Road rage incidents are becoming increasingly common in this day and age. What happens when road rage escalates into a dangerous situation resulting in an accident? We dive into this complex issue and explore the legal options available for victims of road rage accidents.
What Is Road Rage?
What first comes to mind when you think of road rage may be the anger that someone displays behind the wheel. However, it is more than this. Road rage is a dangerous behavior that can lead to accidents, injuries, and in some cases, fatal car accidents.
Road rage involves aggressive driving behavior such as tailgating, excessive speeding, unpredictable lane changes, hostile gestures, or verbal abuse towards other drivers. This is behavior that puts everyone on the road in danger.
Safe Driving Tips to Avoid Road Rage Accidents
While you can’t control the actions of other drivers on the road, there are steps that you can keep in mind to minimize your risk and the risk of loved ones riding with you when you encounter road range incidents.
- Stay Calm: Don’t let the actions of other drivers negatively affect your own driving and focus. Maintaining a calm demeanor behind the wheel is important when faced with drivers with road rage.
- Practice Defensive Driving: If you notice aggressive drivers on the road, be proactive about your own driving. For example, try anticipating potential hazards and maintain a safe distance from the other driver.
- Avoid Engaging the Other Driver: Do not engage in confrontational behavior with the other driver. While it may be frustrating to have to share the road with drivers with road rage, it’s important to refrain from making gestures, honking excessively, or engaging with the erratic driver.
- Report Dangerous Behavior: Should you report road rage? If you notice dangerous driving behaviors, don’t be afraid to report it to the authorities. Do not confront the driver yourself. If it is safe to do so, you can call us or the police and provide a description of the driver and where they were located. You may be able to protect someone else from road rage by doing so.
It’s important to practice safety and maintain a level-head when dealing with a driver with road rage. Keeping these tips in mind can help reduce the likelihood of being involved in a road rage-related accident.
What Are My Options After a Road Rage Accident?
If you’ve been involved in a road rage accident, be sure to prioritize your safety first before moving on to collecting information and getting to contact with resources that can help you in the aftermath of the accident.
In many scenarios, law enforcement officers actually consider road rage to be a form of assault and battery, which can be cited in a personal injury claim in the event of a car accident caused by road rage.
In many instances, aggressive drivers know that they are in the wrong and may not stick around after someone off the road. For this reason. many incidents of road rage constitute hit and run accidents. Anyone who is the victim of a hit and run accident should notify the police at once. With some luck, a description of the vehicle, and noting where the driver headed after the road rage incident, police may be able to identify the driver and make an arrest.
If the aggressive motorist is never located, a victim of road rage still has an opportunity to seek compensation. Insurance companies should view hit and run accidents, even those involving road rage, as an accident with an uninsured motorist. Since the driver is not to be found, it may as well be the same thing as knowing who the driver is but finding out they have no insurance whatsoever. A victim of road rage may be able to collect insurance coverage if he or she has uninsured motorist (UM) coverage as part of their car insurance policy. If the insurer does not want to pay out any coverage, the matter might require the intervention of a car accident lawyer to resolve.
In cases where a driver is identified, punitive damages should be considered. Citing punitive damages essentially asks the court to reward the plaintiff further to penalize the criminal behavior of the defendant; in the case of road rage, this is assault and battery, or vehicular manslaughter if someone loses their life due to aggressive driving. The criminal case will be separate from the civil dispute, but testimonies within the criminal case could potentially be used as evidence for the injury claim.
Our Car Accident Lawyers Will Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
Victims of road rage can turn to a personal injury attorney for help with filing a claim and getting all possible damages covered such as medical expenses, lost wages, or property damage. Our team at DiPasquale Moore understands the complexities of road rage-related accidents and the impact they can have on victims and their families. We will stand by your side every step of the way and fight tirelessly on your behalf to secure the compensation you deserve.
Don’t let a road rage accident derail your life. Contact us today for a free initial consultation and take the first step towards getting your life back on track.