I heard on the news today that putting offensive bumper stickers on your vehicle makes it 20% more likely (I don't remember exactly how much, but it was around 20) to get into road rage. Some examples are: My kid just beat the crap out of your honor-roll kid; Keep tailgating! Your right in range; and Keep Honking! I'm Reloading.

Since I'm new to the roads, I was wondering if you guys have found any icrease in the incidents with bumper stickers.

ofcorse that depends on what you bumper sticker says...

I think they didn´t get cause right. Those stickers usually reflect a certain attitude. This attitude often leads to a more aggressive way of driving. The more aggressive way and the lack of gestures of apology (even if they are made they won´t be seen) leads to the phenomenon called road rage.
However it´s wise to keep some distance between you and an individual that thinks it´s cool to offend others just for the sake of it.

I personally prefer as much anonymity in public as possible. I am often bemused with vehicles vestooned with business logos, religious artifacts and political causes. I am hardly likely to patronise the ACME Plumbing Co., save the variegated Mount Lassen butterfly or free Tibet when the ensconsed driver just cavalierly endangered my life. Driving sadly reflects many of the social problems of society. I try to extend extra courtesy myself. I let a carload of Goths exit a driveway in bumper to bumper traffic and merge in front of me friday. I was rewarded with Maryland Manson music rattling my teeth <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />. half a block later I watched them reciprocate and let an elderly couple pull out <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In working traffic for 16 years, I've found that when you show courtsey to other drivers, even if they drive irresponsibly, you may shame them into better driving.
You also don't cause yourself as much anguish.
Give them room and stay out of the crash.

There are plenty of bad drivers out there (perhaps the majority). Those individuals who advertise thier offensive personalities are just more identifiable. I think that it is a reasonable deduction that someone who chose to put an offensive advertisement on thier vehicle "My bully just beatup your honor roll snot" etc. not someone who will go out of their way to "drive polite". OTOH, you can't deduce that someone will not ram you for being slow when the light turns green just because they aren't displaying a bumber sticker.

My personal experience is limited since I seek anonymity in public. I once bought a car with a marines sticker in the window and it helped in getting some forgiveness from the PD. Not that I lied but I did nothing to correct thier presumptions. Same with the "Troopers are your best protection" stickers. Even though I personally believe that my friends "Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson" are probably my best protection.

No matter what your bumper sticker says it will cause offense to someone. Driving through a jewish neighborhood with a cross on your bumber will offend someone, Driving through a Baptist neighborhood with a Star of David on your bumber will offend someone, etc... What you believe and say to individuals will be taken in the context of your relationship with those individuals. What you braodcast from your bumber will only be taken in the context of your driving behavior as displayed at that moment. If you hold a view strongly enough to want to advertise it and perhaps engage in unnecessary fights with anonymous individuals whom you would not otherwise meet over it then by all means advertise that view as loudly as you can to as many as possible.

OTOH, if you think that your driving habits may reflect badly on a group that you are trying to affiliate yoursef with then you might want to reconsider attaching thier logos onto your vehicle. There are many very lousy drivers on the road whose bumberstickers proclaim that you can follow them to heaven but their driving might convince you that they are truely in a hurry to get there.

I like alot of those bumper stickers. If somebody goes nuts it's not the bumper sticker's falt thay where going off the deep end anyway.

OK, so the key here is (like almost anywhere <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) to use moderation. Thanx guys, when I get a jeep (or whatever my parents decide to get me) I will remember this. Remember, FORD stands for
Fix it more
Often than you
Ride the
Darn thing!

And your parents decide to get you a Ford.

That will be the day! I have never seen someoine loath somethinbg so vehemently as my mom hates fords. Oh, and the above was a bumpersticker about fords. One bumper sticker I just can't understand is the 'bad cop, no doughnut' sticker, I mean, that's just asking for a ticket!