Sorry Enough to Cure Road Rage

Bostonist was not surprised to hear that road rage is a growing problem plaguing Boston drivers. Despite kamikaze pedestrians and don’t-know-if-I’m-a-car-or-not bicyclists, not to mention all those skilled cell phone drivers, driving in Boston isn’t that bad when you know how to do it. Councillor Tobin wants drivers to slow down, but like others, Bostonist isn't sure if that will help any. Boston driving puts life and death in the balance assuming that there are common definitions to signs like “stop” and “one way?” With the creative interpretations we’ve seen of those basic commands Tobin’s “Please Slow Down Boston” (note missing comma) signs probably won’t do to much to solve the road rage. To the rescue? Psychologist and "America's Leading Expert on Road Rage and Aggressive Driving" Dr. Nerenberg. He’s fully aware that every now and again drivers are going to cut someone off, so when you do instead of just shrugging and waving hold up a “sorry” sign. We don’t have the statistics or science behind this to evaluate but according to Nerenberg 60% of road raging drivers would be calmed by a simple sign.

60% of people may be calmed by such a sign, but we’re not so sure that they’d be used appropriately. Many people who drive with their knees while they hold a cell phone in one hand and a coffee mug in the other simply lack the extra limbs to make use of their happy signs of apology. The signs wouldn’t work on the Pike when the person in front of you in the left hand lane is going about 50 with a “sorry” sign taped in the back window. And there could be those who tape the signs to the front of their cars, thus thinking that their instinct to plow through everyone in their path was forgiven. So while apologetic placards could work to calm some road ragers, we think for those with more serious anger management issues a human-head-like punching bag mounted on the passenger seat might be a better solution. Not only would it give ragers a way to vent their anger, but it would also prevent them from carrying passengers in their vehicles, thus keeping at least a few more people a little safer.

Image courtesy Flickr user: ilovecocacola's. Perhaps "Sorry" signs will be as helpful as this sign pictured.
Anna Staniszewski contributed this post.