Road Rage as is “an aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle.” We can encounter road rage anytime on the roadway.
We are all guilty of road rage at one time or another. Examples of road rage include:

• rude gestures (you know – flipping the bird)
• honking the horn
• unsafe or a threatening manner of driving
• making threats

These aggressive behaviors can lead to disputes with drivers, assaults and even car accidents which can a cause injury or death.

How can we avoid road rage accidents? Here are some tips that may help:

1. Be a responsible driver – It is vital to drive safely and courteously. Never block the passing lane, follow traffic rules, refrain from speeding and use your turn signals when needed.
2. Check local traffic conditions – road rage accidents can take place as traffic gets worse. If possible, allow enough time to get to your destination. It would be better to travel ahead in order to avoid rush hours on the road.
3. Do not drive if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs – you are prone to accidents and you are more likely to cause trouble if you are not in your proper behavior.
4. Never drive when you are angry or depressed – conflicts like threat, yelling or assault may occur when an angry driver is triggered.
5. Respect other drivers on the road – Use your horn in an appropriate manner and if you have high beams on headlights, turn it off when there is oncoming traffic. Avoid distracting other drivers.
6. Focus on the road ahead and be aware of other drivers around you – if you see an aggressive driver, get out of his way as much as possible.
7. Avoid eye contact with aggressive drivers – exercise extreme caution when dealing with angry drivers. When dealing with an angry and at-fault road rage driver, it is important to be calm and contact the police.

Being involved in a road rage accident can be risky and even deadly. Always remember that it is better to avoid irritating another driver. You don’t know how badly their day has been. If you know someone who is a victim of road rage accident in Kentucky, tell them to contact a personal injury attorney for them to know and protect their legal rights against at-fault aggressive drivers.

            We have made it 2010.  How many people have made their New Year’s resolutions?  I have a suggestion every Kentuckian should resolve to be a safer driver. We must attempt to make our Kentucky roads safer.  How can we avoid serious automobile accidents?  How can we avoid striking a pedestrian or a bicycle? How can we be more careful and avoid motorcycle accidents?  The answer is obviously yes.  In getting 2010 off to a good start I decided to give you my top ten ways to be a safe driver.  Here we go.

            10.       Pay attention to what is going on around you. 

            9.         Expect the unexpected.  You never know when you’re going to have to react.  I’ve been trying to teach this lesson to my daughter as she learns to drive.  I’ll let her tell you some of the stories at a later time. 

            8.         Don’t tailgate. 

            7.         As a bicyclists you must obey the rules of the road.  Don’t ride on the sidewalks.  Make sure that you are aware of what the cars are doing.  Remember cars can’t see you as well as you see them. Drivers of cars need to watch out for bikes too. Remember that bikes have the same rights as cars. 

            6.         Motorcycles don’t needlessly speed and be aware of what cars are doing. When I ski I need to watch out for other skiers as well as snowboarders, who go down a hill differently then a skier. I have to be aware of this and respect the differences to avoid an accident. A driver of a car needs to have the same respect for other vehicles that are on the road. 

            5.         Avoid road rage.  A calm driver is a safe driver. 

            4.         Be courteous.  This goes along with No. 5. Let another car into traffic.  Don’t cut them off.  It won’t kill you. This goes a long way toward helping to control a driver’s temper and traffic running smoothly.  Remember everyone is trying to get somewhere in a hurry and where they are getting is just as important as where you are going. 

            3.         Remember a yellow light means to stop, not speed up and try to get through the intersection.  If you can stop safely you should.  A yellow light only means that you should clear the intersection if you are in it. If you speed up at a yellow light sooner or later you will cause an accident. 

            2.         Make sure your car is in safe working order.  Make sure the tires, brakes, etc. are all working properly. Have your mechanic check your car out. It is a lot cheaper than being in an accident. 

            1.         Drumbeat please – don’t be a distracted driver.  Get off your cell phone.  Don’t text.  Don’t  look up phone numbers.  Don’t put on your makeup.  Distracted Driving is the No. 1 cause of accidents in America today overtaking drunk driving (which you obviously shouldn’t do either, so we will make it 1A). I actually saw a young girl try to text and drive on the snowy roads last night on the way home. She probably ended up in a ditch some where.

            I’m sure I could easily have a top 25 list of ways to avoid automobile accidents. I hope this gets your mind thinking on how you can avoid automobile accidents and be a safer driver on our Kentucky roads.  Nobody is a winner if there is an accident.  Let’s keep them to a minimum this year.

Tomorrow is December 23.  For most people this is not a date that comes with great anticipation, but for Seinfeld fans we all know that December 23 is Festivus.  As Frank called it: “A Festivus for the rest of us.” 

The reason I bring this up is in the Seinfeld episode during the Festivus dinner you gather your family around and you tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.  This is called the airing of grievances. 

