Road rage incidents have skyrocketed in New York and across the country, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In fact, fatal car accidents involving aggressive drivers increased from 80 in 2006 to 467 in 2015. In addition, a nonprofit news organization reported that incidents involving drivers threatening other motorists with a gun or firing a gun at them increased from 247 in 2014 to 620 in 2016.
A poll by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that almost 80% of U.S. drivers admit they have engaged in at least one aggressive driving behavior in the last year. For example, 51% of those polled said they have tailgated on purpose, 47% said they have yelled at other motorists, 45% said they have honked their horn in anger and 33% said they have made an obscene gesture at other drivers. The poll also found that some drivers engage in even more aggressive behaviors. For instance, 24% of respondents said they have blocked another car from changing lanes, 12% have purposely cut off another driver, 4% have gotten out of their car to confront another motorist and 3% have purposely rammed another vehicle.
Experts say there are many reasons for these behaviors, including stress, hectic lifestyles, job issues, relationship problems, general anger issues, lack of sleep, and drug use. In order to reduce road rage incidents, traffic safety advocates recommend that drivers pay attention to the road and never escalate any negative encounters with other drivers.
Road rage car accidents can cause serious injuries to innocent occupants of other vehicles. Victims of these crashes might find it helpful to have the assistance of an attorney when seeking compensation for their medical bills and other losses.