Slam the brakes on road rage

DOES THE driver behind you toot horn and cry ?what the hell? at you for not speeding up your hatchback when the traffic light turned green? He may not know it but he is suffering from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED).

DOES THE driver behind you toot horn and cry “what the hell” at you for not speeding up your hatchback when the traffic light turned green? He may not know it but he is suffering from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED).

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A day after the PM asked the country to mind its manners on the road, a study by AIIMS — in collaboration with the Health Ministry and WHO — says he was right. But there is one more thing: IED can be treated.

Dr Rajesh Sagar of the psychiatry department, AIIMS, who was part of the research, says, “People with this disorder overreact to situations with anger and feel a sense of relief after damaging a vehicle or hurting a passenger.”

The study began last year and the compilation of data is on. The researchers got motorists to fill up questionnaires. They showed the trigger for an outburst on the road could be anything — from bad weather to bad marriage.

Sagar and his colleagues think their study can help drivers realise they have a problem and get their rage treated. Anger management is the key.