Steven A. Bagen | April 1, 2025 | Car Accidents
The term “road rage” dates back to the 1980s, denoting driver behaviors that are “hostile” and directed toward others. Any behavior that fits this criteria, whether it’s tailgating, cutting someone off, or even striking another vehicle with one’s own, is road rage. A motorist who engages in road rage may face potential jail time, suspension of their license, fines, and other serious penalties—and they should because road rage puts lives at risk.
Victims of road rage accidents should not forget about their own damages. You may face the cost of vehicle repairs, medical expenses, post-traumatic stress disorder (and other types of pain and suffering, lost income, and other harm. Allow a Gainesville car accident lawyer to seek compensation from those who are liable for your collision.
How Road Rage Might Manifest
We often think of road rage as a state of being—as in, a driver is suffering from feelings of road rage. However, it’s not uncommon for any driver to become angry. It’s the actions that reckless motorists engage in because they’re enraged that lead to serious accidents.
Some of the actions that can be motivated by road rage are:
Striking Another Vehicle or Pedestrian
While many drivers who engage in road rage activities have regard for their own vehicle, some don’t. Some motorists become so blind with rage that they use their vehicle as a battering ram, hitting another vehicle (and endangering all parties within that vehicle).
Riding Another Vehicle’s Bumper
Also known as tailgating, riding another vehicle’s bumper too closely is one of the most common examples of road rage. A motorist might do this if they:
- Feel that another motorist cut them off
- Believe another motorist is going too slow in the passing lane
- Are already in a state of rage when they encounter the vehicle in front of them
- Feel entitled to endanger another motorist for any other rage-related reason
Of course, no driver is entitled to endanger others, and tailgating is a blatant violation of the law and a driver’s duty of care to others.
Tailgating can go hand in hand with other dangerous behaviors like speeding, as the enraged motorist may exceed the speed limit to keep up with a motorist who accelerates to escape the harassment.
Running Another Vehicle Off the Road
Motorists may intentionally encroach on others’ lanes as an expression of anger. This can cause the victim to swerve or lead the roadway, which may cause a single-car collision or cause them to hit another vehicle.
Cutting Another Vehicle Off
A driver who has lost control of their emotions may:
- Pass another vehicle dangerously (perhaps using the shoulder to do so)
- Intentionally cut just in front of another vehicle
- Pull in front of another vehicle and slam on their brakes, causing imminent risk of a rear-end collision
- Violate others’ right of way in other dangerous manners
Driving is plenty dangerous without an angry motorist making it more so. If an intentional cut-off leads to a collision, the victim has every right to hold the enraged motorist financially responsible.
Honking or Flashing Headlights Excessively
Aggressive honking and flashing of brights can be a sure sign that a motorist is in a state of rage. These actions can affect the concentration of other drivers, cause them to lose control of a vehicle, and contribute to collisions.
A motorist’s road rage may not fizzle out even after they’ve caused an accident. Some enraged drivers engage in physical violence against another driver, pedestrian, or vehicle. Because road rage is “an intentional assault by a driver or passenger with a motor vehicle or a weapon that occurs on the roadway or is precipitated by an incident on the roadway,” such non-driving acts can also qualify as road rage.
So Long As There Are Cars and Roads, There Will Be Angry Drivers—But Road Rage Is Never Acceptable
No amount of public service announcements can eradicate the threat of angry drivers. Rage is an understandable emotion, and it’s an emotion that some people fail to contain. While road rage accidents will happen, the angry driver’s careless or reckless actions are never acceptable.
A driver who allows rage to influence their driving may:
- Hit another vehicle (possibly on purpose)
- Cause another vehicle to hit theirs (such as when a driver brakes suddenly to “send a message” to another driver)
- Cause someone else’s vehicle to hit another vehicle, strike a fixed object, run off the road, roll over, or suffer other dangerous events
- Cause injuries
- Take a victim’s life
Stress is one of the primary contributing factors in road rage incidents and accidents. Many people have stress, though, and the vast majority of them do not allow stress to drive them to road rage. There is no good reason to put others at risk, and those who do must be held accountable for the harm they cause.
There Is a Clear and Obvious Correlation Between Road Rage and Collisions
It’s plain to see why behaviors associated with road rage, like tailgating and sudden braking, are negligent. When someone is negligent, they take actions that a reasonable person would not.
There is nothing reasonable about increasing the likelihood of a collision. Road rage increases the likelihood of a collision. For this reason, angry drivers are negligent, and negligent parties are liable for the accidents they cause.
Victim of an Enraged and Reckless Driver? Here’s What to Do
Engaging in reckless driving behavior is irrational and unethical, so most people assume that others would not act that way. This is why road rage typically catches victims by surprise, and resulting collisions can be even more shocking.
Guidance is priceless after such traumatic circumstances. Hire a road rage accident attorney to advise you, protect you, and explain how you can hold the reckless motorist accountable for the harm they have caused you.
Your lawyer will ensure you (and they) take all necessary steps immediately after the collision, which includes:
- Getting you to a doctor: Every accident survivor should seek immediate medical attention. Serious injuries do not always produce obvious symptoms. Plus, you will need to document your injuries so your lawyer can demand fair compensation from insurers or other liable parties, like the at-fault driver.
