English 100

Luma F. Alsalah

The Story Behind Aggressive Driving

The causes for aggressive behavior of some drivers can be caused by different reasons like stress, material abuse, high speed modern cars and mental disorders and in some cases by peer pressure. Most of the time people tend to overlook these causes and ignore them. But they can significantly affect the way people drive.

Violence in any form mainly originates from work related stress. People who are not happy with their jobs or bosses often tend to show their aggression while doing other things, like driving. The effects of anxiety on aggression can be enhanced by family problems and bad relationships. As it is while driving a person transitions from work to home and vice versa, the person who faces tension at these two places will drive more violently.

Mental disorders such as “Tourette’s syndrome” can also lead to aggressive driving. People suffering with such disorders are unable to control their sudden swings of mood, causing them to drive more aggressively at times. There are other disorders where the person cannot control his anger even while driving. Although there is not much these people can do about this, they can train themselves to control their behavior while driving and be more responsible.

Violent video games, watching high speed car races and videos of dangerous car stunts can increase aggressive behavior of drivers substantially. Video games such as “Need for Speed: Underground” encourage the players to drive faster, more dangerous and to evade the cops. These games provide an interactive environment for the player to experience aggressive driving without any dangerous consequences. Although the person who plays these games may think it is just a game, he is likely to drive faster and more dangerously in real life. Viewing Hollywood stunt men