RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The summer months have arrived, and Central Virginia is already feeling the heat. However, as the temperatures continue to rise, so can some drivers’ temperament, which in many cases can lead to extreme cases of road rage.
Morgan Dean with American Automobile Association (AAA) says that extreme heat, like what the Commonwealth is preparing to experience, is one of the many factors that contribute to the aggressive driving behavior known as road rage.
And as more people are hitting the road, the chances of encountering a road rage incident may heighten as well.
“You never know what’s going on with another driver,” Dean said. “You don’t know how far they’re willing to go because they’re angry. You don’t know what kind of weapon they have with them. You do not want to be in that situation.”
Dean is reminding drivers to keep a keen eye on the highways this summer. Officials say one of big contributors when it comes to people losing their cool on the road is not being cool in the first place.
READ MORE: VDOT reminds drivers to stay cool while traveling during summer
“You also have the heat that’s going on. You’re dealing with a car that may not be keeping you as cool as it otherwise would be. Even some of that stuff can feed into that aggression cycle that we don’t want to see happen because those are the things that can start to spiral out of control,” Dean warned.
Road rage can look like anything from gesturing, shouting, or even violent threats. Dean says these types of incidents can escalate quickly and sometimes even take a turn for the worse.
According to Virginia State Police, it responded to 35 reported interstate shootings in 2022 and 54 shootings in 2023.
AAA data shows that in 2022, 554 people were shot during road rage incidents nationwide, resulting in 141 deaths.
“There have been, unfortunately, too many incidents in situations like that. There are no winners” “it could get to an extreme case where somebody actually pulls out a weapon and there’s a shooting,” Dean said.
Dean also says that in addition to the heat there are a number of factors that impact people’s driving, and if a driver ever comes face to face with that typer of behavior there are things you can do to avoid making things worse.
“So, avoid eye contact with the person if they’re yelling or screaming at you. Eyes ahead. Just stay focused. Drive to a public place, a busy grocery store, a fire station, a police station, somewhere like that. Make that phone call to police,” Dean said”
Finally, Dean says there are ways to prevent road rage. Driver should do things like practice polite driving, lay off the horn and avoid starting their journey under distress.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The summer months have arrived, and Central Virginia is already feeling the heat. However, as the temperatures continue to rise, so can some drivers’ temperament, which in many cases can lead to extreme cases of road rage.
Morgan Dean with American Automobile Association (AAA) says that extreme heat, like what the Commonwealth is preparing to experience, is one of the many factors that contribute to the aggressive driving behavior known as road rage.
And as more people are hitting the road, the chances of encountering a road rage incident may heighten as well.
“You never know what’s going on with another driver,” Dean said. “You don’t know how far they’re willing to go because they’re angry. You don’t know what kind of weapon they have with them. You do not want to be in that situation.”
Dean is reminding drivers to keep a keen eye on the highways this summer. Officials say one of big contributors when it comes to people losing their cool on the road is not being cool in the first place.
READ MORE: VDOT reminds drivers to stay cool while traveling during summer
“You also have the heat that’s going on. You’re dealing with a car that may not be keeping you as cool as it otherwise would be. Even some of that stuff can feed into that aggression cycle that we don’t want to see happen because those are the things that can start to spiral out of control,” Dean warned.
Road rage can look like anything from gesturing, shouting, or even violent threats. Dean says these types of incidents can escalate quickly and sometimes even take a turn for the worse.
According to Virginia State Police, it responded to 35 reported interstate shootings in 2022 and 54 shootings in 2023.
AAA data shows that in 2022, 554 people were shot during road rage incidents nationwide, resulting in 141 deaths.
“There have been, unfortunately, too many incidents in situations like that. There are no winners” “it could get to an extreme case where somebody actually pulls out a weapon and there’s a shooting,” Dean said.
Dean also says that in addition to the heat there are a number of factors that impact people’s driving, and if a driver ever comes face to face with that typer of behavior there are things you can do to avoid making things worse.
“So, avoid eye contact with the person if they’re yelling or screaming at you. Eyes ahead. Just stay focused. Drive to a public place, a busy grocery store, a fire station, a police station, somewhere like that. Make that phone call to police,” Dean said”
Finally, Dean says there are ways to prevent road rage. Driver should do things like practice polite driving, lay off the horn and avoid starting their journey under distress.