Drivers Do Not See Other Drivers As People

Being in a car creates a sort of distance between you and the people around you. While you may only be a few feet away from another driver, it feels much greater than that. Some of this has to do with feeling anonymous. They don’t know you, you don’t know them and you don’t expect to see them again. Even if you do, you probably won’t know who they are, nor will they know who you are.

Beyond that, you stop thinking of other drivers as people at all. You start thinking of them as their vehicles. If a pickup truck cuts you off, you think about how the truck put you in danger, not the person behind the wheel.

This can lead to road rage. If drivers do not see each other as people, they’re less likely to be kind. They don’t let little mistakes go. They get furious over small traffic mistakes that are really inconsequential. They lash out. They do and say things from that “safe” distance, with the benefit of being anonymous, that they wouldn’t do or say otherwise.

For instance, a driver who gets cut off in traffic may start tailgating the other car, yelling at the driver and aggressively pursuing them. However, if that same person was in the grocery store and someone accidentally rolled their cart in front of them at the end of an aisle, they’d probably just smile, nod and let them pass. When they feel closer and everyone’s face is clearly visible, people act differently than they do in the car,

If a driver does engage in road rage and causes you to crash, you need to know what rights you have to compensation. for your losses. Sometimes the only real way to obtain a measure of justice after a road rage incident that leaves you injured is to hold the person who caused the accident liable financially.