When I think of road rage, I imagine immature battles between two cars on the expressway, a bicyclist giving the finger to a distracted automobile driver in a hurry (or vice versa), even an urban pedestrian righteously staring down a turning taxi cab in a crosswalk. But I've never really considered road runner rage -- the moment when a runner bangs both fists down on the hood of that car in a decidedly fight, not flight, response.

According to this article in the NYT, road runner rage happens. After reading a couple experts weigh in, I'm thinking a near collision with a car does not so much provoke a runner's existing life resentments as it triggers an instantaneous defense response fed by fear. Three-thousand pounds of steel is enough to flutter the heart of any 170-pound wiry runner in shorts and Sauconys. If I were in those sneakers, I might emit a blinding flash of Looney Tunes rage, too.

In the end, a Runner vs. Driver conversation gets us nowhere. Rather, we need to figure out a way to safely co-exist within a road system that was not designed to accommodate both parties. Commenters to the NYT story offered terrific suggestions for runners, such as:

• Don a reflective vest, bright clothing and a blinking light for dawn/dusk runs
• Watch out for cars turning right -- they don't always look
• Carry a small flashlight and shine it at cars on corners so they can see you
• Foster friendships with cars by rewarding good behavior -- friendly wave, kind smiles
• Being 'dead' right isn't worth it -- give drivers right of way at all times
• Think flight, not fight -- always have an escape route
  
  

How do you stay safe from road runner rage, runner or driver?