Have you ever driven with someone who had road rage? Even if you experience regular road rage yourself, it's an entirely different experience to be a passenger in the car of someone who is frothing mad.
You sit there and watch helplessly as the person behind the wheel takes personal offense at everything that drivers in front of them do… as if the driver of a car in front of them had finally tracked them down and was fulfilling a vendetta against them.
As the passenger, you listen to their tirades, their shouting, their gasps of contempt, their swearing, their steering wheel slapping, their fist-shaking, their fingerpointing, their middle finger saluting. And what do you do?
Actually, the question should be: What CAN you do? It doesn't seem like you can do anything. And indeed, there isn’t a lot you can do. When the driver turns to you and say, "Did you see that? Where did that guy learn to drive? He just totally cut me off!", there isn't a lot to say because the questions are rhetorical.
There isn't a lot you can do about the driver's reaction. They are going to feel what they feel whether you agree with them or disagree with them – and either response from you could potentially make their reaction worse (either because your agreement validates what they've observed or your disagreement frustrates them even worse).
The problem with road rage isn't that the driver gets upset about how others driver; the real problem is that they become unsafe – their rage can actually impair their ability to make good decisions. They might start a journey completely fine but once they get into traffic, driving becomes a competition… and it could turn into a full-contact sport.
So what can you do as a passenger? You could get out of the car, although that's not really practical.
Probably the best thing you can do is try to get the driver's attention off of road. (Believe me, that's probably the only time we'll ever advise that!). Obviously we don't mean that you distract them so much that they can't drive. Rather, we suggest that you engage them in a conversation about a mundane topic (something that DOESN'T get them any more excited). If the conversation gets off track because of a perceived offense from another driver, the best thing to do is just gently steer the conversation back to the original topic.
Since there isn't a lot you can do, the next best thing is to keep the conversation going about a different topic – something that they can engage in and enjoy talking about, and something that requires a certain amount of thought to continue the conversation. For example, consider talking about a recent or upcoming vacation, or your children, or one of the driver's hobbies, or work (as long as work is something they enjoy).
Road rage is dangerous! As a driver, you have the responsibility to stay focused to keep your passengers safe. If you do get into a collision, bring your car to Boyd Autobody & Glass for a safe, professional repair by your local autobody experts.
