A sophisticated analysis of Road Rage
Posted by: MichelleJul 14 2008, 2:22 pm
In this month's issue of Momentum Magazine, Charles Montgomery has written a great essay on road rage, why it happens, and what we can do about it. So put down your Oregonian, and dig a little deeper into this issue with us.
"For starters, the driving experience primes car drivers for meltdowns," he writes. "They are conditioned by popular culture to see cars as symbols of freedom, yet city driving is a slow-motion trap that subjects drivers to constant restrictions on their movement. Drivers are thwarted from enjoying the promise of motion by traffic lights, by congestion – and yes, by cyclists – and they suffer the natural but impossible desire to escape and move forward. All this while being strapped to their seats!
"It is common for drivers to imagine scenes of violence and retribution during the course of their commutes. It makes sense for the same to be true of cyclists, whose sense of vulnerability goes beyond the threat of scratched paint. We risk life and limb at every encounter.
"Road rage is a symptom of the corrosive effect that modern commuting has on urban culture. Aggressive streets are not just dangerous, they change the way we feel and the way we treat each other, even when we’re not commuting."
Read the full, excellent article here.
Oh, balderdash.
Most people behind the wheel are as peaceable, cooperative and helpful to strangers as they are waiting in the checkout line at the grocery store.
There is substantial research on cooperation in groups, and the social dilemmas wherein your benefit depends on my giving up some of my benefit, or wherein all have to give up some so that all can have more. These pretty reliably show that 83% or so of people are ready to cooperate, and to give up some of their own prerogatives in order that we all can be better off. Sure, that means 17% are, as they call them, "random jerks", but they don't dominate, cooperators do! There is no evidence that this is any less true behind the wheel.
Demonizing "the other" has NO, repeat NO, helpful uses!
This whole line of bullwash about all motorists being primed to rage is yet another part of the demonizing of motorists that the anarchist cycling subculture loves to promote. It is classic bullying (read up on that, will you?) When you are done reading up on cooperation, social dilemmas and bullying, then, please, Get a life!
Beating people over the head with bicycles is not advancing your cause. Get over it!
I am a biker, and a car driver and I have a theory/observation. By my highly scientific estimation approximately 5% of car drivers are a–holes, 15% are just clueless/distracted by whatever gizmo they are messing with etc, and 80% are pretty with it and occasionally make a mistake.
On the other hand, my fine scientific sense I estimates that there are approximately 9.75% of cyclist are a–holes ex. run red lights, don't slow at stop signs, ride up on pedestrians without any warning and just generally act like jerks or like they are named Cadel and are amidst the peloton. 20% just don't know how to ride very well and do stupid stuff like ride without helmets/lights, visible clothing, and the other 70% are pretty good decent and considerate riders that don't ride around with a holier than though entitled attitude and are pretty much the best people I know.
Soo…..I say take away the licences of the 5% of a–hole drivers so they have to ride
and make all cyclists take a test in order to own and ride a ride a bike on the roads sense they are a vehicle and they are on the road. Problem solved!!