Commentary

> Agressive Driving
> Creating a low-stress environment

Aggressive driving

We've all met them—the jerks who tailgate, the so-and-sos who cut you off or won't let you change lanes, the knuckleheads who nearly run you off the road. Almost everyone has occasionally felt the urge to give an aggressive driver a taste of his or her own medicine.

But, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, if you act on these urges, you'll be engaging in your own form of aggressive driving-and perhaps causing a minor incident to escalate into a major tragedy.

Road rage and aggressive driving, while linked, are not the same thing. Aggressive driving takes many forms, but perhaps it can best be defined as driving without courtesy for others. Road rage is uncontrolled anger that results in actual or threatened physical violence on the road.

Almost anyone can get involved in an aggressive driving incident-and, by extension, risks getting involved in a road rage incident-either by driving discourteously or by engaging those who do. Seem farfetched? Well, if you've ever honked or gestured at a driver who annoyed you, you've escalated a situation. You acted as an aggressive driver, even if you weren't the one who started it. When another driver does something that annoys you, the best course is to get out of the other driver's way and consciously let it go from your mind. Someone driving aggressively may not be thinking clearly. Even a minor reaction-a honking horn or flashing high-beams-might turn an already unpredictable driver into an attacker.

If you believe another driver is being especially dangerous, note the car's license plate, stop in a safe place and call the police. Dial *CSP to report dangerous driversto the Colorado State Patrol. If a driver seems to be trying to follow or threaten you, drive to the nearest police or fire station for assistance.

Don't let the other driver's problem become your problem. For more information on safe driving, visit www.aaafoundation.org.

Creating a low-stress environment

Keep an eye on your own driving. Cutting people off, passing aggressively and bulling your way through traffic isn't going to get you there any faster, and it's certainly not worth putting your life at risk.

Here are some ideas for staying calm behind the wheel.

Start your trip with plenty of time to get to your destination, so unexpected delays don't make you impatient.

Keep the temperature comfortable, the music soothing and the conversation light.

Remind yourself that you never know why someone might be driving aggressively. Maybe the driver you're about to gesture at is a first responder on the way to an emergency, a parent trying to get a child to the hospital, or a normal driver like you who simply made a mistake—we all make them occasionally.

Pay attention to your own responses. When another driver makes you angry, does a muttered comment to yourself make you feel better—or does it raise your tension? There's no harm in blowing off steam this way, as long as the other driver isn't aware of it.

If rush-hour traffic raises your stress levels, consider joining a carpool so you're not the driver every day.

Change your daily schedule. For example, by leaving home an hour earlier, you may be able to avoid traffic and then use the extra time to take a walk near your office until it's time to start work-a double dose of stress reduction.