Ah, yes. There’s nothing more alerting then the white-hot fury that comes from being cut off at a traffic light. It’s usually followed by a series of screaming and livid words directed at the culprit. Being angry seems to be a natural part of driving – especially when driving in New York. A defensive driving course will teach you how to drive defensively, and could help you control your anger if you know what to look for.

Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what road rage is. We all express rage in different ways. Therefore, how we express our rage on the road is going to be unique to ourselves. That’s why we’ve created an extensive list of the top road rage definitions to describe the forms of anger you’d see and to be cautious of.

Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving is the most common form of road rage. When someone peeves you while on the beat path, it’s easy to drive less defensively. Some signs of an aggressive driver are less patient road maneuvers, driving a little too close to others, and passive aggressive honking. Passive aggressive honking is sometimes worse than angry honking. Try not to drive too closely to these guys.

Habitual Road Rage

Some people are just angry all the time. When you continuously do something, it becomes a habit. For some people, they might not realize how often they’re raging on the roads, because it’s become their habit. Habitual road rage is when a driver has developed a routine of being rageful while driving. It’s expected they’ll tailgate, because they blame others for their misery. Don’t’ upset a tailgater by frequent stops. It’s best just to change lanes.

Situational Road Rage

Have you ever encountered the sweetest person, but, when the car in front of them isn’t paying attention to the street light, they turn into a monstrosity? That’s the situational road rager. They don’t make it a habit of being angry, because they shove all those rageful feelings down – until someone cuts them off in traffic. During these instances they see nothing but red and snap. These drivers are not as easy to steer clear of, but do your best not to tick others off by following the rules of the road.

Tailgating

We’re all familiar with that jerk driving the pickup truck in your rearview mirror. They get too close to the back of your car, because that’s their way of telling you to “speed up.” Nobody enjoys tailgaters. What’s worse is tailgating is seen has a commonality of driver’s everywhere. What people don’t understand is tailgating is a form of road rage. As mentioned before, change lanes and let them pass.

Gesturing

Ever had your window down only to catch the driver next to you flipping you a bird? Gesturing can come and go in your life in a moment’s notice. Often, it’s prompted by doing something reckless. Other times, it could be a person just blowing off some steam. Try not to let these gestures upset you and encourage your inner road rager. Don’t take it personally, and move on.

Brake Checking

Brake checkers are the tailgaters worst enemy. They suddenly stop in the middle of the road, when they notice someone is driving too close to them. The goal is to have the other vehicle rear end them, starting an altercation at the rear-enders fault. The brake checker might feel justified in their actions, but, in reality, they’re just as bad as any other road rager. Don’t let them infuriate you! Change lanes. Hopefully your exit will appear shortly.

Leering and Staring

The leerer or starrer is the creepy ghoul of the road raging family. They’ll talk behind you, when you least expect it. Their only motif is to communicate some sense of anger to you, from behind the wheel of their car. If you’re stopped at a light and notice someone watching you, you could be encountering a leering driver who is ragefully whispering curses under their breath at you. Do not be hypnotized by those hushed tones. Keep your eyes on the road and your head in the game.