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 that result in injuries and even
deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive
driving.
The term
originated in the United States in 1987–1988 (specifically, from Newscasters at
KTLA, a television station in Los Angeles), when a rash of freeway shootings
occurred on the 405, 110, and 10 freeways in Los Angeles, California. These
shooting sprees even spawned a response from the AAA Motor Club to its members
on how to respond to drivers with road rage or aggressive maneuvers and
gestures
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
Chasing other motorists
Flashing lights and/or sounding the
horn excessively
Yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at roadside
establishments
Driving at high speeds in the median of a highway to terrify
drivers in both lanes
Rude gestures (such as "the finger")
Shouting
verbal abuses or threats
Intentionally causing a collision between
vehicles
Hitting other vehicles
Assaulting other motorists, their
passengers, cyclists or pedestrians
Exiting the car to attempt to start
confrontations, including striking other vehicles 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
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 are normally
prosecuted as assault and battery (with or without a vehicle), or "vehicular
homicide" (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 not 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 offences such
as careless or reckless driving. In some jurisdictions, such as the American
Commonwealth of Virginia, it is easier to prosecute road rage as reckless
driving instead of aggressive driving simply because the burden of proof (for
the former?) 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.[9] It is worth noting, however, that in Virginia aggressive
driving is punished as a lesser crime (Class 2 misdemeanour) than reckless
driving (Class 1 misdemeanour).
In New
Zealand, road rage is not a specific offence. This means road rage incidents are
recorded as "assaults" on police statistics. There are no laws against
menacingly chasing another motorist or ramming their vehicles off the road. Road
rage drivers are neither disqualified nor have their vehicles forfeited or
destroyed on order of the courts for any offence committed in such acts and
furthermore the police do not regard road rage complaints as a priority and
there are no plans by the government to crack-down on road rage especially
incidents where violence is involved.
In New South
Wales, Australia, road rage is considered an extremely serious act. Any person
who chases another motorist or shows intimidating and/or bullying towards
another road user can be charged with predatory driving, a serious offence that
can leave the culprit in jail for up to 5 years. Offenders can also be fined
A$100,000 and disqualified from driving, regardless of whether or not he or she
intended to harm the victim physically. If the predatory driving results in a
physical assault or harm, and/or the victim's car was intentionally damaged,
penalties can be much more severe.
Additionally, most common-law countries prohibit common
assault, which could apply to road rage where the personal safety of the victim
is seen to be threatened. The common law regards assault as both a criminal and
civil matter, leading to both public criminal penalties and private civil
liabilities.
In the UK,
road rage can result in criminal penalties for assault or more serious offences
against the person. The Public Order Act 1986 can also apply to road rage.
Sections 4A and 5 of the 1986 Act prohibit public acts likely to cause
harassment, alarm or distress. Section 4 also prohibits threatening, abusive or
insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause a victim to believe that
violence will be used against himself or another.
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.[11]
In spite of
this, 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
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 that result in injuries and even
deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive
driving.
The term
originated in the United States in 1987–1988 (specifically, from Newscasters at
KTLA, a television station in Los Angeles), when a rash of freeway shootings
occurred on the 405, 110, and 10 freeways in Los Angeles, California. These
shooting sprees even spawned a response from the AAA Motor Club to its members
on how to respond to drivers with road rage or aggressive maneuvers and
gestures
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
Chasing other motorists
Flashing lights and/or sounding the
horn excessively
Yelling or exhibiting disruptive behavior at roadside
establishments
Driving at high speeds in the median of a highway to terrify
drivers in both lanes
Rude gestures (such as "the finger")
Shouting
verbal abuses or threats
Intentionally causing a collision between
vehicles
Hitting other vehicles
Assaulting other motorists, their
passengers, cyclists or pedestrians
Exiting the car to attempt to start
confrontations, including striking other vehicles 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
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 are normally
prosecuted as assault and battery (with or without a vehicle), or "vehicular
homicide" (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 not 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 offences such
as careless or reckless driving. In some jurisdictions, such as the American
Commonwealth of Virginia, it is easier to prosecute road rage as reckless
driving instead of aggressive driving simply because the burden of proof (for
the former?) 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.[9] It is worth noting, however, that in Virginia aggressive
driving is punished as a lesser crime (Class 2 misdemeanour) than reckless
driving (Class 1 misdemeanour).
In New
Zealand, road rage is not a specific offence. This means road rage incidents are
recorded as "assaults" on police statistics. There are no laws against
menacingly chasing another motorist or ramming their vehicles off the road. Road
rage drivers are neither disqualified nor have their vehicles forfeited or
destroyed on order of the courts for any offence committed in such acts and
furthermore the police do not regard road rage complaints as a priority and
there are no plans by the government to crack-down on road rage especially
incidents where violence is involved.
In New South
Wales, Australia, road rage is considered an extremely serious act. Any person
who chases another motorist or shows intimidating and/or bullying towards
another road user can be charged with predatory driving, a serious offence that
can leave the culprit in jail for up to 5 years. Offenders can also be fined
A$100,000 and disqualified from driving, regardless of whether or not he or she
intended to harm the victim physically. If the predatory driving results in a
physical assault or harm, and/or the victim's car was intentionally damaged,
penalties can be much more severe.
Additionally, most common-law countries prohibit common
assault, which could apply to road rage where the personal safety of the victim
is seen to be threatened. The common law regards assault as both a criminal and
civil matter, leading to both public criminal penalties and private civil
liabilities.
In the UK,
road rage can result in criminal penalties for assault or more serious offences
against the person. The Public Order Act 1986 can also apply to road rage.
Sections 4A and 5 of the 1986 Act prohibit public acts likely to cause
harassment, alarm or distress. Section 4 also prohibits threatening, abusive or
insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause a victim to believe that
violence will be used against himself or another.
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.[11]
In spite of
this, 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
