Tennessee Auto Accident Attorney Reports On Nashville Road Rage Incident Sparked By Political Bumper Sticker
Report Road Ragers
As an experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer I am seeing an increase in the number of road rage incidents. Many times the general public confuse aggressive driving and road rage. There is a distinct difference. Aggressive driving is a traffic offense or combination of offenses such as following too closely, speeding, unsafe lane changes, failing to signal intent to change lanes, and other forms of negligent or inconsiderate driving. The trigger for the aggressive driver is usually traffic congestion coupled with a schedule that is almost impossible to meet. As a result, the aggressive driver generally commits multiple violations in an attempt to make up time.
Road rage, on the other hand, is a criminal offense. This occurs when a traffic incident escalates into a far more serious situation. For example, a person may become so angry over an aggressive driving incident that he or she overreacts and retaliates with some type of violence. These violent acts may range from a physical confrontation to an assault with a motor vehicle or possibly a weapon.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines road rage as “an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger of one motor vehicle on the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle precipitated by an incident that occurred on a roadway. Road rage requires willful disregard for the safety of others.
Reference a recent incident which takes road rage to new levels. A Nashville man had just picked up his ten year old daughter from school when a man in an SUV apparently took political offense at the man’s Obama/Biden bumper sticker. He started off with blowing the horn and shooting him the bird as he pointed to his bumper sticker.
At first the man didn’t understand what the “Rager” meant to say. He soon found out when the “Rager” began to ram his car several times. The man thought he had simply been in a fender bender and he pulled over and got out of his car. The “Rager” didn’t stop. He began to push the vehicle off of the road and up onto a sidewalk with the then hysterical 10-year-old inside. After pushing the car up onto the sidewalk the cowardly “Road Rager” sped off, leaving the scene of the collision.
Another driver followed the “Road Rager” to a parking lot some distance away and kept him secure until the police arrived and arrested the 70-year-old man who was drunk. He has been charged with a number of felony counts and is presently in the Metro jail.
I would encourage each driver who ventures out onto the highways and byways of Tennessee to arm themselves with the telephone numbers of the appropriate law enforcement agency, either 911 or *847 for State Troopers and when you witness an aggressive driver, a road rager or a drag racer, pull over to a safe place and call in the license number, description of the vehicle and any other specifics that you observed. Save a life and tell all of your friends and families to step up and help reduce traffic fatalities in Tennessee.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee automobile accident by a Road Rager, contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates and get a complete picture of your rights and remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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