applying your smart driving skills Dangerous emotions You in the driver’s seat Strategies: controlling emotions 102 Here are some things you can do to help you stay calm  and in control while driving:  Whatever the cause of the emotion, it is important to look at  your emotional fitness to drive. Sometimes it’s best to stay out  of the driver’s seat. Sometimes you may become angry or impatient because of  the driving environment. Crowded traffic conditions and high- speed freeway driving often cause stress. Being slowed down  by other traffic when you’re in a hurry produces tension. Drivers  who are angry or stressed are less tolerant of the mistakes that  other road users make.  We all have changing emotional states. Emotions are powerful  forces that can interrupt the concentration you need for driving.  When you are feeling very angry, anxious, sad or upset, you  miss important information. Your thinking becomes unclear.  Your safety and the safety of others is in danger. If you need to make or receive a hands-free call, it is safer to  pull over to the side of the road when it is safe to do so. You’re on your way to Vancouver Island, hoping to catch  the 3 p.m. ferry. The traffic is heavy, so your progress is  slow. As you approach a green light, the car in front slows  down. The driver seems to be deciding whether to make a  turn. You mumble under your breath in frustration. Finally,  the car moves, but the light turns yellow, so you now have  to stop and wait. You feel a surge of anger. A driver like that shouldn’t be on the road slowing up  traffic. You just know you are going to miss your ferry.  • Keep learning. Analyze stressful driving situations you  have found yourself in, and figure out what you can do  next time to be calmer and safer.  • Plan ahead. Choose a route that avoids crowded traffic  so you can concentrate better.  • Allow yourself plenty of time. Being in a hurry can cause  you to become angry or frustrated. Realize that if you  leave late, you’ll arrive late. 