Idaho State Police discuss road rage after near miss on Highway 20 is caught on camera
Idaho State Police is addressing the issue of road rage in Eastern Idaho after a video shows a near miss between an aggressive driver and a truck on Highway 20 near Ucon.
“We’re always going to have an amount of road rage,” Sgt. Blake Higley, with the Idaho State Police, said. “People just have to use defensive driving tactics and stay calm.”
The video posted on YouTube (click YouTube to watch the video or view below) on July 18 shows a large truck in the left-hand lane of traffic. The truck’s driver said he had moved over to avoid a disabled vehicle in the right-hand lane.
“There were no other vehicles in my vicinity so I yielded the slow lane to the disabled vehicle (as per Idaho law). The motorist featured approached me from behind at what I estimate to be at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit,” the driver of the truck wrote on his YouTube page.
In the video, you can see the driver of a blue SUV come up beside the truck, make a rude gesture at the truck’s driver and then speed up. The SUV’s driver eventually swerves into the truck’s lane and loses control.
“It is extreme scary for anybody that would have been that area, especially that driver,” Higley said. “He’s lucky that he didn’t get run over by the other guy and it would have been totally his fault.”
In the video, you can hear the truck driver yell obscenities at the SUV’s driver, a fact the truck driver acknowledges in his YouTube posting. Law enforcement were not called to the Highway 20 incident but said it serves as a reminder of problems on the roads.
“People take matters into their own hands and, fortunately, a lot of cases, it doesn’t end up with people being injured but the potential is really high,” Higley said.
Idaho State Police said they get several calls a week about road rage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports deadly crashes stemming from road rage have gone from 70 incidents in 2006 to 422 in 2015.
“People just need to calm down and you’re literally taking other peoples lives into your hands,” Higley said.
Idaho State Police said it was not aware of the YouTube video until KIFI/KIDK reporter Chris Oswalt brought it to the department’s attention. They reviewed the video but could not make out the license plate. If they were able to do so, Higley said, the driver could be charged with reckless driving.
The video has been viewed just over 68,000 time in the week since it was posted.
If you encounter an aggressive driver, Geico Insurance offers the following tip to staying safe:
Move over if someone is tailgating you. Use an “I’m sorry” gesture (e.g. wave) to attempt to defuse the situation. Plan ahead; allow time for delays during your journey. Consider whether you’ve done something to annoy the other driver and adjust your driving accordingly. Listen to music you enjoy. Use your horn sparingly. Avoid eye contact with angry drivers and give them plenty of room.
