How car insurance can help you prevent road rage accidents

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What is road rage? 

In today’s world, there is an increasing amount of stress placed on people- at work, home, pretty much everywhere. People also get stressed while driving; traffic woes are unending, there are loads of people who blatantly break traffic rules adding to one’s frustration. Road rage is a common phenomenon seen these days because of these reasons. In the past, cars were driven for pleasure, there was little to no traffic on the roads. But driving for pleasure today is a luxury that almost no one can afford. Thousands of American drivers get into accidents each year owing to road rage, in addition to verbal spats and physical assaults on the roads. 

Who is susceptible to road rage? 

It is mainly individuals falling in the age group of 18 to 35 years. People belonging to this age group are found to be most likely to indulge in a road rage scuffle. This is most obviously due to the higher levels of stress in these people, since these individuals are in high stress positions- either working or studying. People who are aged 55 and above were found to be the least likely candidates for road rage, owing to their relatively calm lives. 

What is the cause of road rage? 

It was found that tailgating seemed to the number one culprit when it came to contributing to road rage. When a motorist drives way to close to the back of your car, it is called as Tailgating. This single act was the root cause of almost three fourth of the incidents related to road rage in the past one year itself.

Research has also showed that the feeling of sitting behind the wheel makes people feel much bolder than when they are not in the driver’s seat. This feeling of boldness causes people to participate in rude behavior, and in other cases, even assault.

Also, surveys show that almost all people considered their personal driving styles to be very good or ‘very considerate’, but when asked to rate other drivers’ driving performance, only half of them considered others to be considerate drivers. 

What insurance companies say 

Even the calmest of drivers is susceptible to road rage at some point or the other while driving; either from some other reckless driver’s dangerous antics or a driver cutting you. Sometimes, drivers can cross the line and get abusive, in such a case, the victimized driver should have an auto insurance policy that covers incidents related to road rage.

Certain insurance companies don’t just cover for damages to the car when the driver is embroiled in an accident involved road rage, but if the driver is found to be traumatized, she is offered counseling. Others at least provide monetary compensation in addition to standard cover for damages and injury. 

Effects of road rage 

Road rage can be a silent killer- in a split second an individual’s blood pressure soars. It can also lead to physical assaults in rather extreme cases. But the worst cases are those where the offender purposely damages the car of the victim, thus causing his premium to skyrocket, and also leaving the victim very frustrated. A sizeable portion of people have reported their cars to be damaged by drivers with malicious intent. 

It is necessary that drivers who are highly stressed should practice de stressing techniques before starting to drive.