Recently, a number of road rage incidents have been in the news. A Law Vegas woman was murdered due to a road rage event. A man reacted badly to her daughter honking the car’s horn, and unfortunately, the woman then decided to look for the man with her (armed) son. A confrontation resulted, and the man followed the two home and shot the woman. Closer to Pennsylvania, a New Jersey Detective was charged with the fatal shooting of a man in Maryland. In that case, the Detective was found not guilty.
YouTube is filled with videos of people raging against one another due to the smallest incidents. Often, the person raging caused the incident in the first place, due to unsafe driving, or the other driver cut off the rager or did something else to upset him or her.
Most road rage events do not cause violence. But they often do cause auto accidents. Tailgating, speeding, cutting people off, each of these behaviors are irresponsible and dangerous. In addition, if someone is experiencing rage, that person is not likely to drive safely. This kind of distracted driving also leads to accidents.
Even if the other driver did something inappropriate that sets you off, if you cause an accident because you are engaging in unsafe behavior, you will be the one held responsible by police and the insurance company. Not to mention, how would you feel if you caused a deadly crash to the other person or an innocent driver who gets caught up in the event?
On the other hand, if someone else is engaging in unsafe behavior against you because he is angry, you could easily end up in an accident while you are trying to escape or dealing with his unpredictable driving.
If someone behaves in unsafe driving and upsets you, the best thing to do is to try to calm down and move on. It is never wise to retaliate. A retaliation can cause an escalation in violence, such as in the Las Vegas case or in numerous other cases in which one driver ends up engaging in physical violence against another. It is never worth an assault charge because another person cut you off in traffic.
If someone else is angry at you, the best way to respond is to get away (safely) and call the police. Do not engage with the other person. Do not respond to him if he tries to get into your car.
According to the “Monkey Meter” site, a website which allows people to report road rage, Philadelphia is high up on the road rage list.
You can take a road rage test to help you determine if you have road rage issues. If you do, it would be best to identify the source of your problem and figure out how to settle down behind the wheel. You don’t want to end up in a serious or deadly car crash or even a dangerous confrontation because you have trouble controlling your temper. Check out DMV.org for recommendations on dealing with bad behavior on the road your own or someone else’s.
If you were hurt in a car accident because someone else engaged in bad behavior on the road, send a message to our car crash attorneys in Pennsylvania. We have offices throughout the Commonwealth (including Philadelphia) and we will talk to you for free.
LOWENTHAL AND ABRAMS, P.C.
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