Steer away from road rage

Jail time, serious injuries, death and a lifetime of regret… sounds awful but these are the possibilities if you resort to road rage.

Almost every motorist has experienced some sort of frustration while driving but it is how far you take it that could mean the difference between life and death.

Road rage incidents have made headline news in recent months with one of the latest being that of a woman who was dragged under a car in Johannesburg on November 20.

ER24 paramedics arrived on scene and found Suzanne Leyden lying in the middle of the road.
She sustained multiple injuries to her head and chest.
Paramedics treated her and she was taken to hospital for urgent treatment.

It is believed the incident occurred when she stopped her vehicle to exchange details with another driver after a collision. The driver sped off, dragging Leyden under the vehicle for some distance.

SAPS warned that anyone caught breaking the law will face jail time.

“Road rage is a criminal offence. Anyone found harassing motorists on the road will be charged. They could face charges such reckless and negligent driving, harassment and others depending on the seriousness of the crime.

Road rage incidents are preventable if people do not act out their anger

“If a motorist is harassed, they should take down the registration number of the vehicle driven by the suspect and call the police. Do not retaliate. This could aggravate the situation. You can get killed. Call SAPS on 10111,” said Constable Mpho Mashakane, the Cleveland SAPS communications officer.

Hentie Malan, the branch manager at ER24’s Johannesburg West offices, spoke of an incident that resulted in death that he attended.
“The two drivers had an altercation and they stopped at an intersection. One driver climbed out of his vehicle and assaulted the other motorist. As he walked back to his car the other driver drew his firearm and shot him in the chest. He died on scene,” said Malan.

 Road rage is a criminal offence. Anyone found harassing motorists on the road will be charged.

Malan said it is only after an incident like this that paramedics wonder why this happened and feel bad because it is something that could have been prevented.

Henning Jacobs, the trauma support co-ordinator at ER24, urged people to stay calm and do as little as possible if provoked.
He has counselled families of victims who died as a result of road rage incidents.

A few months ago he counselled the family of a victim who retaliated.
The victim was shot dead.

Jacobs has also counselled victims who were attacked during road rage incidents while their children were in the car. “The children needed extensive long-term counselling to help deal with the trauma they experienced.  The children were overcome with fear and did not want to drive anywhere for a few weeks. It had a huge psychological impact on them,” said Jacobs.

He said road rage incidents are preventable if people do not act out of anger.
He urged people to enter their vehicles in a peaceful frame of mind prior to driving.

“Music helps some people. Breathing exercises can also help you stay calm,” said Jacobs.

According to Jacobs road rage is linked to people experiencing personal or work-related problems. “When people experience trauma or stress they are flooded with feelings and emotion. When people do not vent their feelings or do not have coping mechanisms in place, these feelings and emotions build up. A road incident can trigger all of those emotions at once,” he said.
These emotions can lead to road rage.

“Therefore, road rage can be prevented if people have coping skills in place and methods to help vent their feelings. Road rage may be prevented if people obtain proper help for their mental or emotional problems. See a counsellor or psychologist,” he said.

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