Road Rage in AZ

[OPC]

This one has been getting a lot of air time in the local news the last couple of days. Road rage incident escalated to a shooting with children in both vehicles. It is tragic and (imho) avoidable.

There do not seem to be any winners with one dead and the other facing a 1st Deg Murder charge.

It seems from the photos (both in the linked article and other sites) that there was enough room between the vehicles for the pickup truck to leave. I am of the thought that it is always preferable to take the escape route, regardless of any wounded pride (not to speculate why the driver stayed or even how much time he had to react). True especially if there are others with me. A reminder that alert, defensive driving can be an invaluable part of your tactical toolkit.

Any other perspectives on how to safely resolve or extricate oneself from a situation like this?

Tempe Road Rage - 12News

[GJeffB]

... how to safely resolve or extricate oneself from a situation like this?

er, perhaps not ride around with a kid and "a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine" in the vehicle before pulling a firearm?

-jb, just spit balling

[Shoots Left]

I’m probably gonna get flamed for this but I’m gonna say it anyways…

Sometimes I’m not so sure that the injured party isn’t actually the perpetrator who probably pushed the “wrong button” and fell victim to their own B.S.

Not sayin’, just sayin’.

[JohnKSa]

There are some situations where it's all one-sided and one party is a totally innocent victim, but most of the time both parties could have made decisions and taken actions that would have led to a better outcome.

Most of the time road rage boils down to some sort of ego contest. It's never a good idea to let your ego put you in/keep you in a situation that leads to someone getting shot.

[stagpanther]

You have to accept that reality that anyone can be armed and stupid enough to shoot you for a perceived insult. That is the US today.

[TunnelRat]

I drive a lot. Learning to let things go isn’t easy, but every day I witness incidents of people getting into personal conflicts with 2 ton kinetic weapons. I’ve had some bad days in my life, including being on the receiving end of a road rage incident where someone tried to follow me home after. If the worst part of my day is being cut off, flipped off, or tailgated and it ends at that, then it really wasn’t that bad of a day. You have to keep your emotions in check and realize that driving a car can be a precarious position, for yourself and others around you.

[fastbolt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4dFDBYWuTc

Predictable can be preventable.

Don't let ego drive you and your vehicle.

In some situations your vehicle is mobile cover, and perhaps your best cover.

[Paul B.]

T heres a lot of road rage here in Tucson. Some people are just looking for trouble IMHO. I did notice that in the printed part of the article the victim supposedly reached behind his back as he approached the shooter. It may have looked like the "victim" was trying a bluff and the shooter thought he was armed. It sure would be interesting to see the video the kid took.
Paul B.

[Bill DeShivs]

Two Martin Luther King days ago, I was driving on the Interstate in Memphis.
Middle lane, light traffic, not in anyone's way doing slightly above the speed limit.
Looked in my mirror and there was a Chevy HRT right on my bumper. He suddenly veered off to my right. Then I heard "BAM!"

Didn't know what it was until he passed me on the right with his window down. His eyes were real big. It was then I realized he shot at me! There was no reason at all, I didn't brake check him, I wasn't in his way. He just wanted to shoot an old white guy on Martin Luther King day.

I didn't see the gun, but have been around enough of them to realize it was probably an AR or AK pistol. The concussion was massive.

I went after him, while calling MPD on my phone. He was running from me. The MPD dispatcher said they would not send a car and would not pursue him. Told me to pull over and wait for a squad car. None came. They called me back and said they were too busy to send a car and that I would need to go to one of the precincts to file a report. It was 12:45 PM on a Monday.

Inspected the car. He actually missed the entire car!

Officer at precinct was astounded that they wouldn't even send a car out.

So- at least occasionally road rage can happen with no interaction by one of the drivers. I'm living (thank God!) proof.

[Adventurer 2]

I think the more dense the living area, the more road rage. I installed a dash cam a couple of years ago. The cam is on a continuous loop. My truck has a few dents in it not of my doing - parking lot bump and go. I've been on the fence with upgrading the dash cam to one that works while parked and also a camera with rear view recording.

[Ricklin]

Applies to road rage, yes? I'm one to quickly dial 911 when I see really aggressive behavior on the highway that endangers others. I will drop a dime when appropriate.