Road Rage: What is It and Why does it occur?
It occurs quickly and cannot be prevented.
Road rage is aggressive or violent behavior by a driver toward others on the road. Road rage goes beyond normal frustration, typically involves yelling, honking excessively, driving erratically and at its worse can involve physical confrontation,
Causes involve loss of emotional control, breakdown in self-regulation, stress, anonymity in cars (drivers feeling safe to act out their frustrations from inside of vehicle) vehicle traffic and a low tolerance for frustration.
How to Not become a victim of road rage. There are several things that can prevent a driver from becoming a victim of road rage. Always be alert when driving. When confronted with road rage, never respond to aggression with aggression. Stay calm and never make eye contact. Exit safely and as soon as possible. Never try to hold you ground, in cases such as road rage it is better to vacate a lane, or slow down allowing the aggressor to pass by putting distance between you and the aggressor. Remember distance reduces the chance of confrontation. Never flick bright lights or braking deliberately. Avoiding road rage isn't just about remaining calm, it's about reducing risk, avoiding escalation, and protecting yourself and those inside your vehicle. The Fort Worth Police Department encourages drivers to utilize dash cameras. Dash cameras provide useful information by documenting events as they actually happen and ca capture license plates and vehicle details. When selecting a dash camera choose one with high resolution (at least 1080 p or 4K). Make sure dash camera records front and rear views and provides GPS and timestamp.
To report road rage remember
Call 911 when occurring
someone is threatening you
brandishes a weapon
you are being followed.
After the incident call the Non-Emergency # (817) 392-4222 or use the Traffic Hotline (817) 392-4850. Be prepared to provide description of vehicle(s), license plate numbers, location/time. If dash camera available be ready to show video.
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