|
Home Search |
Published on Wednesday, February 25, 2004
in the Lake City Reporter
Aggressive driving and road rage are increasing problems in American society - deadly ones.
In 1997, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released the results of a road rage incident study in which it identified 10,037 incidents between Jan. 1, 1990, and the end of August 1996. Reports of road rage incidents rose steadily through the 1990s at about seven percent each year.
Aggressive driving and road rage are ones that go hand-in-hand, said Lt. Mike Burroughs of the Florida Highway Patrol. Raging drivers will show their aggression on the road. Likewise, other drivers are often irritated by those driving aggressively.
Incidents of aggressive driving and road rage have increased throughout the state, he said. With Interstates 10 and 75 intersecting in Columbia County, the problem is hitting home.
"We're at the crossroads of Florida. People from all over the state, and in some cases, the nation, are coming here and bringing their driving habits with them," Burroughs said.
As a result, the FHP is launching "Operation Safe Ride" on Thursday and Friday. During this statewide initiative, all available law enforcement personnel - including most supervisors normally assigned to non-patrol duties - are expected to be on the road or in the air.
The focus will be interstate highways and other major roadways unless a district supervisor believes special circumstances exist in other problem areas.
The FHP, Burroughs said, will be on the lookout for the most typical aggressive driving patterns such as speeding more than 100 mph, erratic lane changing and tailgating. The FHP has undertaken aggressive driving campaigns in the past, but not one on statewide.
Although most local aggressive driving and road rage incidents happen on the interstate highways, one incident on State Road 47 was rather troubling, Burroughs said.
A call to the Lake City FHP station was transferred to him from a man who claimed he was cut off by a group of teenagers. The man was saying he had a gun and was threatening to kill the teens, Burroughs said.
If aggressive drivers prove to be a serious danger to others, they may be charged with criminal reckless driving - and taken to jail, Burroughs said. In other cases, drivers will be cited for each moving violation, and troopers will indicate they were driving aggressively. This violation will be shown to any court judge or drivers' auto insurance companies.
When other motorists encounter an aggressive driver, Burroughs encouraged them to contact the FHP, particularly by calling *FHP on cell phones. The nearest trooper will then be dispatched. Until that trooper can arrive, he encouraged the reporting motorist to try to move to another lane, or if on a two-lane road, gently apply brakes so the aggressive driver may pass. No citizens should try to stop aggressive drivers by themselves.
Capt. Wallace Kitchings of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office said it has conducted aggressive driving operations in the county - most of them in residential areas and subdivisions. The most common complaint from residents is excessive speed.
Aggressive driving and road rage are problems that not only affect highway safety, but also auto insurance rates. Tom Hagerty, a public affairs specialist for State Farm, said if the problem is rising, the amount of insurance claims is as well. Subsequently, this will have an affect on what people pay for insurance.
Dr. Jack Brigham, professor of social psychology at Florida State University, said road rage may be the result of a process known as deindividualization. When a person's rage begins to boil, other motorists are not considered individuals.
These people are not friends, family or business associates; therefore, the raging driver feels less accountable for his/her actions and becomes less attentive of socially accepted behavioral patterns.
"They think they'll never see that person again, so they don't have to think about the consequences," he said.
When encountering an aggressive driver, Brigham advised motorists to try not to react outwardly by honking the horn or making obscene gestures.
"It's not worth the potential conflict to vent out your frustrations," he said.