Avoiding Road Rage
Road rage is something most people are
guilty of at one time or another. It can be deadly,
and it could land you in jail. It's happening
all over Austin.
Northwest Austin is one of the many places
where drivers have literally crossed the line.
Around Mopac and 183 is one of the major places
where people seem to get reckless in their cars.
There have been 19 road rage incident
reports filed just in the first three weeks of
August.
The honks, the squeals, the bird is all stuff
we've all heard and seen on the road before. Something
about traffic that turns typically normal people
into demons on wheels.
"They feel like they're the only ones on
the road, and they have to be somewhere. It's
not worth it for the two seconds it's inconveniencing
you," driver Nathan Whiteaker said.
Whiteaker just filed a police report for road
rage. He says he was trying to merge from
an access road onto the highway when someone driving
a business van kept pushing him into traffic despite
his repeated honking.
"He speeds up more and more and more. If
I would have been five yards further, I would
have had to turn in front of traffic, in front
of cars going 65 miles an hour," Whiteaker
said.
So, what is road rage? Police say it's if somebody
keeps cutting you off or tailgating you in a harassing
way or if they're endangering your life by trying
to push you off the road. If they're doing any
of those things, they're either threatening
or assaulting you with a vehicle.
It's something we've all seen in some form.
"I saw this guy. He got cut off, and he
pulled his car over at the stop light, got out
and punched his fist through the other guy's window.
That was pretty intense," driver Holly McFarland
said.
So, what should you do if you see it? Police
say you should do what Whiteaker did.
"I thought the least I could do would be
call 311, the non-emergency line, and let them
know about it," Whiteaker said.
There are more tips on how to avoid being a road
rage victim:
Avoid the pass lane
Move out of the way if someone is tailgating you
Don't make eye contact with them
And call police with their license plate and vehicle
information.
Road rage is a crime and can land you in
jail.
by: KXAM.com
|
