We all have that one friend that we are a wee bit hesitant to get in the car with because they suffer from a bit of road rage. If you didn’t read that sentence and picture one of your friends immediately, you are lying. For some there is a root cause, such as hanger, causing the road rage, and for others, they simply do not possess patience. Sometimes we have no idea why they are enraged, we just know that once the car is in drive, all bets are off.

In my case, my friend suffers from a healthy combo of hanger and lack of patience. We’ll be driving along, enjoying a lovely ride when out of nowhere, a rogue elderly couple enjoying a beautiful afternoon drive is going 10 in a 35 and our simple conversation about what we’re going to get for lunch can quickly turn into a very colorful string of phrases not appropriate for pleasant conversation.

If you can relate to any of what I have described above, here are a few tips to survive the drive with your road-raging friends.

1. Always have a snack on hand. I typically pick something small and light, quick enough to temper the immediate hanger, but not so much that they no longer want to eat lunch. My go to light snack of choice is a Snicker or other such chocolatey treat. It’s hard to scream at other drivers when I have unceremoniously shoved a snickers bar in your face.

2. Be ready with a Spotify playlist or song that you know the driver finds soothing or enjoyable. There is nothing like car ride karaoke to distract the driver from their rage, but not the road. It’s the perfect balance.

3. Tell your angry friend how pretty they are. This works on men and women. Tell that dude that he is the prettiest man whose face shines with the light of 1000 selfie filters and he’ll be hard pressed to not be at the very least distracted from his road rage. Also, he’ll probably feel so darn good about himself that the rage will be forgotten!

4. If all else fails, hold on to the handle above the front passenger seat (assuming you’re sitting up front and your friend isn’t driving you around like a limo driver) and hope for the best.  

Keep it safe out there, friends. Road rage isn’t something to be taken lightly, so if you or someone you love suffers from road rage, please do everything in your power to keep the situation calm and collected. If your car is stressing you out, stop by Fiore Toyota and we’ll help you find a car that keeps you feeling zen. We’re all just trying to live out there, so try to find your happy place. If you can’t we’ll help you find one.