22 juin 2006

Scott Martin

And you thought drivers with road rage were just jerks.

Au contraire, according to a new study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. These poor motorists may be suffering from Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED).

"People think it's bad behavior and that you just need an attitude adjustment, but what they don't know . . . is that there's a biology and cognitive science to this," a psychiatric expert told the Associated Press.

IED is characterized by multiple outbursts that are way out of proportion to the situation, such as road rage and temper tantrums that involve throwing or breaking things. IED may affect up to 16 million Americans, each of whom experiences an average of 43 lifetime attacks.

So that guy yesterday in the white SUV -- the one with the apparently broken turn signal and "Practice Random Acts of Kindness" bumper sticker -- has 42 more shots to brand a backward "Ford" on my forehead.

Now don't get me wrong. An America where you can't evade personal responsibility by contracting a disorder is not an America I would choose to inhabit. Still, I worry about the implications of IED.

Picture a courtroom.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," says the defense attorney, "the reason my client ran over this cyclist person three times and dragged her 12 blocks is that my client -- a Boy Scout troop leader and Apple Pie Bake-Off runner-up -- had to stop dialing his cell phone in order to steer around the biker. This trauma triggered my client's IED. . . ."

"IED ? Why didn't you say so ?" interrupts the judge. "Case dismissed. Bailiff : Arrest the plaintiff. You are hereby charged with inciting mental anxiety and willful destruction of an automobile's undercarriage. Bail is set at $2 million. Next case."

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Scott Martin wrote feature articles for Bicycling magazine for 12 years. You can e-mail him at scottmartin@roadbikerider.com

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