Feeling a Little Tense Behind the Wheel? Take it Out on Your Buddy!; Lighthearted New Product Helps to Release Frustrations While Driving.

Business Editors

BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2002

A group of moms from Boise, Idaho are taking a stand against aggressive driving in a way that they hope will bring smiles instead of curses from the lips of frustrated drivers across the nation.

Their message: take out your frustrations on an inanimate object and not on another person. Their solution comes in the form of three lighthearted characters know as "The Road Rage Buddy" -- stuffed dolls whose smart-aleck phrases and goofy appearance make them a lovingly bashable alternative to more violent behaviors.

BB&K, the company that created and markets the dolls, is hoping that Road Rage Buddies will help draw attention to the problem of aggressive driving and road rage on US highways. "This is much more than a `gag gift'," said creator and BB&K co-founder Leslie Bishop. "The truth behind Road Rage Buddy is that while we all complain about aggressive drivers, few of us are willing to admit that we are part of the problem. If in the act of taking our aggressions out on a `buddy' we can have just a moment or two to think, and maybe even find some humor in the act, we can become part of the solution."

A Buddy for Every Occasion

There are three different buddies you can choose from: The Business Man, The Redneck, and The Punk Kid. They are approximately 14 inches tall and have a soft, squishy feel and fit easily into a clenched fist. All three Buddies have an impact-activated voice box with a set of wisecracks that are guaranteed to make you want to bash the little buggers - without offending impressionable young ears in the back seat. Road Rage Buddies are available online at www.roadragebuddy.com for $14.95 plus shipping.

Road Rage: A Growing Problem

Recently the US government named "aggressive drivers" as one of the most serious transportation challenges facing state legislatures today. Ricardo Martinez, federal administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), declared that road rage is now the nation's number one traffic problem. According to the NHTSA, nearly 28,000 of the 41,907 people killed in highway crashes in 1996 were associated with road rage. Communities all over the country are beginning to take a more aggressive approach to this problem as well. In 1998, Arizona became the first state to enact a law making aggressive driving a crime, and in New York a law effective September 2002 requires road rage to be addressed in pre-licensing and defensive driving courses.

Save Lives -- Beat Your Road Rage Buddy

The general consensus among physicians and psychologists is that finding creative, healthy ways to release your anger can help lower your blood pressure, and people who have released their anger feel less like harming or fighting others. Although beating and squishing your Road Rage Buddy will not prevent other drivers from doing things that anger you, it will definitely ease tensions and add some humor to situations that might otherwise provoke a more aggressive response.

Moms Raising Awareness 

Road Rage Buddy came into being when BB&K co-founder Leslie Bishop picked up a stuffed toy while driving in her car and, out of frustration with traffic, began to beat it against the dashboard. Watching from the back seat, her son asked her what she was doing and she replied, "beating my road rage buddy." Joining forces with two other moms, they created BB&K as a way of blending an entrepreneurial vision with a desire to have an impact on a problem facing drivers across the nation. With the motto, `Save Lives, Beat Your Road Rage Buddy,' BB&K plans to devote a percentage of the profits from sales of The Road Rage Buddy to a public awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of aggressive driving.