I was moved to write this after sitting through an hour-long video segment on road rage at the Defensive Driver class I recently took to help lower my car insurance rates. It saddens me that there even has to be a lengthy lesson about how to handle angry drivers. Unfortunately, road rage has been on the rise and the fatality rate stemming from this is downright scary.
People become enraged for many reasons, but aside from outright mental illness and being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, people’s feelings stem from a variety of factors. They could be angry at a spouse, family member, coworker. They could be frustrated, may have lost a job, etc. Economic times are conducive to this kind of behavior. Some people claim to be in a “bad place”. Hopefully you will never come in contact with a real problem driver — or have any such hostile, disconnected feelings yourself.
The point is safety on the road, and respect for others in their vehicles. I’ve been using “Road Reiki”. No, it’s certainly not in any manual. And it’s not a guarantee of safety, but it’s a little energetic tool to help us as we are on our vehicular journeys. For those who are Practitioners (particularly Level 2 or above), as you approach your car, you can call upon your symbol system to empower your upcoming trip, however short or long it will be.
For everyone – Practitioner or not – just feel the energy surrounding your vehicle and imagine it is filled with light and positive vibrations of complete safety. Intend for your trip to be safe and smooth (intention is important). Intend to be focused and not distracted.
You can even imagine that your car (with you in it) is surrounded by a bubble of protective white light and imagine that this bubble will ride along with you until you arrive at your destination. (By the way, you can use this imagery for airplane trips or train rides too!) Feel confident behind the wheel and “see” your trip as being peaceful and safe, and picture yourself happily arriving at your destination –even if it’s a dental appointment!
Being in this pleasant energetic balance will help you remain composed and non-reactive to any hostile drivers. Always keep attentive to the road while en route. If someone cuts you off, follows too closely or exhibits any other such behavior, remove yourself from harm’s way, and let yourself feel enmeshed in the calming energy that you have previously activated at the start of your trip. It is also helpful to hold your vibration “high” along your way and be a beacon of positive, serene energy to all the other drivers on the road.
On a practical note, should you encounter some extremely rage-filled other driver, do your best to safely move away and certainly do not react or make eye contact with this driver. Write down or note the license plate, vehicle make and model, and any other pertinent information and call the police if necessary.
So try some Road Reiki — or just activate a little positive energy in your car trips — especially the long-distance ones!
