The roadways of New Jersey and throughout the nation remain hazardous places. Now, in addition to worries about careless and aggressive drivers, people must prepare for the possibility of meeting up with someone experiencing road rage.
Multiple factors can lead to a road rage event that could result in serious personal injury and even death.
Road rage incident
An NBC New York news station reported on the details of a road rage incident where a man ran down a woman after a minor accident. The incident began on a one-way street in Salem when a man backed into a woman’s car at the intersection.
The crash provoked the man to follow the woman as she drove away. The incident culminated on a residential street in Elizabeth with the 56-year-old man repeatedly running over the 23-year-old woman. Witnesses said he ran over the woman three times.
An ambulance took the woman to a nearby hospital, where medical personnel treated her for critical injuries. Authorities later found the man and charged him with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges.
Road rage identification
The website Octo provides a clear difference between aggressive driving and road rage. While both involve deliberate unsafe behaviors, individuals in the grip of road rage pose an immediate threat to others. Not only will these drivers yell and perform rude gestures, but they also engage in willful property destruction.
They will go as far as slamming or sideswiping another vehicle. In the above case, road rage can lead to physical encounters that threaten a victim’s life. New Jersey has many laws on the books to prevent or punish road rage.