Last month, the Broward Sheriff's Office investigated an absolutely brutal and senseless murder. The victim was a middle-aged woman. The murder weapon was not a gun or a knife. It was a 1999 Dodge minivan. The victim and the van's driver were involved in a traffic accident that escalated to a confrontation, ending with the woman being dragged beneath the vehicle for miles. The incident is an extreme example of a growing problem that threatens everyone traversing in traffic: a phenomenon dubbed road rage.
Road rage is also referred to as aggressive driving. A study commissioned by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety bears out that motorists involved in fender-bender collisions and silly traffic disputes are increasingly being shot, stabbed, beaten and run over for senseless reasons. The study reviewed 10,037 road rage incidents and found that there is not one common profile for the so-called aggressive driver. A majority of the traveling hotheads are males between 18 and 26 years of age, but they can be any age and either gender. Aggressive drivers may be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, white, black, Hispanic or Asian. In many cases, the study found, the aggressive drivers were normal, average men and women with no criminal histories that seemingly snapped and committed incredibly violent acts on or near the highway. In nearly half the cases studied, the aggressor used a firearm, knife, club, fist or other standard weapon in the attack. About a quarter of the time the driver used an even more pow
erful weapon – his or her car. In one especially bizarre episode of violence last December, on U.S. 1 near Fort Pierce, one driver attacked another with a set of deer antlers, and then fired a bullet through the windshield.
The Florida Department of Transportation estimates that aggressive driving causes more than a third of all deaths and serious injuries on Florida roads. In 2005, 1,264 people died in crashes related to aggressive driving and 10,158 were seriously injured.
South Florida has the dubious distinction of being nationally recognized as the leader in road rage. For the second year in a row, a national survey has found Miami to be the least courteous city in the country for drivers. In 2006 and 2007, Miami claimed the top spot in the Driver's Seat Road Rage Survey commissioned by the AutoVantage auto club.
Road rage may be more prevalent in our area, but it's obviously a problem demanding attention from leaders around the world. Just last month, the Vatican issued a document entitled "Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road" including a set of "ten commandments" for drivers. Without calling them commandments, here are some BSO tips to help avoid triggering road rage:
First, be courteous behind the wheel. Recognize that car horns are warning devices; don't honk yours excessively. Don't block the passing lane; slower traffic should stay to the right. Use turn signals at intersections and whenever you change lanes. Don't tailgate. Allow plenty of time for your commute so you don't have to "fight the traffic."
If another driver is deliberately discourteous or carelessly cuts you off, take the high road and don't let rage ruin your day. If you witness dangerously aggressive driving or criminal acts, don't confront the offender yourself. If you or your passenger can safely dial a cell phone, call 911 to report the situation.
To direct your comments and questions to Sheriff Ken Jenne, click here .