Road Rage

            
             On February 20,1994 Donald Graham and Michael Blodgett became involved in an a serious traffic dispute the state of Massachusetts. After the two drivers were fighting with their vehicles on the road both Donald and Michael pulled over to the side of the road and proceeded to get out of their vehicles. After getting out of his car Donald went to the trunk of his vehicle, pulled out a crossbow, shot and killed Michael. During another violent incident in Seattle, Washington, Terrance Hall shot and killed Steven Burgess because Steven could not turn his car alarm of after it was triggered. Lastly, in Washington D.C., Narkey Terry and Billy Canipe were driving erratically while reaching speeds of 80 MPH. Both cars then crossed the median and hit two cars that were coming the opposite way. Terry was the only survivor of the accident and was sent to prison for 10 years because of his responsibility for the accident.
             So what causes these behaviors in drivers of automobiles? Why is there such a presents of road rage in society. Let's start by looking at the meaning of road rage. The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety defines road rage as:.
             An accident in which an angry or impatient motorist or passenger injures or kills another motorist, passenger, or pedestrian, or attempts or threatens to injure or kill another, motorist, passenger, or pedestrian (Joint, 1995). .
             In the U.S. there is an average of 1,500 people are killed or injured by this type of behavioral driving every year (Fumento, 1998). These drivers are usually young men, uneducated, have histories of criminal actions and have problems with drugs or alcohol. Most of these individuals have just gone through some type of emotional trauma such as going through a divorce, loosing a significant other or even loosing a job. There are those too who have committed crimes on the road who are have no histories of crime or drugs and are happen to be living very successfully.