h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is a tricky one - and one I do tend to suffer from. But I am getting better....

I just take a deep breath and drive on. I also try to avoid listening to aggressive music (or music with an aggressive beat) as that tends to make my temper worse, for some reason.

And if it's something I can't change (like a traffic jam), I just put a comedy tape in - like The Goons, or Dead Ringers - and concentrate on that.

That said, sometimes a really good swear helps, too! I'd recommend only doing this if your windows are closed, though...

That's it!
Release that pent-up rage in a controlled way, otherwise you could find yourself spending a night in the cells or worse!

Haven't yet got that bad, though I have felt close to it sometimes!

The ex is very calm in traffic, and when I was in an awkward mood that would aggravate me even more. But then most things aggravate me when I'm feeling awkward!

Sounds like you ought to get back to her for her patient driving else use more public transport if your definition of an 'awkward mood' is similar to some I have encountered; the roads are bad enough without the addition of bad tempered drivers, if you can't learn quickly to control yourself then a trip to the GP's surgery might be in order before an 'awkard moment' results in someone bouncing, limbs twisted over the front of your car. Unfortunately it does happen, sort it out soon..

Which is why I take the steps (listening to humourous things) above, otherwise I'd be a) dangerous and b) completely unreasonable. None of which is good on the roads! I am much better than when I first started driving, though

And I hate to say it, but I'm a girl! (the ex is a male, though!)

Apologies for wrongly genderising you Rains & glad your temper is lessening,
in your whole life too I hope; road rage being only an individual form of England's world renown yob culture..
Anyway Rains,' be good, be pure, be vigilant, be-have', an ol' 2000ad quote..

If you drive all day as I do, then road rage is not part of your daily work. To see vehicles and bodies torn apart, certainly puts road rage into perspective. Impatience is the seed of road rage and it takes a while for the penny to drop but you must persevere. When you've come close to tragedy thru' impatience then you very quickly learn to behave properly on the road or you very quickly become at best very disabled or very dead or even worse cause someone else that sorrow.

I've been very lucky in that respect, but like you say if you come close to it, then you learn! Road rage is, among other things, totally pointless, and that takes a while to sink in, too.

I used to be generally impatient, not just on the roads, so calming down on the roads has also helped me calm down off them . I try to drive as I would like others to drive around me - courteous, observant, and nice to cyclists and learners.

I read a quote somewhere which goes

" You don't HAVE to get angry about everything that you have a RIGHT to be angry about"

In other words, yeah that boy racer cutting in front of me makes me annoyed, and justly so. But I'm choosing not to get wound up by it.

I also work on the theory that a) they won't notice you getting wound up, and b) they won't care, so why waste the effort?

I also think to myself that they must be lacking in some department and have to make up for it by driving like that

I used to be a "road rager", everyone on the road was a jerk and needed more driving lessons except me. I always had to pass the car in front of me.. of course he/she wasn't driving fast enough. At one point I even felt people were cutting me off, etc on porpuse just to tic me off. Fortunately times change, maybe age, maybe a dose of Zen philosophy, but now I'm just happy to get where I'm going however long it takes. I get into my little zone and drive along with the flow. It's certainly mae a difference when I get home, I'm not in an awful mood. As has been mention, road rage can and has killed, slow down, be careful, and live to see tomorrow.