14 DAY TRIAL // Road rage is perhaps the thing that most drivers have in common, regardless of where they live and what car they drive. While individuals with aggressive-type personalities are more prone to screaming and bellowing from the windows of their cars in the intersection or in a traffic jam, otherwise peaceful individuals also do it, and at a large rate too. But what exactly drives these citizens, who don't have an aggressive bone in their bodies, to start cursing and screaming at other drivers, or at pedestrians, is something that science has been interested in since the automobile first appeared.
The explanation for this phenomenon is pretty basic – humans are very territorial and, as such, they view their cars as an extension of that territory. When they feel threatened, they react in defense, but, sometimes, they attack others themselves. Additionally, as in every aspect of human life, negative aspects tend to play out more than positive ones, LiveScience reports. That is to say, a good deed only gets noticed, whereas a bad one can have massive repercussions.
“For instance in driving, if you are kind and let someone go in front of you, that driver may be considerate in response. But if you cut someone off, that person may react very aggressively, and this could escalate to road rage. Small slights could escalate to unbelievable, irrational feuds,” Psychology Professor Boaz Keysar, from the University of Chicago (UC), explains.
Ronald Kessler, a researcher at the Harvard Medical School, and his colleagues, determined that, in some instances, road rage could be taken to such heights that it became a medical condition known as intermittent explosive disorder, “characterized by recurrent episodes of angry and potentially violent outbursts – seen in cases of road rage or spousal abuse.”
“People with this disorder overreact to situations with uncontrollable rage, feel a sense of relief during the angry outburst, and then feel remorseful about their actions,” Kessler added. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders states that this condition is not in any way related to other mental disorders, which means that it's entirely generated by the individuals themselves, as they get more and more mad at situations and people they meet in traffic. In a new study reported by Reuters, it appears that the top ten cities in the US where road rage is at home has changed considerably over the past few years. Miami, which used to be the leader in this chapter, has fallen to the seventh place, according to the poll, while New York, Dallas and Detroit, respectively, now occupy the top three positions.