Road rage

Some transportation experts argue that traffic congestion may be a contributing factor to driver frustration and road rage.

Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Road rage can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions which result in injuries and even deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive driving.

The term supposedly originated in the USA during the 1980s.

Manifestation

Clogged streets in Bangkok

The following are common manifestations of road rage:

• Generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and close tailgating.
• Cutting others off in a lane, or deliberately preventing someone from merging.
• Sounding the vehicle's horn or flashing lights excessively.
• Driving at high speeds in the median of a highway to terrify drivers in both lanes
• Rude gestures (such as "the finger", or "mean face").
• Shouting verbal abuse or threats.
• Intentionally causing a collision between vehicles
• Exiting the car to attempt to start a confrontation, including striking someone else's vehicle with an object.
• Threatening to use or using a firearm or other deadly weapon.
• Throwing projectiles from a moving vehicle with the intent of damaging other vehicles.
• Spitting

In the U.S., more than 300 cases of road rage annually have ended with serious injuries or even fatalities – 1200 incidents per year, according to the AAA Foundation study, and rising yearly throughout the six years of the study that examined police records nationally.

Legal status

A traffic jam in Poland.

In some jurisdictions there may be a legal difference between "road rage" and "aggressive driving." In the U.S., only a few states have enacted special aggressive driving laws, where road rage cases — about 1,200 a year — are normally prosecuted as assault and battery (with or without a vehicle), or "vehicular manslaughter" (if someone is killed).

Road rage as a medical condition

As early as 1997, therapists in the United States were working to certify road rage as a medical condition. It is already an official mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. According to an article published by the Associated Press in June 2006, the behaviors typically associated with road rage are the result of intermittent explosive disorder. This conclusion was drawn from surveys of some 9,200 adults in the United States between 2001 and 2003 and was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The cause of intermittent explosive disorder has not been described to date. There are differing views on whether or not "road rage" is a mental issue. Regardless of whether it is or not, there are alternative solutions for overcoming this handicap.

Penalties

Road rage is a relatively serious act: It may be seen as an endangerment of public safety. It is, however, not always possible to judge intent by external observation, so "road ragers" who are stopped by police may be charged with other offenses such as careless or reckless driving.. In some jurisdictions, such as the American state of Virginia, it is easier to prosecute road rage as reckless driving instead of aggressive driving simply because the burden of proof does not require "intent" to successfully convict.

It is likely that those causing serious injury or death during "road rage" incidents will suffer more serious penalties than those applicable to similar outcomes from simple negligence. In April 2007, a Colorado driver was convicted of first-degree murder for causing the deaths of two motorists in November 2005. He will serve a mandatory sentence of two consecutive life terms.

Fourteen U.S. states have passed laws against aggressive driving. Only one state, California, has turned "road rage" into a legal term of art by giving it a particular meaning. It is worth noting, however, that in Virginia aggressive driving is punished as a lesser crime (Class 2 misdemeanor) than reckless driving (Class 1 misdemeanor).

U.S. rankings

A 2007 study of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas concluded that the cities with the least courteous drivers (most road rage) are Miami, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. The cities with the most courteous drivers (least road rage) are Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle, and Atlanta. In 2009, New York, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul were rated the top five "Road Rage Capitals" of the United States.

See also

• Air rage
• Bike rage
• Computer rage
• Wrap rage
• Roid Rage

References

• Controlling Road Rage: A Literature Review and Pilot Study Prepared for The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety By Daniel B. Rathbone, Ph.D. Jorg C. Huckabee, MSCE June 9, 1999
• Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving (transcript of a portion of the official hearing record of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – 1997)
• Summary Table on Aggressive Driving Laws, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Safer driving through reflective thinking - Redshaw, Sarah (2001), Drivers.com
• Survey of the States - Speeding, Governors Highway Safety Association
• Aggressive Driving Prevention, United States Army Victory Corps
• Senior Citizen Driving: Warning Signs and Helping an Unsafe Driver to Stop Driving, HelpGuide.org
• Whitlock, F.A., 1971, Death on the Road: A Study in Social Violence, London: Tavistock.

Further reading

• Eberle, Paul (2006). Terror on the Highway. Buffalo: Prometheus Books. ISBN 9781591023791.
• Larson, John (1997). Steering Clear of Highway Madness. Wilsonville: Bookpartners. ISBN 188522138X.

External links

• Extensive data regarding road rage and driving behavior can be found at the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.
• Tips and information on Driving Safely TODDS
• Forum Discussion regarding Road Rage Road Rage Guys
• Mobility without Mayhem: Safety, Cars, and Citizenship, by Jeremy Packer. This book contains a chapter about road rage.
• Website dedicated to fighting Road Rage [1]