Stopping NJ Road Rage May Start With Following Road Rules, Some Say

Collingswood NJ

22 April, 2022

11:50 AM

Description

NEW JERSEY — The number of road rage incidents nationwide is accelerating, data show. In 2021, an average of 44 people in the United States were shot and killed or wounded in road rage shooting incidents each month, according to statistics published earlier this month by Everytown For Gun Safety, a group that advocates for gun safety. In 2019, that number was 22, Everytown For Gun Safety continued. A review of Patch news reports during the past year shows such road rage incidents have been reported in many areas of the Garden State, including: A driver said her car was struck by gunfire during a road rage incident on July 7 on Interstate 78 in Bedminster, according to state police. A driver reported to police that a pickup truck repeatedly passed him and brake-checked him along Route 70 in Brick on Nov. 20. The incident culminated with the pickup truck's driver firing three shots toward the man, who was not hurt. Louis E. Ciccanti Jr. of Cherry Hill was killed in a road rage incident that escalated into gun violence on the Walt Whitman Bridge heading into New Jersey on January 24. Tiffany A. Patterson allegedly robbed and pepper-sprayed another driver during a road rage incident in Newark on April 16, police said. Vincent Jean allegedly ran over a woman multiple times with his SUV following a minor car accident in Union County between the two on April 12, officials said. The New Jersey State Police and Everytown For Gun Safety told Patch they do not keep state-level data on the number of road rage incidents. Possible Reasons Why Road Rage Is Increasing There are several factors to the increasing number of road rage incidents, according to Robert Sinclair, the senior manager of public affairs at AAA Northeast. "Oftentimes it is that driving that sets the person to commit road rage," he told Patch. Examples of this include "tailgating, driving slowly in the left lane, forgetting that the left lane is intended for passing only and making multiple erratic lane changes," Sinclair said. He said there is evidence to indicate that the so-called type A personality — those who often experience "chronic competitiveness, high levels of achievement motivation, impatience and a distorted sense of time urgency, aggressiveness and hostility according to the American Psychological Association — may be more likely to commit road rage. "Persons that are very aggressive go-getters, wanting to get things done, do a lot of things in a minimal amount of time. …Those are the folks that are often road-rage committers," Sinclair said. There could be another reason to explain why road rage occurs, according to the New Jersey State Police. "The best way to prevent a crash or a potential road rage incident is to limit your distractions," State Police said. Distractions cover a wide range of things, from using a cellphone, applying makeup, eating, "or turning around in your seat to interact with passengers," State Police said. The COVID-19 pandemic may also be a contributing factor to the increase in road rage, according to Everytown for Gun Research. "The pandemic and its continuing effects have brought all kinds of new stressors into people's lives and exacerbated underlying ones. During the pandemic, we also saw record increases in gun sales and a national increase in shootings," wrote Sarah Burd-Sharps, the director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety, and Kathryn Bistline, the same organization's principal research scientist. "Lack of access to job opportunities, decent housing and other critical basic needs are key drivers of gun violence. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread economic upheaval while also disrupting the delivery of social services that help alleviate the impact of such stressors," the pair added. Exacerbating the possible COVID-19-related causes of road rage also includes many gun violence intervention programs are dealing with less funding, according to Burd-Sharps and Bistline. The possibility of the COVID-19 pandemic leading to an uptick in road rage incidents is very real, Sinclair said. "People take that stress and get it out [of them] on the road," he said in the interview. "And that's when problems happen." If You Are Target Of Road Rage While Driving A driver who becomes the target of a road rage incident needs to act defensively, according to the New Jersey State Police. Targeted drivers should also not engage with aggressive drivers, State Police added. "Pull over in a safe location, and dial #77 to report the incident," State Police continued. There are several other things targeted drivers can do that may increase the likelihood of emerging from a road rage incident unharmed, according to Sinclair. "If they are tailgating, move over, let them go," he said, noting that an apology might be interpreted as "an obscene gesture or gesture of defiance or otherwise misinterpreted." It is also best to drive to a place with a lot of pedestrians or cars, such as a parking lot, Sinclair said. "Do not go home," he advised. "If you have got somebody who looks like they want to perpetrate some evil against you know, don't go to where you live, don't go to where they can come and find you." --- Hi there, South Jersey! Got a news tip? Story idea? Email me the details at [email protected]. You can also get Patch local and statewide news alerts sent directly to your phone by downloading our new app.