Traveling this Thanksgiving

Let's be honest.  Thanksgiving, although it is the holiday for giving thanks, brings much stress that we could all use less of.

You pack the kids up, you grab the dish you prepared and you hit the road.  Earlier I wrote about how Thanksgiving is the deadliest of holidays in respect to car accidents.  If you missed it you can read it HERE.  

I want to talk about what you can do to avoid car accidents whether it is on Thanksgiving or any day.

Seat belts, Seat belts, Seat belts.  The best offense is a good defense.  When looking at the statistics for deaths on Thanksgiving not all of them are caused by the driver who is killed.  The other drivers on the road always have been and always will be one of the most non-controllable dangerous aspects of driving.  Buckle up!!

Distracted Drivers.  Keep your eyes on the road.  Here is another non-controllable aspect of other drivers BUT you can control whether you are distracted.  Put your cell phones down, don't play with the radio and pay attention!

Aggressive Driving.  Stress.  This will cause many things.  Running late and speeding, spending the day with family, "Are we there yet" from the kids every five minutes.  All these things will tend to cause a person to drive aggressively.  This is another thing you can control while you drive but pay attention to other drivers!

We cannot control everything but what we can control is WHAT WE DO!  

Buckle up
Pay Attention
Drive safe and within the speed limit
DON'T drink and drive

Remember this holiday is to reflect what we are thankful for.  

• Be thankful that you have family you can spend this day with.
• Be thankful that you can share a meal with family as some go hungry.
• Be thankful that you have a vehicle to travel in.
• Be thankful that you do not have to work.
• Be thankful you have a job.

No matter what you are thankful for....please drive safe and pay attention.  Your life, the life of a loved one or the life of a stranger depends on YOU!!

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What is aggressive driving

We have all gotten angry while driving.  We have all either honked, or wanted to honk, at someone who has cut us off.  Some of us have actually given a few "gestures" while passing someone who has angered us on the road.

Matthew Joint, Head of Behavioral Analysis, states that in 1995 tailgating was the most common form of "road rage" followed closely flashing your headlights at someone.

Statistics show that 250,000 people have died in traffic since 1990. It is believed that two-thirds of these deaths are at least partially caused by aggressive driving, although only 218 were found to be a direct cause of angry drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 66 percent of all annual traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving actions, such as passing on the right, running red lights and tailgating. In addition to fatalities, there have been an estimated 20 million injuries; 12,610 caused by aggressive driving. These numbers show that there has been a 51 percent increase in aggressive driving incidents since 1990. Of these incidents, 37 percent involved the use of a firearm, 28 percent involved other weapons, and 35 percent involved the use of a car as a weapon. Related to this increase in aggressive driving incidents may be the fact that the number of drivers on the road is increasing; as of 1990, 91 percent of people drove to work.

This video is a minor incident of road rage but it's these minor incidents that, if they happen with the wrong person, could lead to car accident injuries or death.

In this video it was very fortunate that no one was injured or killed by this person who displayed extreme road rage.

Dr. John A. Larson, author of Steering Clear of Highway Madness, groups aggressive drivers into five categories: Speeders, passive aggressors, narcissists, vigilantes, and competitors. Several characteristics are related to the most typical aggressive driver: being under 35, single, no education and a mid-level income. Furthermore, although women are more likely to confess to angry driving, men are more likely to participate in true “road rage”, in which an angry driver intentionally harms another driver. Whether or not an aggressive driver takes physical action depends on the degree of anger he or she feels. “If someone pulls out in front of you or cuts you off, you may be justified at four or five on a scale of 10…if you’re up to seven to 10, though, that’s an exaggerated response,” says Larson.
Redford Williams, M.D., at Duke University, points to a hostile personality type as an indicator of someone who is more likely to get angry quicker. “They are also four to seven times more likely to die of other health problems by age 50 than are even-tempered people,” said Williams. For example, people with long drives to work are found to have higher blood pressure than people who take shorter routes to work. One frustrated commuter states, “it feels unnatural to forget about the jerk riding my tail or ducking in front of me to save half a second and some drivers—not me, of course – respond to overaggressive road behavior as if piloting a car were a contest. They drive to ‘win’ rather than simply to get to their destination.”

If you are an aggressive driver pay close attention to what Dr. John A. Larson says:  there is a reason you are an aggressive driver and it could be because of other issues in your life that could lead to health problems.

If you are a victim caught in the crosswinds of an aggressive driver remain calm and get away from the driver.  Never pull over in a deserted area.  Get the license plate of the aggressive driver and if you have a cell phone call 911.

Remember, no one's life is worth a little anger.  No death is acceptable under these conditions.  Please drive safe.



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