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(NewsUSA) - Whether you've been cut off in traffic or chastised by an insolent horn honk, almost everyone has felt the tension and frustration of road rage. Sixty-two percent of Americans cited incidents of road rage in 2005, according to a study by Synovate Motoresearch.
In focus groups organized by the Media and Injury Prevention Program at the University of Southern California, two-thirds of drivers said they react to frustrating situations aggressively.
Almost half admitted to deliberately braking suddenly, pulling close to another car or taking some other potentially dangerous measure.
Some drivers showed great creativity in devising hostile responses. One Los Angeles driver said he keeps the windshield-wiper fluid tank full. If someone tailgates, he turns on the wipers, sending fluid over his roof onto the car behind him.
"It works better than hitting the brakes," he said, "and you can act totally innocent."
Creative hostility aside, road rage can still lead to danger on the roadways. In 1996, a dispute over a lane change on Virginia's George Washington Parkway ended in tragedy when two speed-dueling motorists lost control of their vehicles and crossed the center line, killing two innocent drivers.
But one piece of equipment has potential to help deter road rage. The CruiseCam InCar Camera Mount, created by CruiseCam International, can be used with any camcorder to record activities going on inside the car or on the road.
The mount attaches to the seat's headrests, allowing for hands-free recording. It weighs 1.5 pounds, works with all camcorders and can be installed in minutes without tools.
A camera in a car can be beneficial because it holds drivers accountable and thus improves driver performance, according to Scott Watkins, president and chief executive officer of CruiseCam International Inc.
In the event of an accident, the camera can help establish proof of fault, as well as potentially minimize insurance costs and claims.
The CruiseCam camera mount was originally designed to replace dashboard- or window-mounted systems for law enforcement personnel and race car drivers and was built into the seat to increase safety and provide a better viewing vantage point.
For more information, visit www.cruisecam.com. CruiseCam International is a publicly traded company under symbol CCMJ on the Pink Sheets.