One tool for helping us cope with the crazies on the road
“Today’s commuters, battling bad drivers and their own hair triggers, need more help, to avoid contusions from baseball bats, fatal car accidents, and even heart attacks from the stress. What might they understand about their fellow drivers to help them better cope?”
They should understand that the drivers who are most inconsiderate of others and the most reckless are probably alcoholics, many of whom are under the influence.
DUIs are the one area of life where the likelihood of being under the influence and poor behaviors have been studied. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study showed that 60% of drivers who make obscene gestures are DUI, as are 35% of those who cut in line and 50% of tailgaters. Why would the percentage be so high when we’ve all tailgated from time to time? Because the alcoholic engages in this misbehavior far more often than the non-addict. Considering that only 10% of the population consists of alcohol or other-drug addicts and they don’t drink every time they get behind the wheel of a car, these are amazing statistics.
If you really want a mind-bending experience (non-hallucinogenic, of course), consider off-road behaviors of a similar nature and you’ll see how much of society’s problems are likely rooted in alcohol and other-drug addiction. Understanding this may help one to cope better. Instead of screaming, “That jerk!” and cussing him out, you can say, “There goes an addict. I hope he gets arrested before he kills someone.”