Road rage incidents are often unexpected, shocking and can leave us feeling shaken up.

Appropriate anger is a healthy emotion we all feel at times. However when it results in aggression such as in this http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/road-rage-incident-caught-camera-11848416 it can leave us feeling shocked and scared.

There is also increasing evidence that anger on the road can lead to an increase in collisions for drivers.This  link here is an interesting article related to a Canadian study that looks at how anger inteferes with the ability to be a safe driver.

It appears that in this study angry driving can be as dangerous as driving under the influence of cannabis. Even minor aggression appears to increase the risk of having a road traffic collision.

Previous studies have linked levels of aggression with an increase in collisions however this recent study is the largest population study to date and further stengthens the link.

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Feeling anger is a very normal emotion like any other emotion that humans possess. It can however get out of control and be harmful for your own health. http://the-dailygrind.co.uk/temper-shortening-life/

It can also harm or isolate you from others.

In the therapy room I see unmanaged anger frequently. If I suspect anger is an issue I will always enquire about a persons feelings when they drive. Generally I find that if they express a lot of anger while driving then that means they struggle to contain those angry feelings elsewhere in life. On the road can be a place where they vent all of those pent up emotions from other areas in life that cause them frustration.

There are many therapeutic strategies for dealing with anger. The most up to date techniques involve combining relaxation exercises, visualization and cognitive restucturing. Simply put, cognitive restructuring is changing the way you think and there are many ways a therapist  can teach you to do that.

Anger is usually bound up with feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety and shame.

Deep seated feelings of shame can cause a person to perceive they are being humiliated by others. Significant events from childhood can play a huge role in how we perceive others actions. If a client can explore these feelings in a safe and trusting environment it can have a profound affect on reducing any inappropriate anger they are expressing in daily life.