Road rage claimed a restaurant manager’s life in Delhi two days ago. Pune has also witnessed shocking incidents of violence on roads in the last few years.
Road rage claimed a restaurant manager’s life in Delhi two days ago. The city has also witnessed shocking incidents of violence on roads in the last few years. It is important for people to control their anger, say experts.
On Tuesday, restaurant manager Rajeev Jolly (36) was allegedly run over by Jet Airways pilot Vikas Aggarwal, following a minor collision between their cars near the posh Khan market area in central Delhi. Rajeev was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. Vikas and Rajeev entered into an argument after their cars grazed past each other. Rajeev slapped Vikas, who was sitting in his car, and tried to grab him. As Vikas tried to escape, Rajeev fell down and was run over.
In 2009, Satish Marutirao Gaikwad and two friends
stopped techie Ashish Naresh Dixit’s car on Magarpatta Road to protest against his driving. The 35-year-old software professional
pulled out his licensed pistol and shot the real estate agent in the thigh. The police said Dixit fired three rounds of which one hit
Gaikwad. Dixit tried to flee leaving his car behind,
but was chased by two policemen on a motorcycle.
In 2008, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus driver Sunil Tambele of Ambegaon, conductor Madhukar Nande of Ghorpadi Peth and other PMPML employees allegedly beat up a family, including a six-month pregnant woman on Pune-Satara Road.
The family was heading to Shivapur in their tempo. The BRTS bus forced the tempo dangerously close to the Katraj zoo wall. After the tempo brushed against the wall, its driver Deepak Salunke (24) abused the bus driver. He left the bus behind and was near the Katraj junction when the bus hurtled towards the tempo at high speed and tried to ram it. The bus overtook the tempo at Katraj bus depot and forced it to halt. Three men, including the bus driver, alighted from the bus and began beating up the tempo occupants.
Anger is temporary madness, leading to aggressive behaviour
Every time you get angry and look within, you will know that it is because you wanted something your way, but it did not turn out like that. Thus, with that belief, you try to impose your thoughts on others. The world may not work the way you feel it should and this triggers the anger in you. So, if somebody is not following road rules when you think s/he should, you could get into a road rage situation.
My practical tip is to replace this belief of ‘should’ with ‘wish; this will put you in a better position. Thus, try ‘wishing’ and staying positive instead of getting angry by saying things ‘should’ be the way you want.
When you feel angry, it is tough to think straight. In such a situation, try to focus on your breathing to slow it down. Anger is temporary madness, leading to aggressive communication. You must make an effort to change aggressive communication into a submissive and assertive language. Anger is destructive; a good method to make that energy positive is through meditation.
—Dr Sunit Bhatewara, facilitator, Emotional Intelligence
A responsible driver may have made a mistake
To control road rage, firstly drive safe so that no one gets a chance to point out your mistake. Take precautions while driving and follow rules stringently. Anybody’s foremost reaction when something like this happens is to react violently and hurl abuses.
Everyone behaves that way. We waste time and energy fighting even when we know that a positive outcome is not possible. Thus, people should use their common sense and call the ambulance or police, whichever is needed at that point of time.
I do not think reacting with anger leads to anything. The person who hit your car may not have done it purposely. Though the city is full of reckless drivers, it may actually be a responsible driver who made a mistake. Moreover, careless and rash drivers are used to getting into fights and nothing is going to change them. For them, breaking the rules amounts to adventure, so why listen to them? I would keep cool and act like nothing has happened if the case is not serious and no one has suffered injuries. Otherwise, I would note down the vehicle number and register a complaint.
—Tushar Kshirsagar, IT engineer
Driving on city roads is a test of patience
I have got involved in many situations like these while driving. Twice, I have also got into a brawl due to the other person’s provocation. Driving on our roads is a test of patience. Footpaths are non-existent, so pedestrians walk on the roads decreasing the space for vehicles.
Even in minor accidents, when it is not the driver’s fault, s/he becomes the target of public fury. This is one of the main triggers for anger leading to road rage. It is reactive behaviour, so it’s best to not make a fuss even if it is your fault.
When I just started driving the car, I would often get involved in such situations even though I knew I was not to blame. The fear of hurting someone while driving because of another person’s fault is the biggest cause of that anger. With experience, I know that being patient is the best way to go about it.
—Raju Ghorpade, operations executive
A road rage incident is usually provoked violence
Conceptually, it is difficult to know what triggers anger in people involved in road rage incidents. This has become a common phenomenon and most of us have experienced it — either got involved or witnessed it around us. Mainly, people who are impulsive and stressed out due to work or some other pressure, give vent to their feelings while driving.
