Why Did Max Leave His Wife and Son Unattended to go Confront the Bikers?

That scene drives me crazy. It never occurred to him that leaving his wife and son unattended to go confront these guys might be a huge mistake? I'm not criticizing the movie, because I'm sure all kinds of people do irrational things in situations like this, but I cant help feeling that the best course of action was to move them inside and stay to protect them. The knowledge that his hot headed decision to run into the woods to confront the bikers is what left his wife and son unprotected must have tortured him for the rest of his life.