Speaking of furious blog commenters, I suppose one reason to let them have their say is that it might dissipate some of the inchoate rage that leads to tragedies like this.
On the other hand, furious commenting may have the effect of increasing inchoate rage, which is then reflected in driving and other activities.
I’m sure anyone who does even a moderate amount of driving has encountered road rage in one form or another. My general strategy is to ignore it and get out of range of the raging driver as quickly as possible– no matter how much of a wimp this makes me. However many drivers seem to think an extended middle finger from a nearby vehicle is a test of manhood (less of a test of womanhood, I suspect) which they cannot afford to fail. To them, teaching the other guy “a lesson” is worth the risk of an escalation which could endanger themselves, their passengers and innocent drivers.
I wonder if it’s possible to tell what kind of drivers people are from their blog comments. I suspect there’s a correlation.
Update: How could I forget Disney’s classic take on road rage and poor driving in general?