We have to take into cognisance that there is a defence mechanism, which starts working during such situations. In a stressed out state, your defence mechanism tries to project on neutral objects.
For example, when a person has a fight with his wife, he steps out of the house and vents his anger on his driver. In a way, he has found an immediate object on which he can direct his anger. This happens with people many times, wherein they do not have control over certain parameters.
A road rage incident is mostly provoked violence. The situation escalates when a response of provocation is received from the other person. Such situations unfold in an unpredictable manner.
Thus, many times even educated people get involved and tend to lose their cool. Usually, obsessive and meticulous people, who are faced with a time-bound and stressful situation, get involved in road rage incidents.
The best way to deal with road rage is to keep your cool and apologise even if it is not your fault. Saying sorry is an intelligent move because it can cool down the anger of the other person and stop the situation from going out of hand.
—Dr Nitin Dalaya, psychiatrist
Ignore, take police help or call friends to get you out of trouble
Road rage incidents will not take place if drivers follow traffic rules and regulations. However, people do not follow any ethics while driving so altercations are bound to happen. Even if I stick to the traffic rules, someone out there will be a rash river.
If a road rage incident were to happen with me, I would ignore the person who creates the scene. And in case it is a serious case of rash driving, I would take down the person’s vehicle number and file a complaint. Legal action is the best way to deal with this.
Getting into a fight would land you in more trouble, so it is advisable to ignore it or get help from the police. However, if the scene gets too ugly and there is no access to legal help immediately, I would try and gather people.
Forming a group and fighting is better than voicing your opinion when you are alone. So, shout for help and gather as many people as you can to make your point. Call up friends who can come to the spot immediately if there are not too many people around.
—Sneha Ingale, graphic designer
If the accident is not serious, apologise and laugh it off
It actually depends on the overall situation. I will keep my cool, but what if the other person is not ready to budge? Fights are never one-sided. You can try and control your anger for sometime, but if someone persists, you have to do something.
Usually, people who are at fault are the ones who create a scene and shout. If something like that happens to me and the person is creating a problem, I would definitely fight.
It also depends on the other person’s reactions and personality. If s/he is an influential person, I wouldn’t want to invite trouble by arguing.
Sometimes, an accident is actually nobody’s fault. In such cases, it is better to ignore it and move on. I will always try to deal with the situation patiently until it gets too serious. You can also ask for legal help whenever it gets too ugly.
However, try to alleviate the problem as much as possible by sticking to traffic rules and not reacting angrily when someone bangs into you or you dash into
someone. If the accident is not serious, it’s better to
apologise to each other and laugh it off.
—Harshad Joshi, mechanical engineer
Do not take the incident personally to avoid arguments
Keeping a cool head and being tolerant while driving is a must. This is particularly necessary in India as we have not reached a stage where all citizens follow rules on the road.
Every day, you will see at least one person who owns an expensive car but does not know the basic rules of driving. If you keep high expectations from others, you are bound to get frustrated easily.
As long as the other person does not harm anyone or damage my vehicle, I usually neglect it or blow the horn and move on.
However, if the incident is grave, I would prefer to
involve the traffic police rather than arguing on the road. Fighting with people who do not follow rules will never be fruitful. If they were responsible and understanding, they would not have driven rashly in the first place. Thus, handle the matter with patience because after all, the fight is not bigger than your life.
Road rage incidents happen due to ego problems. People start taking a mistake on the road personally and indulge in heated arguments just to prove they are right. No one achieves anything in the end. Thus, either ignore the people or seek legal help.
—Madhura Barve, software engineer
These Celebrities did not set an example
In 2006, BJP MP and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for three years for causing the death of a middle-aged man in a road rage incident in Patiala in 1988. In a quarrel over parking vehicles in the high-traffic zone of Sheranwala gate on December 27, 1988, Sidhu delivered blows to Gurnam Singh, who died later. Sidhu and his friend Rupinder Singh Sandhu were booked and tried under Section 304(II) of the IPC. Later, Sidhu was granted bail.
On May 31, 2005, Nana Patekar and Utkarsha Morarka, nephew of industrialist Kamal Morarka, got into an argument after their cars nearly collided on the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway. Patekar allegedly threatened Morarka and pointed a gun at him. In his complaint, Patekar alleged that two unidentified men in a Scorpio attempted to cut lanes with a motive to kill him. Morarka, on the other hand, alleged that Patekar threatened to kill him with a revolver after abusing and slapping him.
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