To all the outraged drivers make rude gestures out your windows and mouthing obscenities:
Did it ever occur to you that everything that happens on the road is about you? Here's a little secret. you can really keep your blood pressure down and enjoy life much more if you will simply assume the best intentions. It's not that hard. The next time someone cuts you off in traffic, instead of assuming they did it just to ruin your day, try imagining a scenario that might explain and even excuse the behavior. Maybe they are really late to an important interview, or their kid is sick, or they have to go to the bathroom really really badly, or whatever. Maybe they just made a mistake. Is there anyone who can claim they have never accidentally merged into a lane without seeing someone there? Never realized you were about to miss the turn, panicked, and done something a bit stupid? Never taken your eyes off the traffic light for a second to enjoy the scenery while waiting at a red and failed to instantaneously hit the gas the millisecond it turns green?
If nothing else, just attribute the behavior to Hanlon's Razor:
Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.*
*Tip o' the nib (or should I say keyboard?) to Shane Nackerud over at Greet Machine for
his post about Hanlon's Razor.