You Risk More than an Accident If You’re Involved in a Road Rage Incident

We are a frustrated, angry society. We take it out on strangers on social media, the other team at sporting events, and other drivers. Road rage inspires highly aggressive driving, which spawns more aggressive driving by others upset or offended by them. Road rage has evolved over the years, and it’s more common that these incidents include not just middle fingers, bumpers, and horns but also guns.

What is Road Rage?

Road rage is the aggressive and sometimes violent behaviors shown by drivers. They can include intentionally striking another vehicle and verbal and physical assaults. Road rage spreads when one driver starts driving aggressively and dangerously, and another driver seeks to retaliate because of their actions.

What Causes Road Rage?

It may begin with a driver with high levels of stress and displaced anger. Youth and substance abuse may also be factors, according to Psychology Today. High-anger drivers engage in aggressive and hostile thinking while they speed, weave between lanes, tailgate, and run red lights. These drivers often aren’t just angry while driving, they’re angry all day. They’re also more likely to be male, impulsive, and anxious.

How Often Does Road Rage Involve Guns?

The number of people shot in road rage incidents increased more than 400%, from 92 to 481, from 2014 to 2023, according to Trace. Over that period, 3,095 people were shot, and 777 died of their wounds.

Gun-related road rage incidents have more than doubled in the past ten years, and the number of victims injured or killed by gunshots increased more than fivefold. Trace reports that there were 37 road rage incidents involving gunfire in Kentucky from 2014 to 2023.

Here are some recent news stories covering road rage incidents:

• Greene County, Missouri, deputies are trying to find the driver of a truck accused of firing shots during a road rage incident in Springfield. Investigators reported that a pickup driver pulling an empty trailer became angry at a driver trying to pass him. The driver fired several shots which hit the vehicle, but there were no injuries, reports KYTV
• A Louisville resident was hospitalized with several bullet wounds in his legs after a car crash in April in the city’s Cherokee Triangle neighborhood. Police reported that the incident may have started with a car and motorcycle accident. The drivers started arguing, and one shot the other, according to WAVE
• A Murray, Kentucky, man was arrested at the Nashville Airport after a road rage incident. Law enforcement reports that after two motorists driving to the terminal tried to merge into a single lane, one became upset and showed a gun to the other, reports WKRN
• A truck driver was murdered in March after a road rage incident in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana. Police report the truck driver and the driver of an SUV left their vehicles, the SUV driver pulled a gun, and the truck driver started to run when he was shot and killed, according to KSLA

How many people carry guns in their vehicles? No one knows for sure, but guns taken from vehicles are the largest source of stolen guns in the US, reports the New York Times.

How Can Road Rage Cause Accidents and Injuries?

Gunshot wounds are one risk of many.

Road rage often involves speeding, which carries a higher risk of a collision because there’s less time to react and a longer distance for the vehicle to stop. If the driver approaches an intersection, they may go too fast to stop for a red light or stop sign, crash into another vehicle, or strike a pedestrian. The higher the speed, the more likely a crash will cause more severe injuries because greater force is involved.

Someone driving aggressively may weave in and out of lanes, potentially sideswiping another vehicle. One accident on a busy roadway may start a chain reaction, resulting in multiple vehicles colliding.

How Can I Prevent Being Involved in a Road Rage Incident?

Whatever is going on in your life, push it aside and drive responsibly and safely. If you cause an accident, your life will be much more stressful. If the road rager cut you off, let it go.

Driving isn’t a video game. It’s real life. You don’t get points for catching up to the car, swearing at the driver, or cutting them off. If this happens, you’re the driver  with road rage, and if you cause an accident, you’re the villain, not the victim.

Speak To a Car Accident Attorney Today

Have you been seriously injured by road rage? If so, you may be entitled to compensation, and Satterley & Kelley PLLC can be your boots on the ground.

Call Satterley & Kelley PLLC to speak with a skilled personal injury lawyer today. Call our office in Louisville toll-free at 855-385-9532 or complete our contact form to get started.