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Published online 13 June 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.889
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Bumper stickers reveal link to road rage
Car adornments betray a territorial mindset.
Bumper stickers such as “Make Love, Not War” and “More Trees, Less Bush” speak volumes about a vehicle's driver — but maybe not in the way they might hope. People who customize their cars with stickers and other adornments are more prone to road rage than other people, according to researchers in Colorado.
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..."Jesus saves" may be just as worrying to fellow drivers as "Don't mess with Texas". This is a super example of reading something into something. The 'Don't mess with Texas' coffee cups, trash bags and bumper stickers were all part of an anti-littering campaign a few years ago. Having recently moved to the greater Huston area from Colorado, one can not help but notice how crowded the roads are and yet the drivers are generally friendly. jkdoherty cypress, texas
Indeed some stickers are greater subject concern than others. I´ve been carrying on informal research observing religious stickers and it´s amazing - from each 100 veichles with such item,and we have observed around 300, 75 are prone to dangerous driving, most remarkably catholics and gospels.
Wouldn't a person prone to express himself in bumper stickers be more likely to admit feelings of road rage?
..."Stay back 50feet, I suffer from road rage"... that's a good idea. Fair warning to all concerned! Here in Memphis I think everyone would have one... driving is truly an atrocious experience. Like they say, if the turn signal is on, it's probably cos the car came that way...
If you don't like being tailgated get out of the left lane. Impeding the flow of traffic is against the law too, although nearly never enforced. Yes you can get a ticket for going too slow even if you are "going the speed limit" BE COURTEOUS get over. "Slower Traffic Keep Right" (the unenforced law) Perhaps if the police would cite some of the discourteous drivers an put the word out that it is the job of the police to slow down speeders, not vigilantes, then there would be less road rage.
"...it is the job of the police to slow down speeders,..." I agree. If only they would do it.
I find this article very interesting. The conclusion does seem logical, that customizing one's vehicle would give one a sense of "my territory." I would like to point out that the definition of "road rage" is different in various parts of the U.S. I was a chauffeur in the NYC metro area for quite a few years. I've lived in Colorado now for 16 years. What is required for being able to traverse the roads in NYC would be considered extremely aggressive driving in Colorado.
Sorry, Randy Miller (up above) but when I'm in the left lane, going 10 mph faster than the speed limit and some idiot decides to tailgate me, I really don't feel the need to change lanes and let them by. Go around, if you're in such a hurry. I have my reasons for being in that lane (not getting off the highway anytime soon, trying to avoid the huge trucks, etc...) As far as 'territoriality' goes, the researchers should look into the connection between allergy medicines (typically used most in the spring and fall) and road rage. Pseudoephedrine can build up in your system and make you nuts. In the warnings, it's described as 'jitteriness' but it's far worse than that several days into taking it.
Signalfire, the person tailgating you while driving in the left (PASSING) lane is not the idiot. You are breaking the law, which states regardless of speed you must yield to overtaking traffic while driving in the left/passing lane. You are forcing traffic to back up or pass you on the right which can be dangerous. Courteous driving goes a long way to reducing road rage.
I agree with David Hand about driving in the passing lane: playing speed monitor on the freeway is hazardous. Pay attention to the traffic patterns and move over for speeders, who *will* pass in the driving lane if you're driving in the passing lane: a dangerous maneuver that wouldn't occur without at least two reckless drivers to cause it.
I think it's worth noting that the obeying of various traffic laws aren't really the point here - it's how people *feel* and react to people who may or may not be obeying said laws. Yes, if someone is in the left lane and not passing and/or going too slow, sure they should not be in the left lane. But people more prone to 'road rage' are going to react more emotionally than those who aren't. It's naive to say "if people obeyed laws or drove properly road rage would disappear" because not only are people's interpretation of laws subjective, but it's how people REACT to those who do or don't 'obey' laws that leads to road rage. You'll find, for example, that people with anger issues CONSTANTLY blame others for why they are getting so upset (if only they did what I asked, I wouldn't be angry!). This is a similar situation.
"I was a chauffeur in the NYC metro area for quite a few years. I've lived in Colorado now for 16 years. What is required for being able to traverse the roads in NYC would be considered extremely aggressive driving in Colorado." Again, the point is how you react. It's possible to drive aggressively without getting upset/angry at all.
The problem often times is just stubbornness. The driver who refuses to merge out of the passing lane because he has decided that going 10mph over the speed limit is what everyone should do is just as much at fault at causing road rage. I think the occurrence of road rage is more dependent on the current state of mind of the driver than anything else, including the presence of absence of bumper stickers. If I'm already agitated and in a hurry to get somewhere, the stubborn driver who refuses to get out of the left lane will irritate me much more than if im relaxed and just cruising in the car having a conversation with my passenger.
I regularly drive in the right-hand (the "slow") lane, at or near either the speed limit or what I perceive to be roughly the average of surrounding traffic, and yet I find myself being tailgated quite regularly (often by large trucks). I'm sure some of those drivers think I should be driving faster even in the slow lane. What do you suggest I do to protect myself from both road-rage-prone drivers, and the likely consequences of trying to drive faster than prevailing traffic?