Road rage in Arizona: Tips to avoid a bad situation
PHOENIX - We're digging deeper into what has been a dangerous week on Valley roads.
Timeline:
On Jan. 15, a man was shot and killed on I-10 in west Phoenix. This was near the Loop 202 South Mountain interchange.
Twenty-six-year-old Erian Sandoval died on the scene. Officers say this one started as a confrontation, and the other man involved was detained then released.
On Jan. 16, SkyFOX flew over a hit-and-run crash that ended in a shooting in Fountain Hills. Arizona DPS says someone tried to drive off after a crash on Loop 202 and the person who was hit followed the driver to SR 87, Beeline Highway, where shots were fired.
These are examples of how quickly a confrontation on the road can turn dangerous, or deadly.
What they're saying:
How can we avoid these encounters?
FOX 10 learned that staying in the flow of traffic is probably your best bet. If you choose not to, drive in the far right lane.
Rick Murray is the President and CEO of the Arizona chapter of the National Safety Council, and he tracks deaths and injuries on Arizona roadways.
"I think one of the things that we all need to realize as drivers, is there is a lot of factors going into a road rage incident. There's a lot of perceived threats, time pressure, everyone needs to be somewhere in a hurry," he said.
Murray says escalating the situation often times makes the situation worse.
"You just don't know what somebody else's situation is, and we certainly don't want to aggravate that any further. I think if we don't poke the bear and certainly give them their space, I think in most cases we can avoid these more desperate cases of road rage we're seeing over the last couple of days," he said.
He says you never know when someone could use more than their car to escalate the situation.
"We're allowed to carry firearms in our vehicles and everybody could be doing that, so you just don't know what you're up against," Murray said.
What's being done:
Kym Rogers is the owner of AZ Kar Traffic School, and she says drivers with violations are ordered to take her class. She says sometimes being a victim of road rage is unavoidable.
"Chances are, it's something that's going on in their world, and this is just a symptom of it. Unfortunately, we're at the wrong place at the wrong time, and they're taking it out on us," she said.
Often times, she says, students who take her class are there because they were cited for aggressive driving or reckless speed.
By the numbers:
"We're driving on the freeway, while the speed limit is 65 mph, a lot of us are driving 75 and 80 mph. So, just from a speed factor, that is the largest cause of injury and death on our roads in Arizona," Murray said.
What you can do:
He adds that if someone cuts you off, whether its intentional or unintentional, it's best to let them drive off and not involve yourself.