Here’s something I am constantly reminding myself when I’m out on the road. It might not be a bad idea for others to do the same.

Take a deep breath before you do something, say something, or offer a gesture you might live to regreat.

I had to swallow my tongue last night on the ride home when the woman behind me decided she didn’t like the way I was driving and leaned on her horn. The truth is she was probably right. I was in my normal “ride home” coma-like state and should have gotten out of the left-hand lane to let her go by. Still, I didn’t appreciate the rude sound from directly behind me.

I decided to let it go. The truth is you really don’t know what kind of people are out there on the road and what they’re capable of doing.

Take the Chadds Ford teen who apparently did something a man took offense at while driving along Route 1 out in just over the county line in Chester County. He started following her – closely – for miles. Police say he chased her across the state line into Delaware. When she came to a stop sign he pulled his pickup truck in front of her car. Then he got out and confronted her. He pushed his way into the car. She eventually was punched in the face and the man waved a knife in her face.

Scary stuff. And we’re seeing more and more of it all the time. Something is making us go haywire when we get behind the wheel.

And I include myself in that group. I will admit that my temper usually gets the best of me when I’m driving. I am too quick to offer some fairly colorful descriptions of someone else’s driving ability, or a fairly popular hand gesture.

I’m going to remind myself to refrain from doing such things. The truth is you just don’t know who is out there, and what they’re capable of.

The idea is to get to your destination – preferably in one piece.