Being a safe driver should always be our #1 priority as drivers. And although we all vow to be safe drivers, we sometimes fall short. Whether it’s answering that phone call, looking at our texts, fumbling around with the radio instead of keeping our eyes on the road, even something as crazy as applying makeup! Now if I asked you if those were safe things to do while driving, regardless if they are things you do, I think we could all agree that they are unsafe to do while driving. However, one thing many of us might forget to add to that list is road rage. Now it’s easy to get annoyed by other drivers, especially when they cut you off,  when they are driving really close, or when they are driving really slow when you’ve got places to be! But the truth is, many of us can’t roll with the punches. In fact, many of us have pretty short fuzes and tend to jump to yelling and road rage pretty quickly. But the truth is, road rage is just as dangerous as all the other things we listed before.

Road rage is an act of aggression and stress, which leads to dangerous driving situations. When we drive aggressively, we tend to forget about everything we learned when it comes to defensive driving. So staying calm, even when you’re really annoyed, is really important to the safety of you, your passengers, and other drivers around you. This week I wanted to help give you some tips to keeping come and carrying on safe driving. Check them out below and for more information on defensive driving, be sure to check out your local DMV website.

Steps:

• Take Time and Be Prepared

• Safe driving starts the night before. Morning rushes increase the chance of accidents. Not only can driving drowsy be as dangerous as driving under the influence, but it makes for raw nerves that quickly flare.
• Breakfast in bed is romantic. Breakfast in the car is a recipe for disaster.
• Take your time! After drunk driving, speeding is the second leading cause of fatalities.

• Be Your Best Neighbor

• Give that driver who suddenly changed lanes the benefit of the doubt
• When aggravated, take a few deep, slow breaths. Your daily drive is a great time to practice patience and find your inner Zen.
• Mind your manners, no tailgating, yield to the right-away, leave the left lane for passing only, respect traffic rules, be polite, and understanding

• Tune Into Calm Sounds Of Bliss:

• Research has shown that listening to some types of music or conversational sounds can reduce stress
• Keep audio and passenger volume low to medium.

• Scents of Sensibility

• Certain scents produce blissfully calming effects and increase focus.
• Lavender promotes healthy relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety and energizes focus
• Citrus boosts alertness while inspiring positive, stress-reducing feelings
• Vanilla promotes calm, comfortable feelings of happiness to elevate mood, making smiling away aggression that much easier
• Peppermint or cinnamon reduce frustration and promote driver alertness without the jittery hazards of caffeine