Road rage
Encyclopedia
Aggressive driving
Aggressive driving is a form of automobile operation in which an operator will deliberately behave in such a manner as to increase the risk of an automobile accident....
.
The term originated in the United States during the 1980s, specifically from Newscasters at KTLA
KTLA
KTLA, virtual channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, USA. Owned by the Tribune Company, KTLA is an affiliate of the CW Television Network. KTLA's studios are on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson...
, a local television station in Los Angeles, California. The term originated in 1987-1988, where a rash of freeway shootings occurred on the 405, 110 and 10 freeways in Los Angeles. 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
The following are common manifestations of road rage:- Generally aggressive driving, including sudden acceleration, braking, and close tailgatingTailgatingTailgating is the practice of driving on a road too close to the vehicle in front, at a distance which does not guarantee that stopping to avoid collision is possible...
. - 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.
- RudeRudeRude has many meanings:Behavior*Rudeness, disrespect for and failure to behave within the context of a society or a group of people's social laws or etiquettePeople*François Rude , a French sculptor...
gestures (such as "the fingerFinger (gesture)In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
"). - 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 firearmFirearmA firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
or other deadly weapon. - Throwing projectiles from a moving vehicle with the intent of damaging other vehicles.
In the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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
In some jurisdictions there may be a legal difference between "road rage" and "aggressive drivingAggressive driving
Aggressive driving is a form of automobile operation in which an operator will deliberately behave in such a manner as to increase the risk of an automobile accident....
." In the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, only a few states have enacted special aggressive driving laws, where road rage cases are normally prosecuted as assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
and battery
Battery (crime)
Battery is a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct from assault which is the fear of such contact.In the United States, criminal battery, or simply battery, is the use of force against another, resulting in harmful or offensive contact...
(with or without a vehicle), or "vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide
Vehicular homicide in most states in the United States, is a crime. In general, it involves death that results from the negligent operation of a vehicle, or more so a result from driving while committing an unlawful act that does not amount to a felony...
" (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 already an official mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
. According to an article published by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
in June 2006, the behaviors typically associated with road rage are the result of intermittent explosive disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder
Intermittent explosive disorder is a behavioral disorder characterized by extreme expressions of anger, often to the point of violence, that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. It is currently categorized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as an impulse...
. 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
National Institute of Mental Health
The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of 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 safetyPublic Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
. It is, however, not always possible to judge intent by external observation, so "road ragers" who are stopped by police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
may be charged with other offences such as careless or reckless driving
Reckless driving
Reckless driving is a major moving traffic violation. As a legal term, it is used within the United States. This offence has been abolished in the United Kingdom and replaced...
. 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 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. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s have passed laws against aggressive driving. Only one state, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, has turned "road rage" into a legal term of art by giving it a particular meaning. 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
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
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, ramming their vehicles off the road (although this can be classed as wilful damage) and road rage drivers are not disqualified or have their vehicles forfieted and/or destroyed on order of the courts for any offence committed in such acts, further more the police dont regard road rage complaints as a high priority unless physical harm occurs.
In New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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, fined AU$100000 and be disqualified from driving reagrdless of weather or not the "road rager" intended to physically harm there victim or not. If the predatory driving results in a physical assault or harm and/or the victims car was intentionally damaged, the 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
Public Order Act 1986
The Public Order Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936...
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, PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The cities with the most courteous drivers (least road rage) are Minneapolis, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, St. Louis, Seattle, and Atlanta.
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.
See also
- Rage (emotion)Rage (emotion)Rage is a feeling of intense anger. It is associated with the Fight-or-flight response and oftentimes activated in response to an external cue, such as the murder of a loved one. The phrase, 'thrown into a fit of rage,' expresses the immediate nature of rage that occurs before deliberation. If left...
- Air rageAir rageAir rage is the general term for disruptive and/or violent behavior perpetrated by passengers and crew of aircraft, typically during flight. The first noted, or recorded air rage event in Britain was May 15, 1990, on a flight from Grand Canaria to Gatwick airport by Miss Theresa Sheffield.In the...
- Bike rageBike rageBike rage refers to acts of verbal or gestural anger or physical aggression between cyclists and other users of bike paths or roadways, including pedestrians, other cyclists, motorcyclists, or drivers. Bike rage can consist of shouting at other road users, making obscene gestures or threats,...
- Computer rageComputer rageComputer rage is a heightened physiological response with associated feelings of anger and frustration resulting from using a computer or other complex electronic device....
- Wrap rageWrap rageWrap rage, also called package rage, is the common name for heightened levels of anger and frustration resulting from the inability to open hard-to-remove packaging, particularly some heat sealed plastic blister packs and clamshells...
- Roid Rage
Sources
- Controlling Road Rage: A Literature Review and Pilot Study Prepared for The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety By Daniel B. Rathbone, Ph.D. Jorg C. Huckabee, MSCE June 9, 1999
- Road Rage: Causes and Dangers of Aggressive Driving (transcript of a portion of the official hearing record of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – 1997)
- Summary Table on Aggressive Driving Laws, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Safer driving through reflective thinking – Redshaw, Sarah (2001), Drivers.com
- Survey of the States – Speeding, Governors Highway Safety Association
- Aggressive Driving Prevention, United States Army Victory Corps
- Senior Citizen Driving: Warning Signs and Helping an Unsafe Driver to Stop Driving, HelpGuide.org
- Whitlock, F.A., 1971, Death on the Road: A Study in Social Violence, London: Tavistock.
External links
- Extensive data regarding road rage and driving behavior can be found at the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website.
- Mobility without Mayhem: Safety, Cars, and Citizenship, by Jeremy Packer. This book contains a chapter about road rage.