Not all drivers are pleasant to share the road with. Even if they are lovely people most of the day, getting behind the wheel can sometimes make people turn into raging monsters who present a threat to themselves and those they share the road with.
Understanding your options if faced with one reduces the chance you end up hurt – through a crash or assault. Here are some pointers to consider:
Remember you can only control your own actions
You cannot make another driver calm down. You cannot make them leave more of a gap when following you, or give more warning before braking in front of you. In fact, you can do nothing at all to change their behavior, at least not with guaranteed results.
You might think smiling and waving your hand to say “chill out” or “sorry” is a good idea. But what if your gesturing or smiling makes them even more annoyed? It’s best to avoid sending any gestures, words or facial expressions their way.
Think how you can extract yourself from the position
Can you pull off at the next junction to get away from them? Could you slow down a little to let them scoot past you more easily? There is no guarantee any of these will work, but they often will. Just be sure to assess whether it is safe to enact such an option. For instance, do not turn off unless you have enough time to indicate and warn whoever is behind you, and do not pull over into a parking space if you are on an empty road at night.
If a collision does occur, then learning how to pursue compensation is a wise step to take.