We want you to have the best Indiana auto insurance, but we’d also like you to never, ever have to use it. With that in mind, here is a post about keeping your cool in heated situations.

Emotions have a huge impact on driving, and it is especially easy to let emotions take control when the weather is as hot as it has been lately. Do you think you could become enraged on the road? Long before starting your car, you've had to wake up, deal with morning stress, perhaps get your kids moving, and worry about work (including getting there on time). After all of that, you start driving and are faced with a variety of drivers who may:

• Cruise through a red light
• Make a quick left turn in front of oncoming traffic
• Change lanes six times in the space of two city blocks
• Tail-gate so closely that they threaten to weld their car to yours
• Ignore the changing light in order to adjust mascara, shave, eat or comb
• Pay more attention to a cell phone than the steering wheel

Such folks can turn every day on the road into a test of patience and may even trigger a dangerous emotional response.

"Road rage" refers to driving incidents involving aggressive or violent behavior. Various sources have blamed increased traffic accidents and fatalities on road rage. 

Every driver is guilty of lapses in judgment. You or I may make proper lane changes or legally proceed through intersections 99 out of 100 times, but the drivers who witness our mistakes may assume that we're hopelessly stupid or are being deliberately rude. When you see another driver do something “stupid”, take a deep breath from behind your wheel and remember that the other driver is probably just a good driver who got distracted, like you and I sometimes do.

It makes sense to give other drivers the benefit of the doubt. One reason is that most drivers do a terrific job on the road. Especially when you consider the dangers inherent in driving, such as traffic congestion, poor weather, time-pressures and routine road hazards (breakdowns, potholes, pedestrians, etc.).

A better reason for staying calm behind the wheel is that cool-headed drivers make better decisions. They have a better chance of avoiding or minimizing accidents. You will run into serious problems if you act too aggressively. There's a greater chance of causing serious injury and a higher likelihood of legal consequences. You also increase your chances of being sued. And, of course, drivers who develop a record of erratic or aggressive driving will pay more money for their Indiana auto insurance.

Driving is tough enough without complicating it with rude or aggressive behavior, so start your car, give other drivers a break, and keep a cool head. It's an attitude that creates the best chance for getting SAFELY where you need to go.

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