WorldWide Drilling Resource

51 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® NOVEMBER 2016 Calming America’s Road Rage? Adapted from Information by News and Experts Often frightening and even deadly road rage continues to be a problem on America’s highways leading to accidents, assaults, and occasionally murder. Road rage is where flaring tempers mix with heavy machinery. It can happen anywhere and at anytime, but gathering information on the fre- quency of road rage is hard to come by. There are solutions which can at least reduce the number of road rage-based accidents. There can be more awareness placed on those drivers who are easily angered by slow drivers, detours, or traffic delays. They can be taught to be more aware of the issue and make changes to help reduce accident risks. What are some of our behaviors that can aggravate other drivers? Believe it or not, the number one culprit is drivers who text and drive, according to a 2015 Road Rage Report by the travel site, Expedia.com. Of course there are other violators, such as drivers mul- titasking, left-lane hogs, and let’s not forget tai lgaters. Although these situations arise once we are behind the wheel, the root of anger seen on highways has typically hap- pened before one has gotten into their vehicle. Maybe you are late to an appointment, or someone has said something to upset you. Scott Morofsky, author of the book The Daily Breath: Transform Your Life One Breath at a Time offers tips for heading off road rage or avoiding the rage of others. First, if you are feeling anxious or stressed before you start the ignition, take time to calm down, not after you are on the highway. Take a deep breath or maybe try counting from one to ten. Next, if you are already on the highway and you feel angry, pull over for a few minutes. Breathe and ask yourself if the problem is important enough to risk a life. Last, do not react or retaliate. You cannot control other drivers, but you can control how you react to them. If you see a disrespectful driver, or someone driving horribly, simply ignore them. Engaging in these situations could only lead to something more dangerous. Photo by Kim Scarborough courtesy of Wikimedia. The WWDR office will be closed on November 24, 2016, so our staff can enjoy time with family. There will be limited staffing in the office on November 23 rd & 25 th . E-mail will be monitored. We wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday weekend!