Road rage is defined as extreme anger or violence between drivers on the road. While you may be justified in feeling anger in response to another driver’s aggressive or reckless driving, road rage is never an acceptable response to frustrating driving conditions. Here are just a few ways in which road rage can hurt you.

Traffic Citations

Sure, you may have gotten your share of parking citations or speeding tickets, but most judges – and your car insurance company – aren’t likely to be as polite or dismissive when it comes to aggressive driving. Keep in mind that aggressive driving isn’t the same as road rage – but they do go hand-in-hand.

A lot of angry driver habits actually count as instances of aggressive driving – and you can be pulled over by a police officer for them. Cutting someone off, failing to signal properly before a turn, and tailgating are all examples of aggressive driving you might think of – but loud cursing or threats, unnecessary honking, and violent or rude gestures are also examples of aggressive driving. Basically, if you don’t want to have to explain yourself to an officer, think twice before you lay on your horn just because the car in front of you is slow to move when the light turns green!

Criminal Offense Charges

Road rage is far more serious than aggressive driving – and for good reason. Road rage is aggressive driving taken to the next level, and poses a serious threat and hazard to anyone on the road – including pedestrians.

On top of the citations you could receive for aggressive driving, if you escalate your aggression to actually ramming another vehicle, following a driver and threatening them, or any other actions that could (or do) lead to harm of another person, you could easily face criminal charges.

Risk of Injury or Death

If you’re engaging in aggressive driving, you’re already letting your emotions distract you from focusing properly on the road. If you’re engaging in road rage, then it’s likely that proper road safety and the laws of the road aren’t even in your mind anymore. Many drivers confess to instances of road rage, and an estimated 66% of traffic-related deaths are the result of aggressive driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 33% of accidents caused by driver-error are also linked to road rage behaviors – cutting off other cars or intentionally blocking the lane, illegal maneuvering, and even trying to run other drivers off the road! (warning: video has strong language)

Unnecessary Stress

This might go without saying, but ultimately, there’s no purpose to aggressive driving or road rage behaviors. The best case scenario is that you vent some steam without anyone getting hurt…but the worst case scenarios just flat-out aren’t worth the extreme stress and risk. You put yourself, the other driver, and everyone who happens to be nearby at risk when you engage in road rage behaviors, and the stress of such dangerous responses is not to be ignored.

There are healthier ways to express your frustration – when you are out of the car and off the road. If you regularly experience extreme levels of anger while you’re on the road (even if you’re passenger – yes, passengers can also experience road rage), then you may need to re-evaluate your priorities and look into ways to calm down while driving. If nothing else works, it may be time to start carpooling or taking public transit.

How Road Rage can Hurt You