You see a driver showing signs of road rage (shouting, gesturing, driving aggressively). What should you do?
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A.
Match their speed to assert your right to the lane.
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B.
Stay out of the way; do not challenge them. Correct
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C.
Honk and gesture to let them know you saw them.
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D.
Make eye contact and shake your head to signal disapproval.
The answer is "Stay out of the way; do not challenge them."
Stay out of the way. Do not challenge an aggressive driver by going faster or trying to out-drive them. Aggressive drivers escalate when challenged; give them room and let them pass. The distractors all fail for the same reason: matching speed (A), honking and gesturing (C), and eye contact with a headshake (D) are each a form of challenging the driver, which is exactly what the rule tells you not to do.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Match their speed to assert your right to the lane.
Matching speed challenges the aggressive driver; the manual says stay out of the way. Misreading: Treats holding your position as safe, but the manual specifically warns against going faster or trying to out-drive an aggressive driver.
C. Honk and gesture to let them know you saw them.
Honking and gesturing challenge the aggressive driver instead of staying out of the way. Misreading: Confuses defensive awareness with engagement; the manual directs you to disengage, not to signal that you noticed the behavior.
D. Make eye contact and shake your head to signal disapproval.
Eye contact and disapproval gestures challenge the aggressive driver; the manual says stay out of the way. Misreading: Reads the rule as permitting nonverbal correction, but the manual's directive is to avoid challenging the driver in any form.
This question tests your knowledge of Defensive Driving in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Road Rage," p.81..
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