What makes me MAD!

------------Road Rage------------


Road rage refers to a behavior that if exhibited by a

driver of an automobile or any type of a motor vehicle

may cause accidents, collisions and even death on roads.

In other words, road rage can de defined as an excessive

case of aggressive driving. Road rage can be manifested

in one of the following cases;

• Shouting verbal abuse, issuing threats or obscenities.

• All types of aggressive driving that include

unexpected braking, unexpected acceleration and

driving very close to another motorist.

• Suddenly cutting off in lane or knowingly preventing

another motorist from merging.

• Excessively flashing lights or sounding the horn

excessively.

• Displaying obscene gestures like the middle finger.

• Knowing causing a collision that involves two or

more vehicles.

• Causing commotions in the road including hitting some-

one else's vehicle with an object.

• Threatening other motorists using a gun or any other

lethal weapon.

• Hurling projectiles from a vehicle in motion with an

aim of causing damage to other vehicles.

Among the total road rage cases that have been reported

in the United States annually, 300 of them have resulted

in severe injuries or even in deaths and these statistics

are expected to increase more with time. There exists a

legal difference between aggressive driving and road rage

depending on the type of jurisdiction in use. In the

United States of America, only a small number of states

have passed special laws to deal with aggressive driving.

In these states, cases related to road rage are

treated as battery or assault and even vehicular

manslaughter especially in cases where a life is lost.

In the United States, road rage is treated as a mental

disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

Mental Disorders. According to a survey that was

conducted on 5,600 adults in the United States between

1997 and 2007, the behaviors that are associated with

roads rage are caused by intermittent explosive disorder.

Up to now, the cause of intermittent explosive disorder

has not been established although there are conflicting

views on whether road rage is a mental condition or not.

Road rage is taken as a very serious act since it’s

viewed as a threat to public safety. However, it’s

usually not easy to judge the aim or intent of the

accused and as a result, road ragers who obey when

stopped by police can be charged with minor offences

like reckless driving. This can also be interpreted to

mean that those who cause serious injuries and death

due to road rage are given severe penalties that those

applicable to the same outcomes from negligence only.

Of the total number of states in the U.S, only 14 have

enacted laws against aggressive driving .only California

has transformed “road rage into a legal term of art

through giving it an exact meaning.