Road Rage is Senseless

Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Lead to Senseless Injuries

Not too long ago, I wrote an article on aggressive driving and road rage. However, it is in the news again and I felt compelled to comment on that situation.[1] The recent road rage incident did not occur in Florida, but in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to news reports, a forty-four year old mother was teaching her 15 year old daughter to drive. On their way home another vehicle sped by their car and the teenager honked the horn at the speeding car. This apparently enraged the driver of the speeding car who got out of his vehicle and threatened to kill the mother and daughter. The mother and the daughter left and drove to their house where the mother instructed the daughter to go inside the house and send out her twenty-two year old brother. The young man came out with a gun and mother and son set off to find the driver of the other car. The other driver was located, gunfire exchanged and the mother was shot and killed.

How Can You Identify a Potential Road Rage Incident?

I am not sure if CNN got the facts correct relating to the senseless tragedy in which a family lost its mother, but I am going to attempt use the story as a teaching moment. There will always be aggressive drivers who are prone to road rage. The key is to avoid these drivers and not engage them. There are many warning flags that can alert you that a driver may be dangerous. These signs include:

1. Excessive Speed All speeders are not prone to road rage, but if a car is clearly travelling too fast considering all relevant circumstances then it is a good indicator that the driver is impatient;
2. Erratic Behavior Weaving in and out of traffic and rapid acceleration and deceleration indicate aggressive driving tendencies;
3. Tailgaiting Following too closely is another sign that the driver is prone to impatient acts;
4. Honking the Horn If a driver is constantly honking the horn flashing the headlights or pounding the steering wheel, the driver is someone to avoid; and
5. Chasing Other Cars Chasing other cars or trying to stop other vehicles for perceived slights should be a signal to stay as far away as possible from the raging driver.

How Can You Avoid a Potential Road Rage Incident?

In the road rage story I related, above, there were many mistakes made. Obviously, the driver who shot the mother is a raging aggressive driver who does not need to be behind the wheel (or even free), but there were several opportunities to avoid this tragedy. These opportunities include good advice for everyone:

1. Do Not Engage Aggressive Drivers The mother should have instructed her daughter not to honk at an aggressive driver. Engaging these people can have disastrous results;
2. Never Stop Never stop for an aggressive driver. If another driver becomes so enraged that they are signaling you to stop, you should never risk your life by stopping;
3. Never Reengage In the tragic Las Vegas story, the mother had escaped the raging driver, but then had her adult son get in the car with a gun so that they could go find the other driver. There are so many obvious mistakes in the scenario it sounds as if the original victim succumbed to road rage herself; and
4. Call the Police It is not up to you to police our roads and control the behavior of other drivers. If you see a road rage incident, call the police and let them handle it.

Are You an Aggressive Driver?

What is the ultimate purpose of being an aggressive driver? I would assume it to travel from point A to point B faster, but is it worth the risk? Let us assume that the aggressive driver is making a 6 mile trip and is running late. The average speed limit along his route is 40 MPH. He can average 55 MPH by weaving in and out of traffic and speeding. If the safe driver and the aggressive driver set off at the same time, the aggressive driver will only arrive at the destination two minutes faster than the safe driver. What could be worth two minutes?

Contact Jones Law Group

Have you or a loved one been injured in an accident? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorney at Jones Law Group today. When you contact our office we will immediately set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be provided with his/her personal contact information. If you do not have transportation or you cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with you in the privacy of your own home.

Whether you were a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or the occupant of car, motorcycle or boat and have been injured in an accident, you should immediately call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707

[1] http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/19/us/las-vegas-road-rage-killing/index.html