Who Commits Road Rage?
The victims and aggressors of road rage have similar demographics: often both are less experienced drivers. The aggressors are likely to be men, especially males under 30, who try to use violence to solve problems — especially if they have used violence before in other situations. Of course, that doesn’t mean you ladies are in the clear on this one — ANYONE can be an aggressive driver, or the victim of one at one time or another. Sometimes, someone just being in a bad mood can trigger a case of road rage.
Unfortunately people do sometimes let their emotions get the best of them. But just as there is a difference between normal anger and road rage, there’s a difference between the person who only swears loudly at the vehicle who cut him or her off and the person who then chases the other vehicle and tries to punish them.
If you use a vehicle to purposely injure another driver or pedestrian in California, you can be charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon - just like if you attacked somebody with a knife!
Sadly, there are a few hundred road rage fatalities every year. The anonymity and security of having a ton of steel between them and the outside world can embolden even normally timid people and remove the inhibitions they might normally feel about aggressive behavior.