Driving on high-traffic roads with frequent delays, inconvenient roadwork projects, and aggressive drivers can be frustrating. No one likes getting cut off in traffic or finding themselves trapped behind a slow driver in the passing lane, but when typical exasperation causes a driver’s annoyance to surge into rage, the results can be disastrous, not only for them but for others on the road.
Road rage is on the rise, with 96% of survey respondents reporting witnessing at least one act of road rage in the past six months. Unfortunately, with the increased reports of road rage comes a parallel escalation in related accidents, including road rage accidents in Washington. Always remember that our Arlington car accident attorneys are here to help you.
What Is Road Rage?
The American Automobile Association (AAA) describes aggressive driving as “unsafe driving behaviors performed deliberately, and with ill-intention or disregard for safety.” The AAA study goes on to describe the escalation of aggressive driving into road rage when it includes violent criminal actions intended to cause harm. An alarming 116 people were killed in road rage incidents between January and October of 2024. Over a seven-year study period, 12,610 car accident injuries and 218 murders resulted from road rage.
Road rage usually occurs because a driver perceives another driver’s behavior as wrongful, such as when a driver cuts them off in traffic or drives too slowly in the passing lane, triggering irrational anger and revenge behaviors.
Recognizing Road Rage Behaviors
Aggressive drivers may tailgate, make erratic lane changes, pass others in the emergency lane, and run through red lights; however, a driver with road rage goes beyond these types of dangerous driving behaviors to intentionally harass another driver. Typically, road rage begins when an angry driver targets another driver whom they believe has committed a traffic infraction or a driving behavior that has caused the angry driver inconvenience or nearly caused an accident. Signs that a driver’s aggression has escalated into road rage include the following behaviors:
- Repeated horn-honking and/or flashing headlights
- Chasing
- Aggressively tailgating
- Brake-checking (cutting in front of the target vehicle and repeatedly hitting the brakes)
- Yelling, swearing, and making angry gestures
- Running the target vehicle off the road
- Throwing objects from their vehicle to the target of their road rage
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Ramming or intentionally sideswiping the other vehicle
- Illegally passing
- Braking directly in front of another driver so they’re forced to stop and then exiting their vehicle to threaten, pound windows, or harass the other driver
When a driver with road rage exits their vehicle and approaches the target of their rage, it’s an emergency situation that could indicate an impending assault or gun violence. A motorist targeted by a driver with road rage should always remain inside their vehicle and try to drive away from the scene.
Reporting a Driver With Road Rage In Washington
Washington State Patrol recommends calling 911 to report an incident in progress whenever an aggressive driver commits two or more traffic violations that endanger others or if they’ve been targeted by a driver with road rage who is engaging in any of the above threatening or dangerous behaviors. When reporting road rage, it’s important to provide the dispatcher with the following information:
- Your location or the location where you last saw the driver and their travel direction
- The angry driver’s license plate number, if you have it
- A description of the vehicle and driver
The 911 operator may ask for additional details, such as whether any physical assault occurred or if weapons were involved.
What Types of Accidents Are Caused By Road Rage?
Some road rage incidents result in intentional violent assault or murder, but far more end in car accidents. Common types of car accidents caused by road rage include the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Roadway departures (from an angry driver intentionally running another vehicle off the road)
- Intentional collisions (ramming)
- Sideswipes
- Head-on collisions when a road rage driver rams a car into oncoming traffic
- T-bone accidents in intersections
- Rollovers from high-speed chases
A driver whose road rage behaviors cause an accident either intentionally or due to their reckless disregard for the safety of others is not only liable for car accident damages, but may also face criminal charges.
How Can a Washington Car Accident Lawyer From Wells Trumbull Help?
If you or a close family member were injured as the target of another driver’s road rage, you deserve serious legal representation by a Washington car accident attorney who gets favorable results for their clients. Contact Wells Trumbull to speak with an experienced Arlington personal injury lawyer who will seek the maximum compensation available to you, ensuring you have the financial accountability and justice you deserve.