Driving angry is always a bad idea. To make sure that you’re not creating a hazard by doing as much, you sometimes need to make a conscious effort to calm down. This can be harder than it seems. Here are three ways that you can bring down your temper in a bad situation. Doing so may save your life or someone else’s.
1: Breathe
When people get enraged, their breathing changes. You can sometimes calm yourself down a lot simply by consciously changing your breathing. Take 10 deep breaths. Some people can’t even do this; taking deep breaths takes quite a bit of energy. Concentrating on your breathing distracts you from whatever’s stressing you, however, and the effort involved can act as a pressure release for your irritation.
2: Wave
Everyone’s had a moment or two in traffic when they’ve been tempted to give another driver a much different gesture than a friendly wave. Waving at someone who just did something irritating—such as cutting you off or forcing you to slow down very quickly—can oftentimes take your anger down a bit. After all, you don’t drive perfectly, either.
3: Turn Off Distractions
Turn off your radio or music; hang up if you’re on a hands-free call. Human beings become stressed very easily when they’re over stimulated. Loud music, people talking, cars pulling out unexpectedly, traffic slowing down for no reason and other things that demand your attention can pile up fast and make you lose your cool. Be sure that you focus on what you’re doing and, if traffic is tight, turn everything off and concentrate on your driving. It reduces stress.
In some cases, you’ll get a driver that will do everything they can to get you to pull off the road, presumably to have it out over some actual or imagined incident in traffic. Never go for this. If you’re being followed, pull over somewhere public and safe.
Driving angry is always dangerous. A DFW car wreck lawyer can help you if a driver’s anger turned to negligence and ended up getting you hurt. Whether it was a rear end collision or a head on wreck, talk to a lawyer about your legal options. You may find that you have a chance of winning a lawsuit. A lawsuit may provide you with the means you need to handle the financial fallout of the wreck and to get on the road to recovery.
