For how dangerous it is, it accomplishes a world of nothing. I can't speak for other countries, but if you live in the US, too many people out there in public around you have limited or no emotional intelligence. They simply react to stimuli instead of pausing to think. This is quite literally how insects work! Thanks to these reactors, you can go from minding your own business to the receiving end of someone's childish tirade over something minor ⸺ or even nothing at all. As you might expect given that intro, I was the victim of a brief potential road rage a few weeks ago. It unfolded as follows…
I slowly turn left onto a two-lane one-way road. As far as I can recall, the lane closest to me was clear from the right. I didn't and couldn't see that halfway down the block this lane is a no-go due to a moving truck. As I pull out, some dingus in a black car in the far lane starts a long, angry honk and pulls up beside me. I've had to stop because of the blocked lane ahead. I look over during the honk and see him rolling down his window and yelling directly into my open window, but I can't hear him over the melodic black metal on my speakers. I look forward and wave him on with my right hand in a very obvious motion. He yells some more as I keep looking ahead until he drives off with his window going back up.
Below is the dashcam footage from the encounter. You can't see or hear anything that happens off to the right; I tend to leave my camera's microphone muted because most of what you'd hear at any given time is loud music. If there's a situation unfolding and I have time, I'll unmute it ⸺ especially if I'm ever pulled over by the cops as you can't know if their own cameras are present and running. As such this is a boring clip, but the context above explains what all was going on off camera.
I checked this footage when I got back home to see if I'd accidentally turned my very small car into the far lane to trigger his rage. I didn't; the front right corner of my car didn't even touched the divider line. I turned fully into my lane and never made a move toward the other lane. I entered mine, saw the moving truck ahead, and immediately started creeping to a stop some hundred feet back from it. I didn't make a move toward the right lane, and I didn't even flip on my blinker until later. There was no apparent reason for this guy not to keep driving past. I still have no idea what he was honking and yelling about.
Sometimes people are just looking for a reason to lash out and feel superior. They want to "own" someone and "win" the encounter even if it's completely meaningless. An unchecked egotist is perhaps the second most dangerous mental situation for a person to be in, and I suspect these are a good portion of the ones who do the raging on the road. The potential danger is some kind of extra for those of us who own and carry guns. If you carry in the car, ideally on your person lest it become a steel missile in the event of a crash, you should watch this lawyer's video below and take his advice on road rage to heart: Don't react at all. It could literally save your life ⸺ or at least keep everyone out of some deep shit.
In that sense I failed the task of not reacting given my waving the guy on as he yelled inaudibly at me, but at least I didn't flip any birds. Outside of telling Cybertruck owners how you feel about them driving a Nazi Mobile as you pass them by, birds are off the table when you carry a gun. I had my CCW on me, and were I a hothead the situation easy could've escalated out of literally nothing. I could've paused the music to see what the guy was screeching about and responded in some way that only would've made things worse. Instead, being a lifetime defensive driver and general avoider of confrontation, I assumed I'd done something wrong, accepted it, and waved an angry person on their way.
The black car and I got caught at the next light two or three blocks up, my car one car back diagonally from his. I half expected him to get out and come over for a "chat" like you see on so many videos posted to social media. I'd dismissed him with a few waves while not looking at him, and he could've seen it as a diss and taken it poorly. He was, after all, yelling at a complete stranger over nothing, so he clearly wasn't one to be trusted to act in a calm and rational manner. I get the willies thinking about what could've transpired, but thankfully nothing further did. He'd apparently accomplished whatever it was he'd meant to do with his pointless raging. Situation defused. Both parties go about their business and (presumably) see tomorrow.
Road rage is extremely prevalent in the US. I assume it's because every not-rich person is hurting one way or another and constantly on edge about the general state of the hellworld out there. As I've said before, if you're living in America, you're on your own. Don't rage, and if you're being raged at, ignore it. Be the cooler head to help ensure everyone gets home.