One way of ensuring your safety on the road is to make sure that you are not an aggressive driver. Aggressive driving can cause accidents and can also result in incidents of road rage.

Aggressive driving is often demonstrated by drivers who take their anger, resentment and frustration with them behind the wheel. These attitudes can lead to crashes and nasty confrontations. Many instances of this aggressive behaviour involve drivers who cut you off, make unsafe lane changes, speed, follow too closely, run red lights, and disobey traffic signs and signals. Add to that the blaring of a horn, angry voices shouting and rude hand gestures and you have a dangerous mix. All of these driving patterns can lead to road rage or the kind of highway madness that has drivers engaging in physical fights or using their vehicles to ram other drivers, sometimes forcing them off the road.

1. Forget work or home worries, concentrate on driving. (Rather be late and arrive alive.)
2. Plan your journey in advance to reduce anxiety and stress.
3. Adopt a positive mental attitude.
4. Play music. This can reduce stress.
5. Don't try to change other drivers attitudes: you can't, you can only change your own.
6. Be courteous and stay calm if provoked.
7. Drive with your car doors locked and if you see trouble don't leave the safety of your vehicle.
8. Count from 1-10 if you start to get angry (it's old and it works!)
9. Don't retaliate by sounding your horn, flashing your lights or gesturing, this will only aggravate the situation.
10. If you are a victim of aggression take the car's registration number and report incident to the police.
11. Drive courteously at all times: leave plenty of room when you merge, always use your indicators, keep a two-second distance between your car and the car in front of you and don't use your hooter unnecessarily.

For more information on road rage, visit the Arrive Alive website.