Baltimore Car Accident Lawyers: The Rise of Road Rage

It is hard to contain certain emotions when a driver does something egregious such as running a red light or cutting someone off at a stop. Reactionary behavior that stems from the irresponsible actions of another driver is known as road rage. Maryland car accident lawyers report that almost all drivers experience road rage at some point in their lives. In fact, close to 80 percent of drivers in the United States have expressed anger, aggression, or rage at least once over the past year.

Examples of road rage include purposefully tailgating, yelling at another driver, making angry gestures, and aggressively honking the horn. Extreme road rage can escalate to the driver getting out of the car to confront the other driver or intentionally hitting another vehicle. Alarmingly, approximately eight million drivers engage in extreme road rage behaviors.

The American Automobile Associate (AAA) surveyed over 2,700 licensed drivers who had driven in the past month. According to the survey, men are three times more likely to exhibit certain types of extreme road rage than women. The survey also found that drivers living in the Northeast are more likely to honk, yell, and gesture angrily than residents of other parts of the country. However, the Auto Insurance Center conducted a study that analyzed Instagram posts. The results indicated that Los Angeles had the most posts with the hashtag #RoadRage, while New York City came in second.

How to Prevent Road Rage

 Here are a few simple tips to help prevent road rage and the risk of injury:

• Do not instigate or offend. Never force another driver to use their brakes, or steer away from you because of something you have done.
• Be tolerant. Do not take other people’s actions personally. Everyone has bad days. Do not make the situation worse.
• Do not respond. Do not make eye contact with a driver who is showing signs of road rage. Do not engage in conversation or make gestures. If the situation becomes worse, call 9-1-1.

Maryland Car Accident Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Represent Victims of Road Rage

 If you have been seriously injured in a car accident involving road rage, it can be a frightening experience. Maryland car accident lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton have the dedication and knowledge needed to secure the financial compensation you and your family deserve. Protecting your rights is our top priority and we will not stop fighting on your behalf until the negligent parties are held accountable for their actions. For a free consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.

Our offices are located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, allowing us to represent car accident victims and their families throughout Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Parkville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.