Got road rage? Just play music and count from one to ten

A taxi cuts you off‚ you nearly drive into the pavement. The switch inside your head goes on‚ and you're fuming. But before the red mist descends and the road rage hits‚ all you need to do is play music‚ count from one to 10 and 'adopt a positive mental attitude'.

These are some of the Gauteng roads and transport department's tips‚ published on its Facebook page‚ for dealing with road rage.

The department provided a "10 point plan to avoid road rage" on Sunday afternoon. It starts off simple enough: "Forget work or home worries‚ concentrate on driving‚" and "plan your journey to reduce anxiety and stress."

Other tips include:

• Don't try to change other drivers' attitudes‚ you can't but you can change your own.
• Be courteous and stay calm if provoked.
• Drive with your car doors locked and if you see trouble‚ don't leave the safety of your vehicle.
• Count from 1 to 10.
• Don't retaliate by sounding your horn‚ flashing your lights or gesturing‚ this will only aggravate the situation.
• If you are a victim of aggression‚ take down the registration number and report the incident to the police.