- Arranging a mental health evaluation: Road rage drivers intentionally inflict distress on their victims. They inflict even more distress when they cause a crash. A mental health evaluation will uncover and document all the pain and suffering you now face because of the enraged motorist’s negligence.
- Filing necessary insurance claims: Most traffic accidents are covered by insurance. If you need to file a claim with your insurance provider or the at-fault driver’s insurer, your lawyer will ensure those claims get filed. Your legal team will also represent you throughout the claims process. There is a chance that the type of motorist who engages in road rage might also lack insurance, so your lawyer will respond suitably if you’re dealing with an uninsured (and angry) at-fault driver.
- Collecting evidence of the enraged driver’s negligence: Every accident victim should get right into their recovery process. Your lawyer will immediately start working on your case, and securing evidence will be a priority.
Lawyers make a living helping victims of negligence. Let an attorney help you. If you do not hire your legal team quickly, they may be unable to secure time-sensitive evidence, and your case might suffer because of it.
Attorneys Help Victims of Enraged Drivers Recover—Here Is How
When you speak with a lawyer and ultimately hire one, they will give you a personalized briefing about how they will help you. For now, just know that an auto accident attorney may assist you by:
Keeping Insurance Companies Honest (or, At Least, Not Letting Them Violate Your Rights)
Lawyers and insurance companies are often in a tug of war. The attorney fights for compensation covering their clients’ losses. The insurance company tries to pay the claimant as little compensation as possible. This back-and-forth may include several bad-faith tactics from the liable insurers, including the following:
- Urging the claimant to make a statement just after the accident, when they may be in a compromised state
- Taking the claimant’s statements out of context
- Denying the claim
- Lowballing the claimant
- Delaying the claims process
Your lawyer will insist on honesty from the insurance company. If they don’t get it, your lawyer will protect you from and work around any bad-faith tactics the insurers use.
Obtaining That Accident-Related Evidence as Soon as Possible
Securing that accident-related evidence mentioned earlier will be one of the first items on your lawyer’s to-do list. Such evidence may include:
- Your statement(s) about how the enraged driver tormented you and ultimately caused the collision
- Witness statements, which may include both accounts of the dangerous driving and the accident
- Video footage of the accident (or of the at-fault driver operating their vehicle erratically, even if the collision is not caught on camera)
- Photographs and video of the collision scene, or at least of damage to your vehicle
There are often plenty of witnesses to road rage collisions. Your lawyer will need to secure those witnesses’ accounts right away, as the statements will be more credible the sooner your team gathers them.
Documenting Your Injuries, Mental Health Challenges, and Other Damages
A great lawyer has empathy. They can speak with their client, do their due diligence, and see the full impact that negligent parties—in this case, an angry driver—have had on the victim. Your attorney may document this accident-related impact with:
- All medical bills for accident-related evaluation, diagnoses, and treatment
- Your medical providers’ diagnoses of your injuries
- Evaluations of your pain and suffering
- Your words about how the reckless driver has caused you pain, suffering, financial insecurity, and other harm
If you have any professional losses because of the collision, your attorney will document those too. Your past financial records and pay statements may prove the amount of income you have lost as a result of the road-raging driver who caused your collision.
Fighting for a Fair Settlement
Even if there is ample evidence that the enraged driver caused your accident, insurance companies or other liable parties may try to chip away at your lawyer’s settlement demands. Your attorney will remain steadfast in their financial demands.
Attorneys often work hard to get their clients a fair financial offer. Going to trial requires more time, so it’s worth exploring if a settlement is possible.
Representing You in a Road Rage Accident Lawsuit
You might choose to sue the reckless driver and any other parties who may be liable for your accident. Let a lawyer handle any such lawsuit.
If you do sue any liable parties, your case might still be settled. It can even go to trial (and, even if it does, a settlement can still be possible). Let your attorney worry about case strategy, negotiations with insurance companies, any necessary lawsuits, and everything else your case entails. You deserve to recover without worrying about your case.
Those Who Cause Rage-Related Collisions Can Cause Extraordinary Harm to Victims
Drivers who are in a fit of rage might be more likely to hit their victim at high speed, as they’ve shown callous disregard for that victim’s safety. Your lawyer will ensure you get the care you need while also documenting your damages, which may include:
- Medical costs (which can be ongoing if you have not fully healed or have rehabilitation needs)
- Pain and suffering
- Mental health services, which may be costly
- Vehicle repair expenses
- Temporary transportation costs
Your attorney will also understand how to value a disability. Such long-term injuries generally require a large financial recovery, and your lawyer will fight for all the compensation you are owed.
You Don’t Have to Spend Your Own Money to Hire a Road Rage Accident Lawyer
Don’t wait to hire a lawyer. Attorneys understand that many accident victims face significant financial pressure, so they don’t require any out-of-pocket payment. Your legal team will receive a fee if they win for you and will cover their costs through the compensation they recover for you.
A Road Rage Accident Attorney is Standing By
If you or someone you loved has suffered and injury in a road rage accident, you should always contact a trusted personal injury attorney with experience in these types of cases. They will be your best ally. Don’t delay, call today.