walking toward gunman. Two shots rang out, missing man who continued to walk toward gunman until he was shot and killed.

While this tragic incident is illustrative of an extreme case of aggressive driving, there are thousands of lesser cases in United States yearly. According to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, incidents of aggressive driving have increased by 7% every year since 1990; however, few courts mandate anger management for traffic offenders.

Five Zones of Aggressive Driving: Research by Dr. Leon James at University of Hawaii reveals five categories of aggressive driving. Which zone do you or a loved one fall in?

-The Unfriendly Zone: Example – closing ranks to deny someone entering your lane because you’re frustrated or upset.

-The Hostile Zone: Example – Tailgating to pressure another driver to go faster or get out of way.

-The Violent Zone: Example – Making visible obscene gestures at another driver.

-The Less Mayhem Zone: Example – Pursuing other cars in a chase because of provocation or insult.

-The Major Mayhem Zone: Example – Getting out of car and beating or battering someone as a result of road rage.