Finding God in the taxi driver

Have you felt like harming a taxi driver lately? It would not be too flippant to note that taxi drivers seem to make it a sport to provoke such an impulse, even as many of their colleagues are considerate and responsible in their approach to traffic etiquette.

Of course, the minibus taxi driver is trying to make a living, one which depends on reaching destinations in as short a time as possible – even if this involves recklessness and the endangerment of their passengers and other road users. For drivers in urban traffic, there is a perpetual temptation to rise to the bait of engaging in a battle of wits with taxi drivers.

This provocation is not peculiar to taxis alone. There are many drivers who have an aptitude for enraging usually composed individuals to the point of road rage – a relatively new word which merited entry into the Oxford English Dictionary in 1997.

The dictionary defines road rage as “a violent anger caused by stress and frustration of driving in heavy traffic”.

This corresponds only partly with reality. In South Africa, the most notorious cases of road rage – those that have resulted in serious assaults or even killings – have often happened at night, outside peak traffic hours.

Some psychologists suggest that road rage or similar aggressive conduct, which can vary from a shake of the fist to aggravated assault and even murder, is an acquired behaviour of conditioned retaliation. The experts ominously warn that children learn aggressive driving manners by observing adults who, once behind the wheel, suspend the common rules of interpersonal conduct.

Other psychologists believe that road rage, when sustained and exceptionally aggressive, is the result of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED), which is said to affect 5-7% of the population and requires a treatment that combines psychotherapy and medication.

In that definition, anger behind the wheel exhibited by those not affected by IED is a common expression of frustration, and, unwelcome though it is, should not qualify as road rage.

Whichever definition one may apply, it is a disquieting sign of our times when ordinary, respectable citizens turn into angry, aggressive, vindictive and dangerous cranks once their foot hits the accelerator.

As Christians, we have not only the motivation but also the means to beat these traffic demons.

“Refrain from anger, leave rage aside, do not get heated – it can do no good,” the Psalmist advises (37:8).

Even in the taxi driver we should see the face of God. Instead of cursing him (and perhaps cutting him off, for good measure), one may offer a prayer for him, and his passengers, that the taxi will reach its destination safely.

Indeed, some pastoral experts recommend prayer as a fruitful source of serenity in traffic. For many in these busy times, drive time may be a rare opportunity for contemplation and to speak to God – instead of illegally conducting conversations on the cellphone or, worse, texting while driving.

On the road, Christians can do God’s will by exhibiting good will, courtesy and patience, and by distributing random acts of kindness. Traffic experts emphasise these virtues as key in averting instances of aggressive behaviour.

The golden rules of sensible road manners are threefold: to pay regard to fellow road users, to avoid futile engagement with angry drivers, and to prevent confrontations by yielding to aggressive drivers.

For many drivers, this may require a modification in habit and temperament. It means seeing other road users not as adversaries, but as part of a contingent that shares in a common infrastructure.

Sharing the roads with drivers who have the capacity to exasperate us can be frustrating. Yet, if ever there is a time when we can exercise our calling to sainthood without much demand on our time or energy, it is when we are driving.