Spokane and the other large cities in Washington state have big-city cosmopolitanism combined with the mellow temperament that most people associate with small towns. Therefore, it is not among the places in the United States where one would most often expect to find road rage. Although the drivers in Washington are considerably less belligerent than they are in most other states, there is still enough aggressive and confrontational driving to cause dangers for Washington motorists. Of all the driving hazards out there, road rage is among the most difficult to legislate away. 

You can arrest people for driving under the influence of alcohol and issue traffic citations to drivers who write text messages behind the wheel or do not wear seatbelts, but it is not possible to police people's stress levels, especially now when everything is so expensive, and the 24-hour news cycle bombards us with gloom and doom scenarios that it never even crossed our minds to worry about. If road rage played a role in the accident that caused your injuries, contact a Spokane personal injury lawyer.

How Does Road Rage Happen?

The term road rage does not have an exact legal definition. Instead, it covers a variety of confrontational and aggressive behaviors motivated by anger and frustration. The following are examples of common manifestations of road rage:

• Cutting off another driver on purpose by merging quickly in front of the other driver
• Preventing another driver from changing lanes when you have room to slow down to allow the other driver to merge
• Honking your horn just to distract other drivers instead of to alert someone to a hazard
• Intentionally driving slowly in front of the driver behind you
• Intentionally following the driver in front of you closely
• Yelling or making rude gestures at another driver from inside your car
• Getting out of your vehicle and verbally confronting another driver

The most dangerous thing about these ordinary types of road rage is that they distract you and other people, making everyone in your vicinity more likely to cause an accident. Road rage can happen anywhere, but its common site is highways, followed by parking lots and intersections.

Washington Has Less Road Rage Than Most Other States

Washington has one of the lowest incidences of road rage in the United States. The only states with less road rage are New Hampshire, Louisiana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Idaho. In Washington, 8.5% of drivers say that they witness road rage on a regular basis, and 15.5% say that, at least once in their lives, another driver has gotten out of a car to argue with them. The states with the highest prevalence of road rage are Arizona, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, and Oklahoma.

Contact West Law Office About Road Rage Accident Cases

A car accident lawyer can help you if the main cause of your accident is another driver's aggression. Contact West Law Office in Spokane, Washington, to find out more about your legal options.