Road rage or aggressive driving is identified as behavior behind the wheel in which infuriated drivers loose their temper and engage in risk-taking conduct or attempt to injure or kill another driver or pedestrian over minor traffic disputes. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that there is no specific profile of an aggressive driver. Many have histories of violence, criminal records or have experienced emotional setbacks. However, the fast growing number of incidents on our roadways are credited to people like you and me, ordinary men and women with no prior problems.
All of us, at one time or another had experienced aggressive driving behavior. Perhaps some of us were the aggressive driver. According to a June 2nd Newsweek1 article, Tracie Alfieri became infuriated by the manner in which Rene Andrews swerved into her lane. Alfieri tried to pass Andrews in the right lane, afterwards cut in front of the vehicle and slammed on the brakes causing Andrews to veer into a stopped tractor.
Road Rage (album)
Road Rage (novel)
Roadrage 2003As a result of the collision, Andrews lost her six-month old unborn child. Traci Alfieri was convicted of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to eighteen months in prison, a small price to pay for taking a life of an unborn child.
The most commonly cited incident of road rage, which ended in three deaths, is found in the Readers Digest2. Narkey Terry and Billy Canipe became involved in a game of cat and mouse because Canipe was moving too slowly in the left lane. The chase continued at eighty miles per hour for seven miles in morning rush hour, Washington DC traffic until, with incredible force, Terry crashed into Canipe sending fractions of the vehicle flying everywhere. Canipe spun out of control into an on-coming traffic lane, killing the driver of an approaching car; Canipe...