September 25, 2025
Driving is dangerous in part because people never know what others might do in traffic. Another driver might swerve over the center line to avoid a squirrel or fail to stop at an intersection due to digital distraction.
Emotional reactions to traffic conditions can also lead to unpredictable and unsafe situations. Road rage occurs when a driver loses their cool. They may become enraged at someone driving under the speed limit or seek to lash out at someone who cuts them off in traffic.
Road rage drivers are highly volatile and are often a threat to everyone near them, not just the person they target. How can motorists protect themselves when someone else succumbs to road rage?
Give Agitated Drivers More Space
Road rage drivers frequently overreact to perceived slights by others in traffic. They might cut another driver off and then slam on their brakes. They might intentionally cross the line into another lane to intimidate another motorist.
They may even scream at people and follow them to their destination to escalate a verbal confrontation into a physical one. Motorists generally want to give road rage drivers as much space as possible. The party targeted by the road rage driver may want to exit the highway or turn off onto another street if possible. Anyone nearby may also want to slow down, switch lanes or reroute.
Avoid Engaging With The Motorist
A person having an irrationally angry reaction to traffic might view even benign conduct as inflammatory. Regardless of what they scream or what gestures they make, others in traffic generally benefit from ignoring them.
Choosing not to respond by making angry gestures or yelling back can prevent the situation from escalating. Unfortunately, even when people are calm and reasonable in traffic, road rage drivers may target them. Other times, they can cause collisions through their erratic and unpredictable conduct. Those injured by a road rage car crash may have grounds to hold the at-fault driver accountable.
Documenting what occurred prior to a car crash and advising law enforcement professionals about what happened can help protect those affected by road rage. Those seeking to hold road rage drivers accountable may need help reviewing insurance coverage, initiating claims or preparing for civil litigation.









