Advice from a Lawyer: Five Don’ts About Road Rage

By MATTHEW MADDOX

Bill Murray gave that groundhog the best advice that he could give to any driver, rodent or otherwise. Don’t Drive Angry.

But, driving angry, popularly known as “road rage” isn’t funny at all. Connecticut road rage incidents can cause any number of terrible consequences including property damage, injury, hospitalization and even death.

And, of course, when you can’t manage yourself behind the wheel, road rage can also end in your arrest on a wide array of charges ranging from disorderly conduct through criminal mischief, breach of peace, threatening, harassment, assault and worse.

What can you do and say when you’re driving your car and you’re unhappy with another driver? The best way to answer that question is to keep in mind what you shouldn’t do when you’re driving.

So, here are five “don’ts” that should make sense to our readers and are a good start to keeping things cool on the road.

1. DON’T tailgate.

Tailgating is not only annoying and provocative to other drivers, but it also can net you a ticket for a violation of our statute entitled “Following To Closely” or even “Following Too Closely with Intent to Intimidate or Harass”. Yes – there is such a law. Just back off.

2. DON’T lane block.

Some people get behind the wheel and think that they’re competing in the Daytona 500. It’s a race in order to reach Trader Joe’s before the unassuming minivan in the lane next to you dares to try to reach the Home Depot.

Allow other drivers to pass you when conditions permit. Travel in the right lane on highways and parkways so that drivers who want to travel faster than you may do so.

3. DON’T run red lights.

In fact, don’t speed up to get through yellow lights. The law requires that we actually stop when we’re approaching a traffic control signal and the light turns yellow before we reach the intersection. When you accelerate through an intersection and your light is yellow or has just turned red, you risk the lives of other drivers.

Strange, but other drivers are sensitive about their lives being put at risk, and they also don’t like their right of way being ambushed.

4. DON’T use your horn except in the most unusual of circumstances.

Horns startle and annoy other drivers. When the the Poet Laureate is in front of you is intent about upon completing his text opus even though the light has turned green, wait a few moments or longer. Other traffic is going to move and Longfellow is almost certainly going to see that movement out of the corner of his eye. And no, you haven’t been deputized to reprimand him for texting while driving. That’s a topic for another blog.

5. FINALLY, DON’T EVER, EVER GET OUT OF YOUR CAR.

I have seen firsthand what happens when people are angry behind the wheel and they exit their vehicle irrationally thinking that they will right the world by telling someone face-to-face in the middle of the Post Road what is wrong with them. STAY IN YOUR CAR AT ALL TIMES.

The cardinal rule of driving and avoiding Road Rage is patience. When you’ve exercised patience, drop the bucket back into the well and crank up some more of that patience. We’re not anonymous in our cars. In this day and age of blue-toothed cars and smart phones as common as mosquitoes, our impatience is only a couple of taps away from being reported to police.

Remember Bill Murray’s advice to the groundhog: Don’t Drive Angry.

Attorney Matthew Maddox has offices in New Canaan.