Contributed by: Somer Obernauer—Rohrich knows commutes in Pittsburgh can be chaotic and interactions with other drivers are not always pleasant. One driver cuts off another, and the drivers begin waving at each other – ehem, “waving.” This has been a thing for some time, but post-Covid road rage is the, well, new rage.
While this aggression on the road is nothing new, expert studies and local law enforcement officials point to an uptick in aggressive driving and road rage incidents following the onset of the pandemic. In fact, Ryan Martin, who studies road rage, told the LA Times, “People are under pressure. They are under stress and angry already about a lot of things, and driving is a perfectly designed situation to cause anger. People are heading someplace. It’s easy to feel like their goals are being blocked. It is high stress and anxiety provoking.”
Traffic is also getting back to normal, and people need to readjust to maneuvering in heavy traffic. Cautious driving skills are like that French you learned in high school – use it or lose it. Practicing safe driving skills such as using a turn signal may have seemed unnecessary when you were the only car in sight on three lanes of I376, but these skills are now crucial to sharing your intentions with the thousands of other drivers sharing the road with you. And helps decrease road rage.
It is a complicated issue, but there is a simple way to be a part of the solution. Drive with caution. Use your turn signals to alert other drivers to your intentions, and always look one extra time when merging or changing lanes. And when another driver isn’t so courteous, and you feel like giving that extra special “wave,” count to ten and remember that everyone is adjusting to this new normal.
Always enjoy a #RohrichRide