Dear Ann Landers,
hy has no one labeled the husband's hazardous and nerve-shredding driving for what it is-the twentieth-century version of wife-beating? I'd like to describe a daily drama, and I hope the players recognize themselves be-fore the lids finally come down on their caskets. A couple goes for a drive. The outing becomes an occasion for the husband to act out all his hostilities and aggressions. Once behind the wheel he seizes the opportunity to get even with his wife for every rotten thing she has ever said to him, real or imagined. Risky driving has become a socially acceptable technique for punishing a wife for whatever is wrong in a man's life. Maybe 144 he hates his mother or his boss or his job or, more often than not, his own inadequacies could be making him miserable. But it's the wife who catches the brunt of it every time. I suggest that couples who are constantly at war because of the hus-band's driving find out what is really bothering him and settle the problem at home.-A Survivor

Dear Survivor,
The experts in the field of traffic safety tell us that an important factor in many serious accidents is hostil-ity. Sometimes the anger is directed at the world in general, or it may be aimed at the wife-passenger, as you suggest. There's also the possibility that the wild driver may have a subcon-scious desire to kill himself. People who are mad at their rela-tives or the world or themselves should stay at home and hammer away at a punching bag or take the bus to a gym and play handball.