It is unfortunate that motorists in peaceful Hawaii display road rage regularly. They bring frustrations from their work, families and displeasure with the universe to vent on the road. Showing the finger is alarmingly commonplace; not allowing a change of lanes can be discourteous and hostile; big egos displaying anger when overtaken is ridiculous; and becoming impatient during rush hours happens every day. And, we sincerely hope that road rage shootings, as suspected to have happened on a Honolulu freeway last week, don’t recur.

Road rage spirals out of control in multiple ways, leading to accidents, physical harm or holding up of traffic. Drivers should look upon others as someone else’s child, parent, sibling or spouse rather than a freak on the road. But, the signals of psychological issues are all too visible. We would be blind not to notice that there are underlying racial tensions in these beautiful islands. But other contributing factors are listening to aggressive instead of soothing music while driving; the driver’s low stress-tolerance level; and “intermittent explosive disorder” that affect 5% of the population.

The question begs to be asked: Is the simple driving test adequate? Or, should drivers undergo a mental fitness test before being granted a license? In fact, should not everyone take a defensive driving course before receiving a license?

Sadly, drivers in rage can be intentional, rather than accidental, in causing others harm. That’s why good driving is called “defensive” driving.

Nationwide, 1,800 injuries and 31 murders per year were attributed to road rage alone over a seven-year period. But for each physical road rage incident, there are numerous rage incidents without physical contact.

In Britain, a study found 53% of all drivers reported being the victim of road rage. This is a large number, and it is not illogical to extrapolate this finding to the USA, in particular. None of this road rage is healthy for anyone. The people on the road are not your enemies.

Road rage is characterized by yelling, uttering profanities, showing the finger, honking, flaunting or using a firearm or baseball bat as a weapon, exhibiting intermittent explosive disorder, deliberately slowing down to limit the driver behind; chasing the car that overtook you, getting out of the car to assault the other driver, or ramming your car into the other.

Blitzing through a red light, tailgating, sudden lane changing, reckless speeding, or winding in and out of traffic can also be symptomatic of rage.

But, there is no point incensing others even if you are in the legal right. Refrain from returning gestures; aim to not get furious at someone else’s rash driving; and generally avoid eye contact, because this doesn’t have to become personal. And finally, ask yourself if it is worth it to ram into the other car or teach the person behind you a lesson by braking.

By the same token, it is necessary for drivers not to deliberately incite rage in others by speeding up when a car in front of you gives a signal to turn into your lane, running someone into a side lane, purposely driving slow and blocking traffic behind, or pretending to own the road.

Legislation needs tightening to make showing the finger or yelling profanities on the road a serious misdemeanor with a hefty fine and jail time. And, expand the driving test to include questions on driving courtesy and civil behavior. Remember, traffic kills more people than terrorism or guns.

Amarjit Singh is a civil engineering professor at the University of Hawaii-Manoa; the views expressed here are his own.