Fort Worth Injury Attorney Blog
Why does road rage contribute to auto accidents?
As a society, we tend to be emotional drivers. Throughout the day, an individual can feel emotions such as excitement, anxiety, sadness, or frustration, depending on what a person deals with daily. All of these emotions hinder our ability to pair attention to the dangers of the road; thus our emotions become distractions. We develop these emotions when we get into a fight with a spouse, learn some frustrating news with work, or by the actions of other drivers. Statistically, Texas is one of the top states to have the most road rage drivers. One of the reasons could be that many of the Millennial generation consists of road rage drivers. This may be because this generation was taught to inhibit those behaviors while they drive. Children learn by example, so parents who expressed road rage taught their children to believe it is okay to act on their emotions while driving. This learn habit problem has caused many young drivers to exhibit road rage while driving.
How do you know if you have dealt with a road rage driver?
To clarify, there is a difference between an aggressive driver versus road rage. Aggressive driving consists of traffic offenses, such as:
1. Tailgating the car in front of you
2. Not using signal lights to notify the driver behind you
3. Cutting off another driver
4. Yelling or using hand motions to express frustration
Road rage is viewed as a criminal offense because those actions are considered serious crimes. Some of these offenses consist of threatening another driver with a weapon, continuously honking the horn at the driver in front, or flashing headlights at the driver for driving too slowly. These are just a few examples of what road rage is, but other actions can fall within this category.
Whether you have experienced road rage or heard of stories, one would note that having a temper while driving can lead to unfortunate events. According to the American Automobile Association, they have concluded over 12,000 injuries were caused by road rage within a 7-year time frame.
How do we fix this problem?
There are several ways to address this problem, such as:
1. Find a positive outlet to release intense emotions. One can play enjoyable music in the car or change the route, if permissible.
2. Ignore the road rage driver. If the person is expressing their emotions by yelling or using hand motions, direct your attention to the road and not the driver. Another way to ignore the situation is to let the road raged driver pass by.
3. Do not leave your vehicle to confront another driver who has been driving aggressively. This reaction can lead to a confrontation that could cause further criminal offenses.
4. Limit the horn honking. Excessive use of horn honking can increase the other driver’s emotions and might cause them to drive even more dangerously.
Unfortunately, statistics and advice about how to reduce road rage do not stop drivers from reacting irrationally. The fact remains true that road rage can contribute to auto accidents. Eric Reyes and his litigation team have handled many cases with distracted drivers; thus, he is knowledgeable on how to pursue a client’s case. Eric Reyes is Board Certified attorney in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil law, so his experience with auto accident claims and litigation can help you determine the value of your case. For further information or how to set up a free consultation, you can call his office at (817) 332-1522.