10 Ways To Stay Safe During A Road Rage Incident

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10 Ways To Stay Safe During A Road Rage IncidentLast week, another road rage incident in Chattanooga, TN made national headlines. A driver and her son were confronted, threatened, and verbally assaulted by another driver.  Incidents like this can happen anywhere at any time.

As mothers, we are often out driving during odd hours of the day and night, usually solo with just our children. Like the mother mentioned above, the aggressor can be incredibly threatening and things can escalate rather quickly.

If you find yourself in the middle of a road rage situation, here are ten ways to stay safe:

1. Stay calm and don’t react.

The most important thing is to stay calm and avoid escalating the situation. Don’t make any sudden moves or respond to provocations. Hand gestures may also escalate the situation inadvertently.

2. Get out of the way and hang back.

If possible, get out of the way of the other car. This will help minimize the risk of an accident. Try slowing your speed to allow them to continue ahead of you. This may give you an opportunity to exit a dangerous highway if needed.

3. Keep your doors locked.

Keep your doors locked and windows up until you feel safe exiting the car.

4. Avoid eye contact.

Don’t make any eye contact with the other driver; this can be seen as challenging and escalate the situation.

5. Put on your hazards.

If it’s safe to do so, put on your hazards to indicate that you want to get out of the situation. It can also alert other drivers to the problem.

6. Drive to a police station or another public place.

If you feel like you’re in immediate danger, drive to a police station or another public place where there will be people around. This may deter the aggressor from exiting their car.

7. Call someone you know to listen and help if necessary.

If your car is equipped with hands-free calling, you can call a friend to help calm you down and be an audible witness if anything were to happen. You can also relay license plate information as well as a description of the other driver and car.

8. Call 911 if necessary.

If things start to get really dangerous, call 911 and ask for help. You can even ask the friend you have on the line to do this for you so you can concentrate on driving safely.

9. Be aware of your surroundings.

Keep an eye out for potential weapons either in the other car or on the road itself (like broken glass).

10. Make sure kids are properly restrained.

You never know how far a situation will escalate. Take the time to ensure your children are all properly restrained.

While road rage can be a frightening experience, there are several things you can do to increase the chance you’ll stay safe. Remember that the other driver is unlikely able to reason, so try to remain calm to keep the situation as diffused as possible. If you have a child entering driving age, be sure to talk to them about safety regarding aggressive drivers and go over some of the tips above. By following them, you can increase your chances of leaving the incident with little to no violence.

Stay safe out there, Momma.

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Jessica Pope
Hello! I'm Jessica. I grew up in Northern Indiana where I joined the Navy right out of high school. After 3 deployments and some amazing port calls I married a fellow sailor and began a family. We moved around a few times in search of a forever city. After a few visits to the Chattanooga area we fell in love and set in motion our move to the highly recommended Signal Mountain. I am slowly chipping away at my marketing degree while working part time at a local marketing agency. I am also a huge portrait photography lover and have a small studio up here on Signal Mountain where I shoot luxury portrait for children and women. You can check out my work at www.venyaportrait.com. We have 2 kiddos, Jazzy(6) who's larger than life and Joseph(3) who is taking his sweet time growing up. We have always planned to adopt as well and are currently awaiting a match for a big sister in need of a loving home. I also volunteer as a court advocate for abused and neglected children in the area. It's a great program and you can check out more at https://www.tncasa.org/. You can find me binging true crime podcasts and dark drama shows late at night. I'm a serial hobbyist, I'll never turn down an iced coffee, I actually try hard not to cuss like a sailor and I love meeting different kinds of people.