Road Rage Crash in Elk Grove
A potential road rage crash occurred near Elk Grove on March 25. It involved three vehicles and was reported to the California Highway Patrol (CHP) by a caller who saw it. The accident happened around 7:00 a.m. along Highway 99 southbound, north of the Calvin Road off-ramp. The CHP said the accident involved a black Mercedes 2-door, Toyota Rav4, and a Chevy. One of the vehicles overturned, and injuries were reported.
Road Rage Report
According to the accident witness, the driver of one of the vehicles was driving recklessly and caused the accident. The collision blocked two to three lanes of traffic. Ambulances arrived at the scene to transport the injured people to the hospital. Highway 99 remained closed in the southbound lanes for about 45 minutes. The CHP is investigating the crash to determine if road rage was the cause.
What Is Road Rage?
Aggressive driving has been around for a long time. Recently, the use of violence, hand signals, and other gestures has grown. It can involve speeding, tailgating, and weaving in and out of traffic. Aggressive driving can also include failing to yield right-of-way. It is involved in 50 percent of all crashes. While aggressive driving is a traffic offense, road rage is more than that. Road rage is a criminal offense. The driver commits violence against another motorist. It involves using the vehicle as a weapon. Sometimes, the road raged driver will have a gun and use it or threaten to.
What Triggers Road Rage?
A road rage crash is not due to a single event. It is at the end of a long series of stressors. These include problems at the office or at home. The stressed individual may be pushed over the edge by the actions of another driver or congested traffic. The best thing you can do is to get out of the angry driver’s way to avoid a road rage crash. Fighting back in any way can lead the road raged driver to become violent.
Do You Have Aggressive Driving Habits?
It is important to determine if you are an aggressive driver. There are signs that you may be. For instance:
- If a car in front of you is driving slowly, do you flash your headlights or honk?
- Obscene gestures are a sign of road rage. Do you use them on the road?
- Do you speed?
- If the yellow light flashes, do you try to speed up to beat it?
Do You Incite an Aggressive Driver?
You may be guilty of inciting road rage in another driver. Some things that can do this are:
- Do you ride with your high beams on, blinding other drivers?
- Are you a distracted driver? Do you use your phone when driving?
- Do you cut other drivers off when switching lanes? A good fix here is to be sure you check your blind spot.
- Do you change lanes without using a turn signal?
How Often Does Road Rage Happen?
Some statistics concerning road rage are:
- 37 percent of road rage crashes involve a firearm or other weapon.
- About 66 percent of accidents are caused by aggressive driving.
- Young males are involved in most road rage crashes.
- 50 percent of drivers who experienced another’s road rage were aggressive themselves.
- About 2 percent of drivers say they would run an aggressive driver off the highway.
What to Do With a Road Rage Driver
Don’t react to their actions. This will make it worse. Avoid eye contact and drive safely. Don’t become angry. Stay to the right, and let them pass you. If they become too aggressive, let someone in the vehicle call the police. Make sure to give the authorities your location.
Watch YouTube Video: What to Do in a Road Rage Situation. ABC News reports on what drivers should do if they are in a road rage situation.
Compensation in a Road Rage Accident
If you were injured by a driver with road rage, an experienced lawyer can help. The lawyer can deal with your insurance company for you. If their top offer is not enough to cover your expenses, that lawyer can build a case to present in civil court. In this way, you can recover damages for your medical bills, lost work time and other expenses. No one should be held financially responsible for someone else’s negligence.
Elk Grove Car Accident Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, an Elk Grove car accident lawyer. If you are in a road rage crash, you need an injury lawyer as your advocate. Call me at (916) 694-0002 in town for my free and friendly advice. Outside the area, call me at (800) 404-5400. You can also reach me online.
I’ve helped Elk Grove residents with wrongful deaths, pedestrian accidents and traumatic injuries for 37 years.
I belong to the Million Dollar Forum, lawyers who have won more than one million dollars for a client. I also belong to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. We are a group of attorneys who practice legal excellence.
Before you retain a lawyer, look at my reviews and how I resolved prior cases on:
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