Counselor to offer suggestions on handling road rage

    Students with high stress levels in traffic or who find themselves short tempered when heavy traffic restricts or slows them down can find help in a NW Campus workshop next week.

   Stress/Road Rage: How to Survive will be presented by Larry Kimble, counselor and assistant professor of psychology, at 12:30 and 5:30 p.m, Wednesday, Oct. 16, in C-112.

   “If we bump into someone in the hall, our reaction is different than if we are in our cars. When we are in our cars, we think we are in a tank,” he said.

   This workshop will help students cope with stress and survive the road, Kimble said.

   “The workshop will teach awareness of road rage and how things can become violent in a hurry,” he said.

   In the meantime, TCC Police Chief Frank Buchanan offered advice to students who are victims of road rage near the college.

   Buchanan recommended students call campus police at 817-515-4570, instead of 911. A direct call to the TCC police will result in a faster handling of the situation. Calling 911 for such an incident would probably mean a longer response time.

   If someone is followed onto a campus, he can find the TCC Police Department’s phone number on the back of the rear view mirror parking permit.

   Buchanan also said students who do not have a cellular phone should keep driving until a police officer can be flagged or should drive directly to the police department on their campus.

   Kimble said road rage is a serious and potentially dangerous situation. It is definitely no laughing matter.