Interstate anger
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... “Help, driver under attack!”

Several car-mounted cameras could help identify road ragers after an attack. “Initially the drivers’ reaction is that this is a Big-Brother device, that someone’s got a camera on them,” said Andrews of DriveCam. “They realize, if they’re a good driver, DriveCam’s your friend.” The AutoCam and the DriveCam film events surrounding an accident or a road-rage attack. Sometimes, the presence of a camera is enough to deter a potential attacker. “No one wants to have their rage videotaped,” said Mike Boardingham, who is in charge of product development at AutoCam. “If everyone knew that they were on camera, … people would drive safer.” And they might not let their anger on the road get the best of them.

On a simpler level, Frise said that car companies are thinking about ways to make the insides of cars more soothing so that drivers don’t associate their automobile with the frustration they feel on the road. “We know certain colors calm people down and make them feel better,” Frise said. “It seems obvious to me, if a driver has a problem, maybe some design features would help.”

There are no published studies showing whether any of these options actually deter a gun-wielding road rager, but anecdotal evidence suggests that they might have limited success. Several people with AutoCams in their cars have thwarted attacks once the attacker saw the camera in the rear window. Consider how different history and psychoanalysis might be if Oedipus’ chariot had a Polite Lite, a soothing aqua interior and a horse that couldn’t tailgate. r

photo credit: www.dot.wisconsin.gov