For business drivers out on the road, witnessing or being involved in road rage might be seen as inevitable. However, fleet managers can help to prevent the situation altogether by offering the right level of advice.
Below are some of the top tips you can give to business drivers to avoid being a victim of road rage, and what to do if it escalates.
- If there’s conflict between two parties, there’s a likely chance you’ve both played a part. This doesn’t mean you should react. Try to take yourself away from the problem – let the other driver go on ahead. Even if you feel wronged, letting the other party go will make no difference to the rest of your day.
- Is someone being confrontational or aggressive? If so, don’t make eye contact and don’t react visibly. Try not to think about them so that the incident doesn’t affect you afterwards.
- If the other party is still being aggressive to you and you are in fear of your own safety, call the police.
- If the other party approaches you in your car, can you drive away safely? If you can, consider doing so. But don’t rush off and drive like the getaway driver in a film, or if you think the other driver is going to follow you. If they are following you, stop in a busy public place and call for help.
- If a situation does escalate, ask a passenger to film any behaviour on a mobile phone. Remember to include the registration number of the other vehicle involved.
- If you were at fault, admit it and apologise. It may be enough to defuse the situation quickly. And do not do anything that can be interpreted as retaliation. Even if you weren’t at fault, is the argument really worth it?
- Hopefully by now the matter is over and you are driving away. Do acknowledge that this incident will have affected your behaviour. If you feel upset or emotional pull over and get some fresh air or walk around if you need to before resuming your journey.
IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman said: “Road rage does not affect everyone every day. If you’re finding it is happening very often, you might want to think about how you engage with other road users.”
Our courses such as Driving for Work have been created specifically with business drivers in mind, and has been designed to equip them with knowledge and skills that will help them to stay safe on the road in difficult situations.
Contact us to find out more.
