As the roads around Britain become increasingly packed with cars, thousands of people every day fall victim to selfish drivers who believe they own the right to the road.

And while no-one except the police has the power or authority to deal with drivers who exhibit Road Rage Syndrome, everyone can learn how to avoid it in the first place.

Carlisle life coach Lawrence Nelson, who specialises in attitudes to driving, has devised a six-point plan for recognising and dealing with road rage a phrase many motorists have become familiar with as drivers feel the frustration of busy roads and traffic jams.

According to Lawrence, Road Rage Syndrome is not new but is a much more common expression of the frustration felt by an irresponsible minority of drivers at the pressures of modern motoring.

"It is a strange truth that the safer cars become, the more accidents there are," he said.

"Some of these accidents will, of course, result from the increased number of cars but a significant number of collisions could be accounted for by the feeling of security engendered by these advanced safety measures. Some drivers see people emerge unscathed from horrendous crashes on the racetrack and seem to think that they can also take risks without coming to harm.

"This attitude is one of the founding fathers of Road Rage Syndrome because these drivers think that their car will protect them from the errors of their ways."

RRS the causes Arrogance Arrogant drivers are probably the worst perpetrators of RRS. These drivers feel that because they may have a bigger, better, more expensive car they should be in front of you, either on the road or at the traffic lights. Some of these drivers can be shamed into changing their behaviour but for most it is ingrained because they have got away with it for so long.

Ignorance In some ways this driver's behaviour is the easiest to understand and the simplest to change. Either through lack of training, sheer lack of interest in the technicalities of driving or a lack of understanding about the effects of their behaviour, these drivers swan about the highway blissfully unaware of the havoc they cause. After all, to these people, "everyone drives like that, don't they?"

Impatience The impatient driver is almost as bad as the arrogant species as both traits are calculated and deliberate. These characters know that what they are doing is wrong and potentially dangerous but hey "you can always get out of their way!" Their time is more important than yours of course so why can't you also exceed the speed limit, close up that gap or overtake sooner so that he/she can come through? We all get impatient at times but most people have the maturity to hold this in check and would rather arrive late than risk not arriving at all.

RRS - avoiding Reduce confrontation Having consideration for other road users can reduce confrontation. Will it really cause a substantial delay in your journey to let that car out into a crawling traffic queue? Equally, when someone lets you out of a side turning into the traffic flow, acknowledge the gesture with a thank you wave. If a car wants or needs to enter the gap between you and the car in front then ease off the pedal to increase the gap rather than closing it off - letting someone in doesn't mean that you suddenly start going backwards.

Toleration Accept that not everyone is as good a driver as you think you are. Recognising this and making allowances for the mistakes of others, instead of apportioning blame', will greatly reduce the stress of driving.

Deliberation By deliberation I mean being aware of what is going on around you on the road. This will allow you to spot potentially dangerous situations developing. Mentally consider various situations and rehearse what actions you would take so that when such an incident occurs your reaction will be immediate, thus saving vital moments that could mean the difference between a near miss and calamity. Pilots rehearse their responses to every conceivable situation, why shouldn't car drivers?