By: Zilungile Mnisi

Every year South Africans get involved in accidents due to aggressive driving.  Road rage has come to be one of the serious issues in the country as drivers are angry on the road.

Lungile Mthembu, a first time driver was taken by surprise while she was driving her brand new car.
“It was like an attack from a stranger, because here I was enjoying my first ride in my brand new car only to witness this anger amongst drivers,” said Mthembu.

A car ride is not often a typical “joyride” because it’s not every day that everyone feels the urge to drive.  Often we find ourselves driving to places we do not want to be.

Not everyone wants to be driving to work at seven in the morning, but it has to be done. Mornings and evenings are the peak times when road-rage often occurs. With all these frustrations from different people on the road, it is hard for drivers to hold back their aggression.

Even the most patient person tends to lose it.

A recent incident which serves as a road rage example is one that occurred on Witkopen Road, Fourways, Johannesburg where a Porsche driver was caught on camera by an eyewitness as he assaulted another driver. This attack occurred after the Porsche driver had been driving recklessly and cutting people off as he was driving.

Within days of the Porsche rage encounter, another incident of road rage also in Gauteng, was reported. This time, a 65 year old man was punched in the face by a motorist countless times after the 65 year old had accidentally bumped into the motorist’s vehicle.

It is hard for one to avoid the seriousness of this rage on the roads.  Avoiding road rage is not difficult.   Drivers should just abide by the rules of the road- driving the speed limit, obeying traffic signs and signals and using turn signals per instruction.