What is Road Rage?
Road Rage is driving a vehicle in an aggressive manner that could endanger the safety or property of another driver, motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian.
Some examples of driver behaviors during Road Rage incidents:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Running red lights/ stop signs
- Tailgating/following too closely
- Improper lane changes, passing, or turning
- Illegally driving on the shoulder of the road (emergency lane), in a ditch/median, or on sidewalk
- Operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless, careless, or negligent manner
- Failure to yield right of way
- Failure to obey traffic laws, signs, and devices
- Failure to signal
- Failure to yield to emergency personnel and construction zone speed limits
- Racing
- Cutting off another vehicle/weaving
- Slamming on brakes in front of a tailgater
- Forcing a driver off the road
- Rude hand or facial gestures at other drivers
- Yelling/cursing
- Repeatedly honking the horn
- Repeatedly flashing the headlights
- Throwing objects
- Ramming/sideswiping
The dangers of Road Rage behavior:
- Potential crash involving
- Vehicle damage
- Injuries, potentially life-threatening
- Death – drivers, passengers, others
- Shooting resulting in a crash, injury, or death
If you encounter an angry or aggressive motorist:
- Keep your vehicle doors locked and windows up
- Don’t follow too closely
- Do not underestimate a driver’s potential for aggression
- If you are in the left lane and someone wants to pass, move to your right and allow them to pass
- When merging, make sure you have plenty of room and use your turn signal
- If someone cuts you off, slow down and give them room to merge into your lane
- If a speeding driver is tailgating you, safely change lanes when able
- Making gestures might anger the other driver; create distance and avoid confrontation
- If another driver is acting angry, don’t make eye contact
- Do not chase the aggressive driver. If possible, have a passenger take a video and/or make a note of the vehicle’s description (color, spoiler or other accessories, stickers, license number, damage)
- Motorists who are being followed by an aggressive driver should drive to the nearest police department when possible, or drive to a well-lit, populated area and call 911
Anger management resources:
- Betterhelp.org
- American Psychlogical Association
- Anger Management Workbook
- Centers for Disease Control
- Mayo Clinic
Social Media Toolkit:
Instructions to access and use the Road Rage campaign social media tools.
Step 1: Click on one of the photos below to access the graphic selections for your chosen social media channel. Then select and download creative graphics. After downloading the graphics, download the campaign content document.
Step 2: Copy the text lines you want to use and paste them into your social post.
Step 3: Create a post on your organization's social page populating it with the downloaded toolkit creative and copy.
