American drivers became ruder, meaner, and more dangerous than ever in the 1990s. By 1998 "aggressive driving" incidents, in which an angry or impatient driver tries to hurt or in some cases even kill another driver, had risen by 51 percent since the beginning of the decade. In several cases studied, 37 percent of those drivers used firearms against other drivers; 28 percent used other weapons; and 35 percent used their cars. Fear of drivers and "road rage" has become so pervasive that in a 1996 poll, residents of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia listed it as a more pressing concern than drunk drivers. The phenomenon has since given rise to many books, articles, and special therapies that deal specifically with the problem. "Road Rage" has become so prevalent that legislation to punish offenders is currently under discussion in Congress. Experts agree that aggressive driving has become...