Road Rage on the rise?

On the morning of March 7^th, a 34-year-old Edmonton woman was beaten with a crowbar, in what was described as a violent road-rage incident.  After honking at a stopped car on her way home, the woman was followed home by the driver of the vehicle, who then got out of his vehicle and began to swing at her with a crowbar.  It is believed that the woman tried to protect her head and suffered two broken arms as a result of the attack.  Police have issued a description of the man and his vehicle, and it is hoped that dash-camera images will help in tracking him down.  As anyone can imagine, this was a shocking and devastating incident for the woman, her family and others in the community.

This vicious attack follows another similar incident in Calgary, just three months ago, where two young men smashed the windows of a driver’s car and then pulled out the woman and began to beat her with a hockey stick.  The driver was a 28-year-old mother and her child was a passenger in the minivan at the time of the assault.  The attack occurred after the attackers’ BMW attempted to pass the woman’s minivan, then tailgated and tried to ram her vehicle from behind.   The BMW followed the woman to a sports complex, where they boxed in her vehicle and challenged her to fight them. Calgary police referred to the incident as a deplorable and cowardly act of road rage.

A 2016 report based on a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study, stated that almost 80 percent of drivers in the U.S. expressed significant aggression, anger or road rage while they were driving, at least once during the past year.  Even more disturbing is the fact that about 8 million drivers in the U.S. were engaged in extreme incidents of road rage, such as intentionally ramming another vehicle or getting out of their vehicle to challenge another driver.

The report suggests that inconsiderate driving, heavy traffic and daily life stresses can change fairly minor frustrations into dangerous feelings of road rage. The vast majority of drivers in the U.S. study stated that road rage is increasingly a threat to personal safety.

The kinds of actions that are most commonly associated with road rage are:

• intentional tailgating (reported by about 50% of drivers within the year prior to the study).
• Yelling at the other driver (47%)
• Attempting to block another vehicle from changing lanes (24%)
• Honking when angry or annoyed (45%)
• Angry gestures to another driver (33%)
• Intentionally cutting off another vehicle (12%)
• Getting out to confront another driver (4%)
• Purposefully bumping another vehicle (3%)

The AAA study further reported that young drivers and male drivers were far more likely to engage in road rage or aggressive driving behaviours. 

When driving, particularly in bad traffic, courtesy is all too often abandoned by many drivers, who forget that every driver shares the same interest in completing their commute as quickly and safely as possible.  In order to discourage and minimize incidents of road rage, consider the following suggestions

• Avoid offending other drivers, by taking actions that force others to change lanes or brake suddenly.
• Be tolerant of other drivers.  Consider that they may simply be having a bad day.
• Don’t respond to aggressive or angry behaviours. Avoid making gestures or eye contact.
• If you feel endangered by another driver or believe you are being followed by an angry driver, call 9-1-1 or drive directly to a police station.

If you are injured while driving, as a result of a road rage incident, you may be eligible for injury compensation.  In Amos v. Insurance Corp of British Columbia (1995), the Supreme Court of Canada held that a Vancouver resident who was shot by gang members was eligible for statutory accident benefits.  This incident happened while the man was driving his car in a California community; he stopped at an intersection and his car was surrounded by six men who tried to get into the vehicle.  Fortunately, he locked his doors and was able to drive away, but was shot in the process.  The Court found that the man was entitled to insurance coverage because the shooting arose while the man was operating his vehicle.

If you or a loved one were hurt in a motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent person and you wish to claim compensation, call a knowledgeable car accident lawyer in the Injury Lawyers of Ontario group, and let us help you get the compensation you deserve.