Road Rage, Where Does it Come From?
Road rage can be deadly. In 2021, a young mother was driving her 6-year-old son to kindergarten in Orange County, California, when a white sedan abruptly cut her off in the carpool lane. The mother, Joanna Cloonan, gave the other driver the middle finger as she merged away from the carpool lane. Then she heard a loud noise and her son, Aiden Leos, said “Ow.” When she pulled the car over, Cloonan saw that her son had been shot. She called 911 and the boy was rushed to the hospital, but sadly, he couldn’t be saved. The 6-year-old died in a senseless road rage incident.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” following the road rage shooting, Cloonan described her son, saying, “He was beautiful and he was kind and he was precious, and you killed him for no reason.”
The young boy’s mother will never be the same. Her life will be forever impacted by the emotional trauma of the horrific killing of her child. “He meant the world to me, and it feels like my life is over,” Cloonan said. “That was my baby. I’ve never, never thought pain like this could exist.”
Bad drivers, traffic jams, road construction, detours, and other delays can make anyone feel anxious, angry, frustrated, or stressed. But what happens in the brain to make some drivers become so enraged they snap?
ROAD RAGE, A COMMON PROBLEM
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) defines road rage as aggressive or violent behaviors stemming from a driver’s uncontrolled anger at the actions of another motorist. Road rage is more common than you might imagine, causing nearly 1 in 3 traffic accidents and leading to a shocking 30 murders every year, according to the latest statistics. Nobody likes being the victim of aggressive behavior while you’re behind the wheel, and it can make you feel anxious or angry. About half of all drivers who are the victim of road rage behavior respond aggressively by making a rude gesture, shouting, honking their horn, tailgating, or flashing their lights. In some cases, such as with the tragic shooting of 6-year-old Aiden Leos, this leads to an escalation of rage and aggressive behavior.ROAD RAGE AND THE BRAIN
The human brain is involved in everything you think, do, and feel. And it’s involved in every decision you make while driving. The brain SPECT imaging work at Amen Clinics shows that when there is abnormal activity in certain areas of the brain, it may contribute to anger, impulsivity, violent behavior, and other issues associated with road rage. Here’s a look at what SPECT reveals about 3 important brain systems that can play a role in road rage behavior. The brain SPECT imaging work at Amen Clinics, shows that when there is abnormal activity in certain areas of the brain, it may contribute to anger, impulsivity, violent behavior, and other issues associated with road rage.1. Anterior Cingulate Gyrus (ACG)
The ACG and surrounding areas of the frontal lobes are involved in shifting your attention from one thing to another. When the ACG is working effectively you’re more able to roll with the circumstances of the day. However, if this part of the brain works too hard, there’s a tendency to get locked into negative thoughts or behaviors. Something happens to some drivers when they get behind the wheel of a car; a territorial animal comes growling to the surface. When another driver makes an unsafe move, they can’t just express frustration, call the person a bad name, and continue driving. Instead, the anger festers, and they get locked into a course of aggressive action—swearing, gesturing, chasing, or harassing the other driver. This is due to trouble with shifting attention. Some examples of attention shifting issues in the ACG brain include:- Getting stuck on ineffective thoughts and behavior patterns
- Argumentativeness
- Oppositional behavior
- Holding onto hurts from the past
- Excessive worrying
2. Temporal lobes
The temporal lobes are located on either side of the brain below the temples and behind the eyes. The temporal lobes are involved in emotional stability and mood control among other important processes. Brain imaging scans show that when there is abnormal activity in this area, it can be associated with temper problems, aggressive behavior, emotional outbursts, and violence. Abnormal activity in the temporal lobes is often seen in people with a condition called intermittent explosive disorder as well as in murderers.3. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC)
Located in the front part of the brain, the PFC is involved in impulse control, planning, judgment, empathy, and more. On SPECT scans, low activity in the PFC is linked to impulsivity, poor judgment, and trouble with planning. These issues can make a person do something or say something they shouldn’t that they will regret later.A CASE STUDY IN ROAD RAGE
Be careful when you notice yourself or another driver becoming furious with road rage. It can quickly turn into a downward spiral. For example, look at this 37-year-old male attorney. When other drivers cut him off, he would chase them, and on two occasions, he got out of his car and bashed in their windows with a baseball bat. After the second incident, he came to Amen Clinics. He said, “If I don’t get help for this, I’m sure to end up in jail.” His brain SPECT imaging scan revealed two abnormal findings:- Increased activity in the ACG brain causing him to get locked into negative thoughts and actions.
- Left temporal lobe hyperactivity, which correlated with angry outbursts.
CALM YOUR BRAIN WHEN ROAD RAGE STRIKES
When a road rage incident begins, remind yourself that you are responsible for your actions and take steps to diffuse the situation. If you’re getting angry or find yourself thinking about engaging in aggressive driving behaviors, follow these tips.- pull your car over in a safe place
- take a few deep breaths
- turn on soothing music
- mouth “I’m sorry” to the other driver
- allow enough space for the other driver to pass you
- think about the consequences of your actions (damage to one or more vehicles, physical harm, and legal issues)
