You're in My Way, You Need to Die

I am currently sitting in a hospital room after spending three days in ICU recovering from injuries received in a horrific car accident due to some one unable to control their emotions and rage. This rage was borne out of the fact that I was driving the speed limit in the middle lane on a major freeway in Dallas and trying to change lanes with my blinker on. I simply was in their way, and not going as fast as they wanted to go, so hence, I deserved to die. I deserved to die because I existed. Because I was in their way.

I am a 60 year old grandmother, and I was in the middle lane, going the speed limit of 70 mph, not speeding and this angered someone so much that they felt the need to speed around me, attempt to cut me off as closely as they could, unfortunately miscalculating and hitting me from behind causing me to spiral into three lanes of traffic hitting three other cars. When I finally came to a stop, the original driver and the other three stopped momentarily and then all three drivers took off. Hit and Run. All four of them. I was left to die. I was nothing more than roadkill to these four people. Because I was going the speed limit, and not speeding in the middle of a major city (Dallas), enraged the first driver so much, he decided I needed to be punished and if that included me dying, well that was okay -- lesson learned, right?

I am now recovering from a broken back, seven broken ribs, a smashed in face, and a minor concussion and multiple contusions and bruises all over my body. My breasts are literally black with bruising. But that is okay. I should not have been in this person’s way. Stupid me. My bad. Because the inconvenience of me following the law and being in front of them was a sin worthy of death, right? I was in this person’s way, so screw me; I needed to die. And then it was perfectly acceptable to leave me as though I am nothing more than roadkill. I wonder if they even remember hitting me three days later?

So, what exactly is road rage or as more politely called aggressive driving? In a nutshell road rage is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by motorists including rude, verbal insults, physical threats, dangerous driving methods meant to intimidate and terrorize other drivers, pedestrians and cyclists in an effort to relieve their own frustration. Road rage can lead to altercations, property damage, assaults and collisions that result in serious injuries and sometimes death. Strategies include long horn blasts, swerving into people, tailgating, brake checking and getting out of vehicles attempting to fight.

Road rage is the leading cause of accidents in the U.S. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 94% of traffic accidents occur to human error, and nearly one-third of these are directly linked to aggressive driving behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, illegal maneuvering, or changing lanes without signaling.

Road rage has a domino effect with every second driver who experiences road rage will then exhibit road rage symptoms themselves. Fifty percent of drivers respond to road rage with more road rage! Alarmingly, two percent of the VICTIMS of aggressive driving will try to force the aggressor’s car off the road! Other victims resort to honking, tailgating or illegal maneuvering. Road rage begets road rage. It escalates.

Over one-third of road rage incidents involve firearms. Just when you thought statistics could not get even more frightening, 37 percent of bad driving incidents involve at least one weapon. This puts not only the victim at risk, but others in the area.

At least 30 murders are attributed to road rage every year, and that rate is increasing. These are murders. Most incidents of death due to road rage are attributed to vehicular manslaughter. These are actual murders.

Traffic police are the best deterrent to aggressive driving, but while I was in the Emergency Room, I spoke with the traffic officer investigating my case and he told me they are prohibited from “going after” or chasing drivers that exhibit aggressive behavior. They can only charge them after an accident. So, basically, there are no consequences. There is no deterrent.

Eight out of ten drivers have reported engaging in aggressive driving at least once a year. And over eight million drivers have exhibited extreme road rage like bumping another vehicle from behind or confronting the other driver on foot.

Intentional tailgating is the most common form of road rage with over 51 percent of drivers admitting to engaging in intentional tailgating in the last 12 months. Other aggressive behaviors are shouting at the other driver, honking to show anger, blocking another car from changing lanes, and speeding.

Two out of three traffic fatalities are due to aggressive driving. In the U.S., approximately 30,000 people die in car accidents each year. Of those victims, 66 percent or 20,000 people lose their lives because some other person cannot control their anger! Think about that. 20,000 people a year die because someone cannot control their anger.

In the 80’s a large group of mothers formed MADD (Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) to change laws and consequences for drunk driving after they finally got sick and tired of burying their children due to people unable to control themselves by not drinking and driving. Is it now time that we form a coalition of sorts to address the obviously rampant road rage and aggressive driving problem in this country? How many people have to have their lives destroyed or ended before something is done?

We cannot expect the police to protect us when their hands are tied by protocols that do not allow them to do their jobs in keeping the roads safe and when our court systems are allowed to just slap these people on the wrist when they do get caught.

Serious consequences need to be meted out. Consequences that drive home that this b behavior is not acceptable. And that there are no excuses.

Reasonable speed limits need to be enacted (70 mph through a downtown area is not reasonable). The police need to be trained and given the authority to go after these perpetrators. The courts need to be more stringent in meting out punishment and consequences must be given. And public awareness programs that this behavior is not acceptable need to be enacted.

For me, I will be suffering the aftereffects of this injury for the rest of my life. I have lost my car, I am unable to work for who knows how long, I am emotionally distraught and traumatized. All because I was following the law and that inconvenienced someone.

This must be addressed. The rideshare and the gig economy MUST be regulated better.

- Julie O'Hara 2023

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