The Dangers of Road Rage

The Dangers of Road Rage

The state of Illinois has not been spared the savagery of road rage, which is defined by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to be violent or aggressive conduct that is the result of a driver’s uncontrolled anger directed at another driver. Although there is no law that prohibits “road rage,” there are many other laws that come into play and could have the offender held responsible under those laws for their road rage.

Examples of road rage include the following:

• Yelling or shouting at another driver
• Getting out of a car and trying to confront another driver
• Hitting another driver’s vehicle with your car
• Running or trying to run another driver off the road
• Brandishing or using a weapon against another driver; and
• Honking loudly or making angry and rude gestures to another driver.

According to a recent survey, road rage is a more common occurrence than people generally realize. For example, between 2009 and 2016, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety issued a report showing that more than 12,600 serious injuries and 218 deaths were the result of road rage. In a survey conducted by AAA, 80% of drivers admitted having engaged in some type of aggressive driving conduct at least one time in a year.

What to Do in the Face of Road Rage

The first and foremost thing to remember is your top priority is coming out of the situation alive or otherwise not harmed in any way. So, knowing that is your priority, then the rest should be easy to do and which include the following:

• Do not engage or respond in kind with your own aggressive behavior just because the other driver has engaged in the behavior first.
• If the other driver is tailgating and aggressively trying to pass you, let them do so. If necessary and safe to do so, change lanes and put some distance between you and the other driver.
• If you can, try and commit to memory a description of the car and, if possible, the license plate number. If the aggressive behavior by the other driver is erratic enough such that you believe he is a danger to others, then consider dialing 911 to report the erratic behavior so the police may be alerted to investigate the situation.
• Best of all, do your best to ignore the aggressive driver. These road rage drivers are often looking for escalation and confrontation, so the best way to avoid that is to simply ignore them. If you try to respond, even with good intentions, this could easily escalate the situation further and cause more harm than good.

We Are Here to Help

If you have been injured in an accident or incident caused by a driver engaged in road rage, we are here to help. We will investigate and collect all evidence that is available concerning the incident or accident, interview witnesses, and gather all essential documents, including police and medical reports. Our Arlington Heights car accident lawyer will then use this information and documents to help you obtain the fullest compensation you deserve. Contact our office today for a free consultation.