Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
It’s a quick way to land behind bars — road rage. Each and every day, more and more drivers are letting their emotions get the best of them behind the wheel and they’re endangering innocent motorists because of it.
Officials estimate that about 90 percent of drivers have at one point witnessed another driver engaging in road rage or they’ve actually been the victim of road rage themselves in the last year. In the ’90s, there were nearly 220 people who were killed and another 12,000 people who were injured because of the actions of enraged drivers, according to US News.
In some of these cases, firearms were pulled. And the reason behind the anger is often trivial, like an altercation over a parking spot or over a horn being honked or even from the frustration of a driver going “too slow.”
Our Broward County personal injury lawyers understand that drivers don’t always keep their calm behind the wheel. Everyone’s got somewhere to be and they’re running on a tight schedule.
Unfortunately, drivers forget to recognize that we’re all in this together and teamwork behind the wheel is the only way for all of us to get their safely. While road rage might be the extreme end of the spectrum, we do have a problem with aggressive driving on our roadways. It’s these habits that can quickly turn to road rage. These behaviors include behaviors that are deliberately unsafe and threatening, including illegally passing other drivers, sending rude hand gestures, tailgating, yelling at other travelers, changing lanes erratically or any other unsafe or illegal maneuvers behind the wheel. It’s these behaviors that can quickly turn into physical assault and other types of violence.
“Road rage is driving under the influence of impaired emotions,” says Leon James, professor of traffic psychology at the University of Hawaii.
Road rage isn’t discriminatory either. It can happen to anyone! Males, females, parents, teens and even the elderly are susceptible to road rage. Certainly any of could be a victim. For some drivers it’s an everyday occurrence. It’s dangerous for obvious reasons and can cause serious damage, including injuries and fatalities. Road rage can be avoided by planning and by taking a deep breath at the wheel! Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to where you need to be, avoid any negative interactions with other drivers and obey all traffic laws.
Even if you make it home alive, road rage is still very unhealthy. According to experts, road rage works to increase your stress hormones and increases your heart rate and your blood pressure. It’s equivalent to suffering from chronic stress and can ultimately lead to a weak immune system, severe headaches and even infertility.
Keep your cool behind the wheel. Keep our roadways safe. Keep your health in check.
If you or a family member has been injured in an accident, contact the injury attorneys of Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC for a free consultation to discuss your case. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Car Accident Risks Reduced with Brain-Conditioning Program, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, September 7, 2012
Florida Raises Awareness of Drowsy Driving Dangers, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, September 4, 2012