Question: “What’s the best way to handle road rage if the other driver will not leave you alone?”



Trooper Rusty Russell #695 answers your question.  Road rage is defined as “deliberately dangerous and or violent behavior under the influence of heightened, violent emotion such as anger and frustration, involving an automobile.”  Any unsafe driving behavior, performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety, can constitute aggressive driving.  Road rage incidents mainly occur due to aggressive driving such as following to closely (tailgating), cutting people off (unsafe lane changes), or honking your horn at another vehicle.  In many cases, road rage is caused by people in a hurry; who are speeding or swerving in and out of traffic.  Slower traffic or traffic congestion often cause a person to lose patience.  If you know you have to be somewhere at a certain time, allow more time for the trip.  Leave a little early to allow for slower traffic or any other traffic conditions that you may run into.

The National Highway Traffic safety administration (NHTSA) estimates that about one third of all crashes are due to aggressive driving and about two thirds of those crashes result in fatalities.

 If you find yourself in a road rage incident, and the person that is causing the road rage will not leave you alone, there are many steps that you should take. First, do not allow yourself to get drawn into a road rage incident.  Never try to retaliate with the other person and avoid eye contact.  If you are on a four lane highway move to the right lane, reduce your speed to allow the road raged individual to go around you.  Just let them go and don’t try to provoke the other person with rude gestures or honking your horn at them.  Never stop and confront an aggressive driver.

 If the road raged person will not leave you alone, try to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of that situation.  This may include getting off a particular roadway or pull to the side of the roadway (but not getting out of your vehicle) and let the other driver continue.  If the other driver pulls off the roadway to confront you, do not get out of your vehicle.  Lock your doors and dial *55 for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol or 911 for your local law enforcement as soon as possible.  Another suggestion is to drive to a place where there are people around, such as a police station, convenience store, or shopping center.  If the road raged person also stops, and your are afraid to leave your vehicle, honk your horn repeatedly until you draw attention to yourself or the person leaves.

When you call *55 or 911, be sure to give accurate and complete information.  This will help decrease the officer’s response time.  The information you need to give the dispatcher is: your location and direction of travel, your name and the telephone number you are calling from, a description of the other vehicle, such as make, model, tag number, and color.

A few things that you can do to avoid becoming a victim of road rage are:  steer clear of other aggressive drivers, avoid cutting off other drivers, and avoid making inappropriate or offensive gestures.  Make sure when merging into traffic to give a signal and have plenty of room.  If you are traveling on a four-lane roadway, make sure to drive in the right lane unless you are passing, even if you are traveling the posted speed limit.  Another good suggestion is not to follow too closely.  You should give yourself two to three seconds of space between your car and the car ahead of you.  Be a cautious and courteous driver.  Signal every time you merge, change lanes, or turn.

Driving can be a stressful experience, and all drivers have gotten frustrated behind the wheel at some point.  But it is important to avoid engaging in aggressive driving behaviors.  One aggressive driving act can trigger a disproportionate response, which sometimes escalates into road rage  

Do you have a question you would like to ask a Trooper?  Submit your questions by e-mail at dg@dps.state.ok.us or by mail to Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 705 E. Gore Blvd., Lawton, Ok. 73501.  We appreciate your participation.