Road Rage

Have you ever been the target of road rage? Or, worse yet, have you been the perpetrator? According to Wikipedia, road rage “...is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by people driving a vehicle. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats or dangerous driving methods targeted at other drivers, pedestrians, or cyclists in an effort to intimidate or release frustration.”

A recent article on mentalfloss.com shared new research by Consumer Affairs which “...collected data from traffic incidents and violations and car crashes (including fatal ones) recorded across the United States in which the likes of careless or reckless driving, speeding, and gun violence were contributing factors. This information was then used to rank each state on a normalized scale of 0–100 points, with each one then plotted on a map to reveal which states are the angriest behind the wheel.”* The states with the worst road rage, ranked 1-5, were Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, and Montana. The states with the lowest road rage? Utah, Mississippi, California, Iowa, and Maine. But regardless of ranking, it’s never good to mix rage and any kind of heavy machinery, car or otherwise.

The Bible was written long before the time of automobiles, and therefore doesn’t have anything to say directly about road rage as we understand it. But it does speak clearly about uncontrolled fits of anger. “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9). “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth” (Colossians 3:8). Carnal living includes “...outbursts of anger, disputes, dissension…” (Galatians 5:20).

Rage in any form is sinful. It doesn’t matter if we are driving a car or riding a donkey or a camel. It is counterproductive and usually leads to damaging consequences.

God loves you!

Mike

*https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/maps/states-with-the-worst-road-rage-map