by Beth Herman
In late August, Karen Stoltz*, 42, drove home from her healthcare job along a one-lane Pennsylvania state route. She’d worked overtime and was eager to get home to her sons. While the speed limit for the area was an appropriate 45 mph, the car ahead coasted along at 30. Stoltz waited for the solid line to break, made sure there was no opposing traffic, and made her move to the left to pass. The slow car suddenly sped up, deliberately swerving in front of her into the lane in which she was now traveling, preventing her from passing. With car windows open, she could hear the driver shouting obscenities and observed him using a rude gesture.
“It happened so fast. I saw my life flash in front of me,” Stoltz recalled. “We could both have been killed by oncoming traffic.” Stoltz immediately slowed down and pulled back into the right-hand lane, which the other driver also did. At that point he slowed even more to a virtual snail’s pace.“I imagine it was to spite me,” she said.
Stoltz knew better than to react. If the driver was already enraged at something as ordinary as a passing attempt, anything she did might escalate the situation.
What is Road Rage
By definition, road rage encompasses a variety of aggressive behaviors by the driver of a motor vehicle, which seem well beyond the perceived offense committed by the victim. These behaviors range from shouting, screaming, and yelling at another driver to using a weapon, including the vehicle, to incite damage to the victim or the victim’s vehicle.
In 2024, Forbes reported road-rage shootings surging by over 400% in recent years according to the anti-gun violence website The Trace, with angry drivers responsible for shooting 3,095 people—777 fatally—between 2014 and 2023.
While not all road rage incidents involve the use of weapons, drivers are increasingly impacted by a politically charged, economically challenged, over worked, over burdened society. In short, people are on overload.
Sgt. Michael Pion of the Maine State Police said his department gets quite a number of calls from drivers saying someone has pulled out a gun. Given the proliferation of social media—the ability to record—we see and hear more about road rage now, he said. “Road rage is like a street fight on wheels. A lot of people let it escalate too far. The answer is always to walk away. That ends 99% of everything.”
What Road Rage Looks Like
Road rage can assume different forms. Repeatedly honking the horn, cutting a driver off, chasing, weaving, blocking, tailgating, swerving, continuous braking, deliberately bumping into another vehicle, or trying to run it off the road are all manifestations of road rage. Studies show that the perpetrator tends not to see the other person as a human being the way one might in a grocery store line—rather as just an object inside a car.
“Even at a traffic light, staring at someone can be perceived as a threat. You’re not exactly sure who you’re dealing with,” Pion said. “You don’t know what kind a day they’ve had—if they’ve had a good day or bad day. If they’ve lost a loved one. If they’ve just gotten into a fight with their husband or wife, sister or brother.”
Steps to Avoid Road Rage
So what can drivers do to avoid an unwelcome scenario?
According to Sgt. Pion, the following steps can help prevent a potentially dangerous situation:
Stay Calm & Avoid Escalation
- Do not retaliate (no horn-blasting, brake-checking, or rude gestures). Returning aggression almost always makes things worse.
- Take slow, steady breaths and remind yourself the other driver’s anger isn’t about you personally.
Create Space
- Increase following distance or change lanes safely.
- If they’re tailgating, let them pass rather than speeding up or slamming brakes.
Don’t Engage
- Avoid eye contact — it can be read as a challenge.
- Keep windows up and doors locked if someone approaches your car.
Get to Safety
- If you feel threatened, drive to a public place (police or fire station, busy gas station, shopping center).
- Don’t drive home — you don’t want them to know where you live.
- Stay inside your vehicle with hazards on until it’s safe.
Call for Help if Needed
- If the other driver is endangering you or others, call 911 (or your local emergency number). Give:
- Vehicle description & plate number
- Direction of travel
- Description of the behavior (swerving, threats, etc.)
Keep Evidence
- If safe, note the plate or use a dash cam.
- Don’t pull out your phone while moving — only record or take photos if you’re parked and secure.
Practice Defensive Driving Daily
- Leave extra time for trips so you’re not rushed.
- Maintain a cushion of space around your vehicle.
- Use signals early and be courteous even when others aren’t.
After the Incident
- Pull over somewhere calm and take a few minutes before resuming driving.
- If shaken, talk it out with someone — stress from a near-miss can linger.
- Bottom line, Pion explained, is your goal is not to win but to get home safely. “Distance and de-escalation are almost always the safest choices. People can be unpredictable, and we can’t prevent something that is unpredictable.”
*Name has been changed
