Lots of comments here generalising about human psychology as various causes of road rage. But they fail to take into account that the amount of road rage varies very much from country to country, meaning that the universality is questionable, or at least heavily influenced by outside factors as well.
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Driving is the most stressful thing many people do on a regular basis since one wrong move from you or somebody else can result in grievous injury or death.
Add to the fact that their lives are already stressed max, and they are typically either coming from, or going to, a place where they must be on time to the minute or it becomes an issue that can affect your ability to feed yourself.
You would think that this would be part of it but people sure don't drive like it is! People tell me I drive like an old lady because I'm actually cautious and go the speed limit. I'm not young and the people saying this aren't young, either. These are people old enough to know better.
If only they would feel that way too. I assure you almost nobody driving a car feels like that. Hell, a ton of people even fall asleep while driving, that is how non-stressful and relaxing it can be. People treat cars like they are toys, not understand what they do (but thinking they do), that is a core issue.
People can fall asleep with artillery shells blowning up beside them.
Just because it can be normalized doesn't mean it's not stressful.
Is that so?
I don't think getting used to it is the same as it not being stressful. People can get used to anything.
Imo it's because people don't treat driving as dangerously as they should.
You're driving a multi ton death machine. You should act like it. Be attentive of your surroundings and follow the fuckin rules.
I'm not saying that's the only reason. Crazy people gonna be crazy but I'd bet it's one of the biggest causes of road rage.
I honestly think driving and League of Legends brings this out of people for the same reason but I have no evidence.
There must be something about relying on the actions of strangers and participating in an activity with measurable and communal “right ways to do things” that brings out so much vitriol.
Perceived slights, overestimating one’s own ability, shared misfortune on mistakes, I could go on forever.
I forget the name of the phenomenon but essentially when you do a questionable act, you had a perfectly valid reason. If someone else does the exact same act, they're a selfish asshole with no respect for other people.
This leads to people doing things that upset others because those other people then think, "well that's a selfish asshole..."
Also zipper merging brings out the worst fucking line monitors that don't understand the world they live in.
Probably Fundamental attribution error. Basically, that we judge others by their actions but ourselves by our intentions.
Exactly that.
“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behaviour.” ― Stephen M.R. Covey, The Speed of Trust: The One Thing that Changes Everything
Humans are incredibly good at justifying behavior they did on impulse
My theory is that humans aren't wired to be piloting heavy machinery at high speeds but we do it with such frequency that it causes the stress signals to be suppressed and so we are prone to lash out and act unpredictably.
How did he break the window with his fist?! Windows are strong!
The guy on the right had upgraded to Windows 11.
I’ve read somewhere, it was when an older driver entered illegally a cyclist path and killed the cyclist that kick his hood, that car is a symbol of your social status. Anyone attacking your status is attacking your place in society and thus your life
The reactions you get when you slightly touch someone's car is scary
Like all tools, the human mind actively views the tool as an extension of the human body. When you use a hammer, your mind sees it as an extension of your arm in order to be able to use it effectively.
When you spend too much time in your car, you begin to really treat it as an extension of yourself, and stop treating it as the two ton death machine on wheels that it obviously is.
I've also read that the more you personalize your car, with bumper stickers and such, the more you view it as a deeply personal part of who you are, and think of the inside of your vehicle as a deeply personal space, and as such, also view an invasion of your cars "personal space" as an invasion of your personal space.
Short story: humans are fucking dumb and we built a society where we spend entirely too much time inside our cars to the point that we form emotional fucking attachments to them.
People get emotionally attached to pretty much everything, from pets over sentimental presents to random stuff. Really has nothing to do with those things being tools.
I bet a lot of those people are equally crazy when they aren't driving as well. Some people are just arseholes.
It doesn't. This is a case of crazy people doing crazy things - same as elsewhere in society.
I hate cars and Dodge Rams, but man, that looks rude.