by Jemya Lucas

I see road rage just about every day. A driver being super close to another driver’s bumper, driving way too fast, going in and out of lanes, passing another driver fast insinuating that they are irritated, name calling and all of those unnecessary behaviors that are displayed. I do not think people think about what those actions can do to others. You never know what somebody is going through, what their breaking point is and if what you are doing negatively impacts their mental state.  

When it comes to the road-raging behaviors that I mentioned previously, you never know if that person is a new driver. It can be exciting driving for the first time, but you are also most likely nervous about it and may have a little anxiety. New drivers are still learning and they do not have experience on the road. Displaying road rage against that person can add to that nervousness and anxiety. We all were inexperienced drivers at some point so I think people should really practice patience. Maybe that person just had surgery, they do not have anybody to take them where they have to go, and they have to drive themselves. Realistically of course, they would drive slower than usual because they are in the recovery process and are not at their best. What if that person is somebody that recently lost a family member and that was the only family that they had left? The last thing that they need is somebody to be aggressive towards them while they are already in a vulnerable place. Or that person can be somebody that struggles with anxiety and depression in general. An action you do or words that you say can be that person’s breaking point.  

When I see road rage, I just ask myself, “is that really necessary?” I do not believe so because in the end, people will get to where they are going. Being aggressive towards others on the road does not benefit you. It can cause mental harm to others actually. Being patient and kind does not only apply to road raging though. In general, I think people should be kind to each other because you never know somebody’s circumstances and what they are going through. There is always somebody out there who has it worse than you.