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What Are the Dangers of Road Rage?

Road rage is a colloquial term used when a driver becomes infuriated or frustrated with the actions of another, typically a fellow driver, while at the wheel. Symptoms of road rage include verbal exchanges between drivers, and reckless and aggressive driving, all of which can have dire consequences for individuals on the road, in addition to being unpleasant for all involved.

  1. Aggression Causes Accidents

    • One of the main outcomes of road rage is aggressive driving, where an individual acts in a deliberately reckless and risky fashion, borne out of frustration or annoyance at a situation. The driver might cut off other vehicles, moving across the road and getting in another vehicle's way without a second thought. The aggressive road user might also drive far too fast for conditions, or otherwise break the local speed limit. In other situations, aggressive driving can mean simply ignoring traffic signals or refusing to give way to other road users when required to do so.

      Not only can this behavior be intimidating for other drivers, but the aggressive driver runs the risk of causing or being involved in an accident. According to the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA), 56 percent of fatal road accidents are a result of aggressive driving.

    Distractions

    • Road rage can cause one or more drivers to engage in a verbal argument or lead to a driver taunting other road users with hand gestures. These actions can distract the individuals involved, causing the drivers to take their eyes off the road and to become engrossed in what the sources of their anger are doing. Even just becoming frustrated with other road users can cause a driver to pay less attention to her surroundings. These distractions can culminate in an accident, since drivers are forced to multitask, leaving them focusing less on the dangers of the road. According to the California Institute of Transportation Safety, distraction is a fast-rising contributor to the number of people killed on the roads each year.

    Physical Fights

    • Sometimes road rage can evolve from annoyance to actual violence. Anger at another driver can cause some individuals to enter into physical fights. The consequences of these encounters can often be severe. For example, in August 2010 in San Antonio, a man physically attacked a fellow driver after the latter stopped traffic to buy flowers from a shop.

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