Prevent road rageThe Lone Ranger rode across the Great Plains during the early days of the Wild West, enforcing law and order. His creed; "I believe that to have a friend, a man must be one" and "all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world."If those words were heeded today, we bet the term "road rage" would never have had to be coined in 1987 by a still-wild West Coast radio station when reporting repeated incidents of gunplay on L.A. freeways. Since then, road rage has become increasingly dangerous: Over a seven-year period, it was linked to 218 murders and 12,610 injuries. Here are a few tips to help you avoid it.Don't Cause Road Rage in Others-Pay attention (no texting or putting on makeup!) to traffic flow, and be considerate; 49 percent of road rage incidents are caused by a distracted or inattentive driver.-Don't speed or change lanes recklessly. Signal! Always check your blind spot. Don't React to Bad Behavior -Don't honk your horn, flash your lights or make obscene gestures at other drivers to express your discontent.-If someone cuts you off or misses moving through a light because they are texting, practice anger management, such as deep breathing and redirecting your thoughts to more pleasant topics. -If enraging traffic is a daily occurrence, consider carpooling or taking public transportation. Remember that road rage - assault or endangering other people or property with a motor vehicle - is a criminal offense. © 2017 Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.Read more http://cdn.kingfeatures.com/rss/feed/editorial/index.php?content=YouDocTips_20171017