How Bad Is Florida’s Road Rage Problem?
The good news about driving in Florida is that parking spaces are so abundant that you do not even have to demonstrate the ability to parallel park as part of the driver’s license test. The bad news is that Florida drivers are either so angry, so oblivious, or so eager to show off their fancy cars that they cannot be bothered to follow the rules of the road or to pay attention to the other cars. Florida traffic is not for the faint of heart, and even an ordinarily mild-mannered person can turn into a bully behind the wheel. Road rage is a common contributing factor to car accidents in Florida. It is also notoriously difficult for authorities to control. You can issue traffic citations to people who text and drive and to people who don’t wear seatbelts, but you can’t give someone a ticket for being in a bad mood. Besides, everyone is in a bad mood these days; you would be, too, if you saw your paycheck or your grocery receipt. If you have been injured in an accident involving road rage, contact a Jacksonville car accident lawyer.
What Is Road Rage?
Florida does not have a law that specifically defines road rage, but you know road rage when you see it. Road rage encompasses a wide range of confrontational and aggressive behaviors by drivers. These are some examples of road rage behaviors:
- Cutting off other drivers by merging into their lane of traffic without using your turn signal
- Intentionally stopping other drivers from merging into your lane
- Honking your horn just because you are impatient and frustrated instead of to alert another driver to a hazard
- Following other drivers too closely
- Driving slower than the speed limit, just to annoy the drivers behind you
- Making rude gestures or yelling at other drivers from inside your car
- Getting out of your car to argue with other drivers
In the most extreme cases, road rage can even lead to drivers crashing into other cars on purpose of getting out of their cars to physically assault other motorists.
Why and Where Does Road Rage Occur?
The most common place that road rage occurs is on highways; this should be obvious to anyone who has ever driven on I-95 in Florida. The second most common location for road rage is parking lots. It can also occur at intersections and on rural roads.
Does Florida Have Worse Road Rage Than Other States?
According to a report by Forbes Advisor, Florida ranks 17th out of the 50 states in terms of the prevalence of road rage. 19.5 percent of Florida drivers say that they often witness road rage, while 15 percent said that another driver has gotten out of a car to confront them.
Contact Douglas & Douglas About Car Accident Cases
A North Florida personal injury lawyer can help you if you get injured in a car accident caused by road rage. Contact Douglas & Douglas in Jacksonville, Florida for a free consultation.
Source:
forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/state-rankings-confrontational-drivers/