So I thought I would air my grievances about Louisville drivers and how their actions can cause serious automobile accidents here in Kentucky.  Car accidents can have severe consequences and distracted driving is even worse during the holiday season. We all have our minds on other things.  Holiday road rage runs wild.  Here are a few of the grievances I have against some of those drivers that use the Louisville roadways:

            1. Bicyclists That Ignore the Law.    As I was riding to work this morning I got off the expressway at Jefferson Street.  As I was driving down Jefferson Street I saw someone riding their bike to work, which I commend.  The same laws of the road apply to bike riders as to cars.  This particular rider, during rush hour mind you, was riding the white line of a lane in between cars. He was only giving himself a foot on either side as he went down through the traffic.  This is just downright dumb.  I hope he made it to work.  The chances are if he continues this activity, he is going to be involved in a bicycle accident. He will be injured and have problems for the rest of his life.

            2. Texting and driving.  I had someone pull over into my lane as she was texting and had no idea that it even happened.  Get off the phone and concentrate on driving.  It’s very simple to do and it will save your life as well as others’ lives.  Is it worth being in an accident because you need to text, “Oh my gosh” to your girlfriend in the next 13 seconds?

            3. Using Two Lanes to Make a Turn. Stay in your lane. Don’t make a right turn by initiating your turn toward the left.  Stay in your lane.  You don’t have to veer to the left and into the other lane in order to make a right-hand turn.  You can do it within the lanes.  That’s why the lines are there.

            4. Tailgaters.  Get off the rear end of my car.  You’re not going to get there any quicker because you’re 5 feet off my bumper.  Be three car lengths back.  There is a reason this is recommended.  You’re reaction time is not good enough if I have to slam on the brakes for a deer.  You’re going to cause an accident and you’re going to hurt my back.  Back off.

            5. Icy Road Speeders. When the roads get wet and snowy, slow down.  There’s no reason to go 75 miles an hour in a 45 mile per hour zone weaving in and out traffic.  I know 95 percent of the road is okay, but if you hit that one spot at the wrong time you’re going to lose control and cause a serious car wreck.  You don’t need to be in an accident this time of year and neither do I.  Slow down, drive smart, don’t be an idiot.

            These are just five of my grievances I have to voice against Louisville drivers. I have many others. These are just some of the poor driving skills I’ve seen in the last few weeks.  I know I’m somewhat making light of this, but my point is if you are careful you can save yourself from being in an accident. You don’t have to be injured.  Christmas is a great time of year.  Let’s all drive smart and take care of ourselves and take care of other drivers on the road so that we can eliminate bicycle accidents, car accidents and truck accidents.  Have a safe and happy Festivus and let’s hope that there are no grievances to air about Louisville drivers and Kentucky car accidents in the coming year.

It’s that time of the year.  It’s cold outside.  The Christmas decorations are everywhere.  We are all eagerly anticipating the Christmas holiday.  Children are awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. Parents are heading to the stores trying to get that perfect gift. We have all seen “Jingle All the Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad and Phil Hartman, and unfortunately that is the way the holidays make a lot of people act. Another thing that comes with the holiday season is downright stupid driving. 

I was driving down US 42 on the way to work and a car swerved over into my lane and almost ran me off the road.  I looked over only to see a teenage girl, texting on her phone, totally unaware that she had almost caused an accident.  I honked at her, which I probably shouldn’t have done. I then gave her the universal signal for “What were you thinking?” (Both hands extended in the air) She looked over at me with a puzzled look on her face and then went straight back to texting and driving.  She is a ticking time bomb; eventually she will be involved in an automobile accident. I hope no one is seriously injured.

I know inattentive driving is not limited to Christmas time. But this close call made me think that we need to be much more aware of what is happening on our roads in Louisville, Kentucky, in order to avoid an automobile accident.   There are always people that are not thinking clearly while they are driving. They text, eat, read, put on make up, and on and on. Distracted drivers are dangerous. You have seen this as you drive down the road.  I saw a bicycle on the road in this cold weather without any reflectors and the rider was dressed totally in black and it was night and pitch black.  I hope he made it home.  It would be a minor miracle. 

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, tempers are going to flare as shoppers are trying to get to the malls. We will all rush out to get that last minute gift. I urge everyone to be  extra careful during this time.  Be a little more cautious.  Take a little more time.  Try not to be in a hurry.  I know that this is a hard task, but we need to look out for the other car. If you don’t you are risking being in a serious auto accident.  You need to expect the unexpected.  Just because you have a green light does not mean the other person will be paying attention.  Look as you go through to make sure that the other person sees the red light.  You need to have your escape route planned.  Don’t let a car wreck destroy your Christmas holiday.  Be aware that people are not paying as much attention. You must pay twice as much attention to have a safe and accident free holiday season.