How Road Rage Can Cause Accidents
Road rage is a nasty business that no one should ever be involved in; it can even lead to a car accident. Here are some of the ways in which road rage can cause a car accident and lead to the need for a trucking accidents lawyer to protect your interests:
It Can Force a Driver Off the Road
One of the most common aggressive acts of road rage is to drive as close to the other driver as possible and force them to yield or even drive them off the road. This increases the risk of an accident because the driver forced off the road can hit other drivers, pedestrians, or even roadside objects such as buildings and guardrails. Not only that, forcing someone off the road also increases the risk that they will lose control of the car, and it's everyone's guess what will happen after that.
It Increases the Risk of Driving Mistakes
Another problem with road rage is the increased risk of driving mistakes it inherently carries. A driver acting out with road rage can exceed the speed limit without knowing, drive without regards to traffic lights, drive over the center line, and generally make mistakes they wouldn't normally make. All of these mistakes increase the risk of an accident.
It Takes Eyes Away From the Road
One of the most obvious dangers of road rage is that it takes your eyes off the road. Most road rage drivers become so focused on the other driver that they don't pay attention to the road. For example, if you are fighting for control of a lane with another driver (a classic road age act), you may find yourself gesturing at them, cursing them, and looking for other ways of intimidating them. This means you can easily hit road obstacles, potholes, stalled cars, or even other road users, such as motorcycles, because you may not notice them in time to enable you to stop safely.
It Can Lead To Assault and Battery
Lastly, there are cases where road rage has lead to actual assault and battery. Battery is defined as the intentional touching of another person without their consent, and the touching must be offensive to them. The touching doesn't have to be done with bare hands, which means you may be guilty of battery if you hit another person's car with your car. Assault, on the other hand, is attempted battery. Therefore, you may be charged with assault if the other driver had a genuine fear that you were about to hit them with your car. In some cases, road rage drivers actually get out of the car and attack each other with weapons or hands.
Consult a car accident lawyer to help you with your case if you have been hurt in a road rage accident. Note that while you should never participate in a road rage, you may still be able to recover some damages depending on the role you played in the incident and accident.