About That Thing Called "Road-Rage"

Utah Code 41-6-45; Aggressive/Reckless Driving, a Class-B Misdemeanor.

"Road Rage", you hear the term often in the news. Almost like the apologetic talking heads are blaming the vicious, dangerous acts of perpetrators on "The Road" itself. Similar, probably, to blaming "The Weather" for people who drive too fast for the existing conditions and loose control of their vehicles. Perhaps you have even experienced "Road Rage" from the receiving or giving end. So what the devil is it, and how can it be prevented, or perhaps minimized if you get tangled up with it?

Road rage usually starts when driver number-one believes driver number-two has done something that constitutes some unknown insult, such as not driving as fast as number-one thinks they should. On the other hand, sometimes driver number one actually does something dangerous, like cutting-in, and driver number two thinks it is his place to punish the offending driver.

If you get irritated when a driver in front of you takes what you consider "too long" to make a turn into a driveway or parking lot, consider this: Many elderly folks, including your grandmother, have very painful back problems. If they go bouncing off the roadway, so you can keep on accellerating, the whip motion of their vehicle suspension will cause grandmother great pain, possibly even damaging her spine further. Be decent; slow down, stop for them if you have to. And be glad you don't have back problems, ...yet.

The best way to avoid getting tangled in a road-rage incident is to neither be driver number one or driver number two. Take care with your driving, follow the traffic rules and laws you had to prove you knew before we gave you a driver's license. If someone comes up behind you and tailgates you, try to move over as soon as safe. If someone is not driving as fast as you think the speed limit allows, don't tailgate them, or "push" them until they frantically move out of your way.

Many commuters have told us that listening to the rush-hour news actually winds them up tight with the constant pounding background music, the never-ending bad news and the machine-gun style talking heads. Several have told us that one of our most famous radio stations is the worst offender in dishing out this wound-up, keyed-up, listening environment during the rush hour.

Many of these same commuters said they have quit listening to the rush hour news, listening instead to audio-taped stories. It seems to help them ignore the "ignorant drivers", relax and just go with the flow. Some say they get so interested in their stories they really don't care how slow the traffic goes. Most say they get their audio-tapes and CDRom stories from their public library. Sounds like a good idea to us. We have used audio tapes and CDRom's on long trips and it seems to make the miles go much easier. We used to get ours at Flying-J, because they could be traded in at the next Flying-J and therefore keep the whole trip entertained.

Let's all be polite, be ladies and gentlemen, when we're behind the wheel and on public roadways. If you would not want your most polite friend, your pastor, priest or bishop to know you're actually a jerk, then don't be one in public.

And, if you did not understand that explanation, then how about this one?

Further explanation in plain language.

In the first place this generic term "Road Rage", applied to someone practicing it, is nothing but an apologetic synonym for the generally more understandable term of "Ignorant Jerk", or other terms you might have heard before. Most cops really enjoy busting ignorant jerks, so if you want the full felony treatment first hand and personal just go ahead and let one observe you messing around with another driver on the highways.

Why do cops use felony tactics on practitioners of road-rage? Because, quite simply, a very high percentage of those perps are actually criminal, antisocial types who just happen to be behind the steering wheel at that time. They often have prior histories of serious antisocial behavior in many other violent ways besides their dangerous, aggressive, driving habits. That's why cops take them down felony-style with their road-rage noses on the highway, full custody arrest, stainless bracelets, straight to jail, and have their vehicles towed at the owner's expense. Cops are really, actually, concerned with aggressive drivers who practice their particular style of attacking other people and endangering other peoples' safety or lives.

And O.T.R. drivers practicing attack tactics? You should hear the owners when their rigs have been towed and their driver is in the slammer. One large trucking company had a driver arrested and their rig towed from a road-rage incident. The company owner showed up at the jail, 250 miles from home late at night, after being advised by the trooper of the incident. The arrested driver, confident that company money and reputation would spring him forthwith, greeted the owner and announced that he could "beat the rap". The owner, a singularly wealthy and famous person, replied; "Well, I really don't care about that, Johnny-boy, I just came down here to personally tell you you're fired!". "Johnny-boy" collapsed white-faced onto the cell bunk like he had been hit with a freight-train. The owner then asked the Trooper what the situation had been, and thanked him for preventing a possible multi-million dollar loss for his company. His insurance deductible, he said, was five-hundred thousand dollars. He could not afford anyone working for him who might drive his company into a five-hundred thousand dollar loss.

Another Trooper took down a commercial bus after observing the driver tailgating the car in front into a faster pace, or off the roadway. The bus passengers all came out to thank the Trooper for stopping what had been their nightmare ride. The driver was taken away in cuffs, the bus was parked and the bus company sent up another driver to continue the passenger's trip.

There is an old saying in cop circles; "Take care of the warnings and the arrests will take care of themselves". That is because people who drive just over the edge of legal often have other problems such as outstanding criminal warrants or present criminal activity such as being car-thieves, drug runners or impaired in some way. On the next level of that warning theory, being able to grab someone who is attacking another driver often serves up at least one decent felony arrest for something besides the "Road Rage".

Even though cops in general and Troopers in particular do not like road-rage practitioners, it would not be fair failing to mention that, on the other hand, many attorneys really love road-rage types. That's mainly because the defense fees for road-rage are astronomical and the payment is up front, win, loose or draw. So if you want to spend a lot of money on defense lawyers, and you really sincerely want to start your day face-down on the highway in whatever type of weather might be present at the time, just go ahead and screw around with other drivers. But first say some kind of little prayer to whatever god your road-rage brain happens to believe in, and then hope to the very devil himself that nobody around you has a cellphone, a digicam, or is a cop of some kind driving an unmarked car with a police radio. And, incidentally, no, you cannot see some of our police radio antenna nor identify all our unmarked vehicles.

Although we endeavor to provide accurate, timely, useful information, such information and the opinions expressed here may not represent current Utah Highway Patrol or State of Utah policy or procedure.

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