It's certainly not an easy situation to deal with, but as long as I have my MP3’s working on my car stereo, I can manage. :)
Oddly enough, as aggravating as it is, you tend to get used to it after a while. It took me a few years, but now it almost seems "normal". Perhaps the fact that it seems normal now to me could be described as "disturbing". :)
I think anyone who has driven in serious traffic for years can relate to what you wrote above. People are always amazed when I tell them I drive 3.5 hours a day through brutal traffic, and wonder how I can do it. It's exactly as you said, you do whatever you can in your little private space of the car and eventually you get used to it. It's either that, or you go crazy like the people in the OP. Gotta do what needs done to avoid reaching that level, whatever that is, differs from person to person.