Road rage has become an escalating crisis on American roads. Recent statistics indicate that road rage incidents, including physical assaults and confrontations involving firearms, have increased over the past few years. Keep reading to learn more about road rage in South Carolina and when to contact a lawyer.
Causes of Road Rage
Drivers experience road rage for various reasons. Road rage behaviors may stem from temporary stressors or a driver’s psychology.
Some of the most frequent causes of road rage include:
- Running late or behind schedule
- Heavy traffic
- Stress in one’s personal or professional life
- Willingness to engage in risk-taking behaviors
- Disregard for the law or societal norms
- High anger or explosive temperament
- Hostile or aggressive thinking, including a desire to exact revenge on other drivers
Examples of Road Rage
Road rage can involve a wide range of aggressive or reckless behaviors.
Common road rage behaviors include:
- Driving excessively fast
- Weaving aggressively between lanes
- Tailgating
- Unnecessary honking
- Cutting off other drivers
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Yelling, swearing, or making rude or threatening gestures at other drivers
- Bumping or ramming another driver’s car
- Brake-checking
- Unsafe or illegal passing, including crossing over a solid line to pass
- Forcing another vehicle to stop
- Blocking another vehicle
- Getting out of the vehicle to physically confront or assault another driver
Gun Violence and Road Rage Incidents
Road rage involving firearms is a growing problem across the United States. A recent report found that acts of gun violence during road rage incidents have nearly doubled in the past five years. There were 141 road rage shooting deaths in the U.S. in one recent year and 413 road rage shooting injuries that same year.
A recent study from Everytown Research & Policy asked drivers whether they had seen or committed various acts of road rage in the past year. Nearly half of all drivers surveyed admitted to seeing or engaging in various road rage behaviors.
In addition, 14 percent of drivers in states that allow motorists to carry firearms in their vehicles without a permit admitted to carrying a loaded weapon with them in their vehicle “at least occasionally.”
South Carolina Road Rage Statistics
The Everytown study indicated that road rage shootings in South Carolina occurred at a rate of 2.97 per one million residents in one recent year. This is on par with other statistical findings, with South Carolina ranking ninth in the country for gun shooting deaths, according to The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
Multiple road rage shootings have been reported statewide in recent months. The police report that the shooting death of a 53-year-old man recently found dead near a gas pump in Columbia was linked to a road rage incident and wreck. According to news reports, a recent shooting on Interstate 85 in Spartanburg occurred after a driver tried and failed to merge into the fast lane.
How to Avoid a Road Rage Accident in South Carolina
The only thing you can control on the road is your own behavior. Here’s what you can do to lessen the chances of causing a road rage accident:
- Obey the rules of the road.
- Do not respond to another driver’s aggression by engaging in the same behavior
- Own your mistakes. If you cut someone off, acknowledge it with a wave or a brief gesture of apology
- Keep your composure. Even if another driver attempts to confront you verbally, do not escalate the situation.
- Call 911 if you believe you are in danger.
How to Handle Other Drivers’ Road Rage
The best way to respond to another motorist’s aggression is to drive defensively. This means:
- Keep your distance. If possible, let the driver pass you. But if the aggressive driver tries any other maneuvers from in front, like braking suddenly for no reason, keeping your distance will give you more time to respond and avoid a collision.
- Do not pull over to engage. Never pull over to confront the other driver. Their intentions are unknown, and doing so can put you in serious danger.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in South Carolina
If you’ve suffered injuries in a South Carolina car accident caused by another driver’s road rage, you deserve to hold that driver accountable for your harm. Contact Stewart Law Offices today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an SC attorney. Our road rage South Carolina personal injury lawyers can evaluate your legal options for pursuing compensation and justice.