Janis P.
Are you creating mini road ragers? As parents of little ones, we often find ourselves trying desperately to get somewhere quickly – whether it’s to be on time for a swimming lesson, or just because the kids are bored in the back seat and driving you mad. The too-chirpy children’s music is getting on your nerves, the baby is grizzling, and wouldn’t you believe it – you’re cut off by some Sunday Driver who’s not even paying attention to where he’s going.
So what do you do?
I’m the least road-ragey person there is and usually just hang out and sing along with the children’s CD. I’m not the most confident driver, and I can’t parallel park to save my life, but I respect the road and the people on it. It’s not the end of the world if I arrive at my destination 30 seconds later because someone cut in front of me. My friend G on the other hand prefers to drive closer and closer to the offending driver until he’s nearly on their bumper, and my friend D gets pretty creative with his use of colourful language. My friend S has been known to slam the brakes and get out of her car. With toddlers sitting innocently in the back seat, taking it all in.
It’s bad enough that the kids are learning some pretty awful behaviour, but I can’t bear the thought of what would happen if the driver in front played the same game and slammed on the brakes, or jumped out of the car too. I’m sure I can’t be the only one who thinks road rage is irresponsible and potentially dangerous, especially for those of us with little ones who rely on us for their safety.
With these scenarios in mind, the people over at AXA Car Insurance are running a campaign called AXA Respect on the Road. Have a read of our favourite bits below, and get involved by liking their Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/irespecttheroad), and sending in your photos or stories.
Our favourite bits:
Mind the Beep : Vote for your favourite horn
Hats Off: Does wearing a Trillby or sombrero actually affect your driving skills? And can men wearing tweed caps park properly? Read more…
and of course the funny (but pretty disturbing) Road Rage Kids video:
You might also be interested in the Cab Cam series (below) and the other Respect the Road videos on You Tube: www.youtube.com/respectontheroad
Help bring a little courtesy back to our roads!
x Janis & the Really Kid Friendly family
ha – funny video! It's true too, adults are crazy…on the road!
I think people will always be crazy and have road rage though…good idea to fight against it..let's see if it works.
Yeah by teaching our children bad manners on the road when we act up is prolonging road rage in general. They learn from us so we need to be careful!