It's not happening just in the movies anymore. An angry driver getting mad at another driver for taking his parking spot or sitting too long at a stop light and getting so mad that he hits the other car with his car. Well, road rage like this is not happening in the movies only anymore. It is becoming more real and more common.
It seems people are angrier at the wheel these days. We see it everywhere, on the streets and even in print. Lately there have been constant articles by bicyclists angry at drivers for bad driving and drivers mad at bikers for invasive biking. Cars are antsy at stoplights, especially now that speed cameras are up and people may hesitate to go too fast. We have even recently heard all over the news about a motorcycle group physically harming a SUV driver by taking him out of his car and beating him after he ran into a different biker on the road while allegedly racing away from bikers who surrounded and damaged his car. It was a cycle of road rage that exemplifies how reckless vehicles and drivers can be these days.
Also more common these days are cameras, and incidents like the motorcycle-SUV attack described are being caught on camera. The days of a true hit and run are over. And with this comes even more traffic citations and criminal prosecutions. These cases, even small ones, are not going unnoticed. The videos are being used by the prosecution in prosecuting individuals for these reckless driving and physical altercation attacks. Similarly the defense is trying to use them to help defend their clients.
What all this reminds us of is that the roads are dangerous. It is real people behind the wheels, with real emotions and agendas. We need to be aware of the rules of the road, of our surroundings and more importantly, our emotions, while we are driving and be sure to drive safely.