Road rage is something that most people know about. Some people may even engage in it without knowing it.
Road rage is any kind of violent anger that is brought about by the stress of driving a motor vehicle. It might be brought on by someone cutting a driver off in traffic or because of a delay that is making them late for work.
The problem with road rage is that it is blinding. Someone with road rage may start to make dangerous maneuvers in hopes of getting past traffic. They might slam on their brakes after speeding around someone who cut them off in traffic. These behaviors are dangerous, and they can lead to serious crashes.
Road rage is not the same for everyone
Road rage presents differently depending on who has it. Some ways that you might witness road rage include:
- If you see a driver shaking their hand out a window or flipping someone off
- Witnessing someone roll down a window to yell at someone in another vehicle
- Seeing a driver weave in and out of traffic in a dangerous way
- Seeing a driver honk at others while trying to speed
- Witnessing a driver slam on their brakes to cause a crash
All of these and other behaviors could constitute road rage and are very dangerous.
Road rage is common, and it could affect you
Road rage is fairly common with around 82% of drivers admitting to committing an act of road rage in 2018. It’s believed that around 66% of all traffic fatalities can be linked to aggressive driving and that road rage could be responsible for up to 300 deaths between 2013 and 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The root of this aggression could come from a driver being impaired by alcohol, struggling with an emotional issue or just running late. Regardless of the reason, it puts others at risk of serious harm.
If you’re hit by someone who commits road rage, it’s your right to seek medical care and to take steps to hold them accountable. Their actions are not legal and are disrespectful to people trying to share the roads.
