Stories of more aggressive driving and road rage incidents have been reported recently around parts of the country.
Just last week, a 22-year-old man was charged with murder in the road roage shooting death of 54-year-old King Hua, who officials say was driving slower than the rest of traffic in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Alex Caroline Robboy, a behavioral expert and founder of The Center for Growth, a counseling and therapy practice in Philadelphia, said there are several reasons that can cause a driver to lose their temper, but she feels there’s been an increase over the last couple of years due to COVID-19 stress.
“The pandemic has made road rage actually a lot worse," she said, "because we have lost the skills of interacting with people, the human-ness, and we’re just stuck in our own worlds and our brain is left to its own demise."
So much so that in 2020, more than 5,600 crashes in Pennsylvania alone were related to aggressive driving, according to the Pennsylvania State Police. Nearly 100 of them were fatal. In 2021, aggressive driving deaths rose by as much as 40%.
Related
Robboy said something minuscule can tip someone over the edge.
“You could be having a bad day and it’s just too much," she said, "and it’s like your brain stops being able to process everything. It could be that you are extremely excited to be getting to work. You have a new promotion, you have a lot of things happening, and you’re under pressure.
“If you don’t have the ability to go where you need to go quickly enough, there’s something in your brain that shuts down, saying it’s emotional overload," Robboy added.
Some experts warn that the Supreme Court's recent decision to expand gun rights could increase such deadly encounters.
Related
For people with aggressive driving habits — like cutting others off, tailgating, yelling, or gesturing angrily — Robboy said try to imagine the drivers around you are friends and enjoy the experience of the ride. Take a breath and take time to get to the destination.
For those on the receiving end of road rage, she advises the best thing to do is not engage or make eye contact. If it becomes a dangerous situation, call the police.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign up and follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram