Posted on 11/06/2014 9:20:22 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Road rage rages out of control as drivers right here in Maryland find themselves caught up in dangerous and even deadly situations.
Vic Carter has more.
When a stranger behind the wheel begins to attack, the terror is real. One man tells WJZ about his terrifying story driving through Anne Arundel County.
In January, a man was murdered after he was run off Interstate 81 just over the Maryland line. That killer was never found.
Last year in Anne Arundel County, a terrified New Jersey man—driving with his wife and three young children, used deadly force to stop another driver.
“When I went to turn onto this road leading to the interstate, I made the left and next thing I know, I’ve got this car up alongside me, just yelling at us,” said Joseph Walker, a victim of road rage.
Walker described for WJZ those terrifying moments on Route 175 in Odenton.
Another driver forced Walker’s minivan off the road. When he got out to check his tires, Walker’s family hid as two men got out of the other car and headed straight for them.
“As they started to get a little too close and ignoring what I was saying and when I could hear what they were saying—`[expletive] you, you’re dead.’ That’s when I drew my weapon and I asked them again, `Please just go,'” Walker said. “At a certain point, I was in fear for me; I was in fear for my family. I had to.”
Deadly confrontations between strangers on the road are happening at an alarming rate. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported more than 200 people were murdered over a seven-year period. Nearly 13,000 were hurt. Another frightening statistic: two percent of drivers actually admit to trying to run someone off the road!
“We still have people who drive aggressively; we still have people that are upset and display road rage when they’re on the roadway,” said Maryland State Police Sgt. Marc Black.
But what triggers road rage?
Baltimore County psychologist Dr. Jack Vaeth says it’s a product of our society.
“The number one complaint of the 1990s by road rage people was `I was being tailgated! He was on my back!’ The number one complaint now is nothing about tailgating. `She was on the cell phone!’ `She was impeding my progress!’ So we, as a society, have changed. More cars, more congestion, more anger, busier schedules, adding cell phones and texting,” Vaeth said.
“You have to realize what your priorities are. Does it really benefit you to want to jump out on somebody because they cut you off, pull up alongside someone because they’re driving too slow? And I think people have to ask themselves before they take those actions—what do I have to lose by taking this action?” Walker said.
Walker is a detective in New Jersey. In July, he was tried on first degree murder charges in the death of Joseph Harvey and was acquitted of all the charges.
Walker still faces a civil suit filed by the victim’s family.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
I lived up in Arlington 2010-2013...and every single week, there was some road-rage episode in the region which got into the paper. I imagine there were dozen each week, which never got reported to the cops. I lived within the city and didn’t have to play the entry/exit games along the interstate to get into DC or the region. I was lucky.
Based on co-workers comments...I’d generally say that stress builds up and after a couple of years...you really don’t pay attention to your frustrations or hostility. You react quickly and let things go out of control. The guys who come in and stay a couple of years and leave? Lucky in some ways. The guys who’ve stayed ten years or more? They really are torn up and hostile over the daily drive.
Maybe they’re just terrible drivers down there.
When I drive down from NJ, it seems like 95 in Maryland and the Beltway are always littered with accidents.
So people are already frustrated because of the delays, and then one of the bad drivers does his stunt.
Now that's enough to make someone on welfare lose it. What'll happen to all of their Obama stash, hmmmmm? Who's gonna take care of them, hmmmmm?
I am just so not surprised. Spent two years at the mistake on the Potomac. Jersey drivers are at least competent. Maryland is psycho. Turkish and Saudi drivers are even more sane.
Every Friday night, the psycho outlanders roar through here on I-70W, heading to God knows where, at a breakneck speed.
I stay off the interstate that night and then again on Sunday, when they all rage back to their dens.
It’s madness.
I have never enjoyed driving around the DC area.
I just seems so congested at all hours of the day around there.
Being stuck in a liberal hellhole can do that to you I suspect.
Much happier to live in the rural west.
There were several things the other teachers warned me about driving in the DC area right after we moved here.. One was that 10% of the drivers don’t have a license and 20% don’t have insurance. Another was that the drivers around here lose 50 IQ points when it rains and 100 when it snows. It seems they think they won’t get as wet if they drive faster and spend less time in the rain. The one that set me off was the teacher who told me that many of the immigrants, both legal and illegal, knew what cars were, but few had been in one more than a couple of times and even fewer had actually driven one. I didn’t believe that one for only a few weeks.
Last week I was driving US 290 in NW Houston. Construction is going on and all the lanes are very narrow. It’s very dangerous. I was in the left hand lane doing the speed limit. Some guy passed me on the right, whipped in front of me and stuck his hand out the window and gave me the finger. I guess I was “impeding” his progress.
On this same road a few years ago some guy got pissed about something and started tailgating me, honking his horn and giving me the finger. This went on for about 5 miles. Finally I took an exit and he went past.
Finally, a few years ago in Little Rock three punks almost ran over me in a gas station parking lot. Apparently they were waiting for me because when I got on the freeway they ran through the ditch to get on the freeway and get behind me then up beside me trying to run me off the road. I was hauling ass trying to get away from them AND hoping a cop would pull us over. No cop in sight. At one point an 18 wheeler was behind them so I stomped the brakes. They did the same and the truck almost rear ended them. Which was my plan. After a few miles I punched it and ran off and left them.
There are times like these I wish I had a CCW permit. At the same time I’m glad I don’t.
Yeah I know those people make me mad too.
Five miles down the road he was about 4 car lengths ahead of me.
What pisses me off is there never seems to be any cops around. If they have a quota they could fill a month’s worth in one day on US 290.
You were impeding traffic. It is the law here that you have to move out of the left lane if you are not passing. Doesn't matter if you are doing the speed limit.
You were impeding traffic. It is the law here that you have to move out of the left lane if you are not passing. Doesn't matter if you are doing the speed limit.
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