Tuesday, January 14, 2025
I think it’s safe to say that anyone who regularly drives on Long Island’s busy roads has had their fair share of being cut off, tailgated, excessively honked at, flipped off or some other form of menacing by other drivers. I once witnessed a driver so enraged that he threw his cup of coffee at another car.
The result of those experiences is a disturbing trend, a significant increase in road rage throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, including a frightening number of incidents that ultimately turn deadly. According to the Albany-based Institute for Traffic Safety Management, between 2020 and 2023, Long Island vehicle crashes that were attributed to either road rage or aggressive driving increased by 15 percent, from 295 to 340. Statewide, road rage or aggressive driving was listed as the contributing cause in 2,859 crashes in 2023, compared with 2,651 in 2020.
Statistics reported by the Nassau County Police Department showed 57 road rage incidents in 2020, 177 in 2023 and 169 this year as of October. That’s an increase of over 200 percent in the first three years of that four-year period. And those are just the incidents we know about. It’s downright scary if you considered those that are never reported.
So what’s causing this dangerous spike in road rage among Long Island drivers? According to experts, among the main contributing factors are the continued increase in post-pandemic traffic congestion, and work-related stress or financial concerns that can trigger even the meekest person to suddenly exhibit this kind of behavior.
Fortunately, experts say there are several strategies that drivers can put in practice to help remain calm and prevent a negative encounter on the road from escalating into road rage. For example, people are advised to leave extra time to arrive at their destinations, so if there are traffic delays or any impediments involving other drivers, having more time will minimize triggers that could lead to road rage.
Another suggestion is to accept the fact that you can’t control other drivers’ behavior, but you can control your own. It also helps if you recognize the signs that you’re getting agitated, and work to keep your emotions in check.
Deep breathing, combined with the reminder that even if you did nothing wrong, it doesn’t give you the right to behave badly, can go a long way toward preventing road rage. In addition, it’s also important that you never get out of your vehicle, and that you shouldn’t hesitate to drive away, and call 911 or head to the nearest police precinct, if you ever feel threatened.
As a practicing lawyer, one term that has stuck with me from early in my career trying cases is that the overriding rule of the road is “mutual forbearance” — in other words, practicing cooperation and avoiding retaliation at all costs; letting the other driver go first when you both arrive at a four-way stop sign at the same time; and remembering that we all want to get to our destinations safely.
The holiday season is a time when there’s even more congestion than normal on our roads. While it’s a joyful period, with all the hustle and bustle, it can also lead to less patience and shorter tempers. When you’re out driving this time of year and beyond, take a moment to take a deep breath, exercise mutual forbearance, and always remember that your motor vehicle was meant to be a mode of transportation, not to be used as a weapon.
My sincerest best wishes for a safe and road-rage-free holiday season.
John Giuffré represents Nassau County’s 8th Legislative District.
