Your Letters - August 31

Rage risk

READING the Observer of Friday, August 24, I was interested in the "Road Rage" incident involving the red Alpha Romeo in Parkhurst Road.

I can, in some respects as a driver, appreciate that drivers do become angry with pedestrians who seemingly on occasions (and I am sure not this one) do think that the road is theirs to loiter in or just take chances getting across.

We see it almost daily when someone wishes to cross a road and this is sometimes young ladies with pushchairs who possibly have a "you dare to touch me" attitude which sadly sometimes with drivers not paying attention and maybe with a lower standard of driving, do end with casualties.

Drivers also become frightened when there is what could be called a "near miss" and this can come out as aggression and is a part of human nature and not necessarily an indicator of the drivers usual demeanour behind the wheel.

This, of course, does not advocate the red Alfa driver's attitude which was wrong.

What I would say is that the driver of the Alfa and any other potential aggressor behind a steering wheel should (as I am sure the "get out and have a go" types usually do) is judge your potential victim well.

I would assume that had the gentleman about to cross the road been any taller, younger, wider or fit looking he would not have warranted the personal confrontation and would have just got the hooter sounded at him or possibly the seemingly ever present "one finger salute" that has become an almost de rigeur part of some drivers everyday "in car" exercise.

Several years ago in the suburbs of South London a work colleague was walking along a low pavement when a car screeched to a halt beside him catching his leg with the bumper.

He happened understandably, to look at the driver who immediately got out of the car and walked very aggressively (as in the Alfa case) toward my colleague asking the usual "have you got a problem?" etc etc, my colleague was quite a small slight man of middle age and about 5ft 6ins tall and the driver was a tall young man with a companion.

Sensing quite rightly, a problem, he, without saying a word felled the driver with a punch to the solar plexus and walked away leaving the passenger to tend his fallen comrade.