The phenomenon of the “car brain” refers to the tendency to assume aggressive behaviors to the wheel that we would not have in other contexts.
There are countless cases. From unreasonable horns, aggressive overtaking and gestures and insults exchanged through the windows, the so -called “road rage” – or“ Anger of the Road ” – is a normalized daily phenomenon, but it may even lead to crimes and deaths in more extreme cases.
But RAGE is just one of the parts of a more widespread phenomenon: the car brain. The car’s brain describes a cultural condition that transforms generally respectful people into aggressive or reckless drivers.
This is why someone who would never push an elderly person to the side in a store can feel justified by accelerating on a treadmill while an elderly person is still crossing the road.
Behaviors that would be unthinkable in other contexts, suddenly seem normal when you are on the wheel.
The consequences of the car brain are far from trivial. Every day, more than 100 Americans die in road accidents and countless others suffer devastating injuries. These are not mere “accidents”, but the logical results of a culture that puts cars above safety.
Accelerate in school zones because it is late, passing red signs because “it has only changed now in color” and park on bicycle bands because “they can go around” are actions that start as a small infringement and can create a snowball effect that ends in tragedyremember the.
In addition to physical dangers, car centered environments have a major impact on mental health. Experts underline that the environment around us profoundly affects mood and behavior.
Noisy and fast roads, designed for cars and not for people, put us in a alert e stress.
Not even the drivers themselves are spared. Isolation and stress to get stuck in traffic or travel dangerous roads only increase feelings of anxiety and aggressiveness.
Many come to see their cars as extensions of themselves, which means that any inconvenience, such as expecting a pawn to cross, is seen as a personal affront.
To heal stress, isolation and anxiety that so many of us feel, it is essential to challenge the brain’s mastery of the car. Solutions go through Reimaginar the streets as connecting places and not just as cars for cars.
The neighborhoods where travel, bicycle and in traffic are safe and decent can promote healthier and more inclusive communities – and less prone to roge rage and car brain phenomena.
