Is There a Link Between Road Rage and Car Accidents? 10 Signs of Road Rage

Living in or around a major city like Los Angeles that has millions of drivers on the road, you’ve probably experienced hostile driving from others, commonly known as road rage. 

The National Safety Council defines road rage as “aggressive, sometimes violent, behavior by drivers usually stemming from stress related to driving or non-driving factors”. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists some common signs of road rage, including:

• Speeding
• Tailgating
• Improper or unpredictable lane changing 
• Illegal driving or passing in prohibited areas 
• Failure to yield right of way 
• Failure to obey traffic signs or other forms of traffic control
• Failure to observe traffic laws in safety areas, such as a construction zone
• Failure to use a turn signal 
• Driving too fast for conditions, such as inclement weather
• Racing with other vehicles
• Making improper turns

While there are statistics documenting the number of accidents due to aggressive driving and road rage signs, it’s harder to determine if these accident stats were a direct result of road rage.

For example, we know that studies show 94 percent of car crashes are a result of driver issues.  Only six percent are from vehicle, environment, or other critical reasons.

Other statistics show that speeding too fast or other forms of reckless driving contributed to over 25 percent of fatal crashes.

So, even though there isn’t a direct correlation between these statistics to prove road rage was the cause, there is a link between the behaviors exhibited by these drivers and road rage. 

Failure to yield right of way, a common indicator of road rage, accounted for 6.7 percent of car crash fatalities. Again, while we can’t necessarily show that each driver causing these accidents had road rage, we do know this is a trait associated with many road rage incidents. 

Not only can you be a victim of road rage, but you might be the instigator, too. It’s not uncommon for drivers to feel angst, anxiety, or anger due to miscellaneous, and sometimes uncontrollable, matters on the road.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles compiled a list for drivers to avoid road rage (section 2.10), including:

• Allow for plenty of time to reach your destination – speeding is one of the major causes of accidents, and a top sign of road rage. Studies show that increased speeds lead to a higher rate of crashes.
• Do not “cut off” other drivers – it’s not uncommon to speed forward and quickly drive in front of another car if you are about to miss your exit. This action often infuriates drivers, and could make them angry at you.
• Do not drive slowly in the left lane – the left lane is often used for faster drivers. Going below the speed limit in the left lane can lead to frustrated drivers behind you.

• Do not tailgate – driving extremely close to the back end of a car, or “tailgating”, is frustrating. Many drivers will brake check the vehicle behind them.  However, this can lead to an accident, or irk the driver behind you.
• Do not gesture to other drivers – many drivers will literally take matters into their own hands, using obscene gestures towards someone who wronged them on the road. As tempting as it may be, this is one of the more dangerous indicators of road rage. 
• Use your horn for emergencies only – a car horn can be of great benefit, helping you prevent others from hitting you. However, using a horn for other actions can only aggravate other drivers.
• Let aggressive drivers pass you – if you find yourself experiencing road rage from another driver, it’s best just not to engage. This can help keep you safe.

If you were involved in an accident stemming from road rage, get in touch with our Los Angeles car accident lawyers. 

Frequent injuries associated with car accidents include:

• Pinched nerves in your back or neck
• Broken bones or torn ligaments
• Serious head injuries
• Fractures, sprains and strains
• Other back or neck injuries
• Deep cuts and lacerations that result in scarring or disfigurement
• Damage to interior organs vital to life
• Severe internal injuries that result in hemorrhaging 
• Paralysis
• Wrongful death

An accident can lead to not only physical injuries, but road rage can be mentally tolling on a victim as well.  

If you were hit by an aggressive driver, don’t deal with ramifications of their road rage alone. 

At C&B Law Group, our LA attorneys are prepared to help you recover damages resulting from an accident.  

Speak with our team of car accident attorneys today about your free consultation.