“Road rage” incidents are on the rise in Peachtree City, and police are urging motorists to let cooler heads prevail to avoid potentially dangerous altercations.
While it can be easy to get upset at other motorists who tailgate or cut you off, police say the best course of action is to let the offender move on, instead of taking matters into your own hands, yelling, or making gestures that might escalate the situation.
Getting worked up over a perceived slight from another motorist can cause the scenario to escalate to the point where someone is injured or both drivers operate their vehicles in a dangerous manner, police said.
Specifically, police advise against “brake checks” to fend off tailgaters. Instead, they recommend either maintaining a safe speed, or pulling over in a safe and well-populated location to let the other motorist pass.
Motorists who witness dangerous or aggressive drivers are asked to call 911 to report the vehicle tag number, description and its direction of travel, police said. Georgia law prohibits aggressive driving and reckless driving, and violators can suffer fines and a potential suspension of their driver’s license, police said.
Motorists should avoid confronting aggressive drivers, because doing so can put you and other passengers in your vehicle in a dangerous situation should the other driver feel a need to defend themselves, police said.
If an angry driver exits their vehicle and approaches yours, you should stay in your vehicle, dial 911 and try to leave the area if possible, police urge.
Police are also encouraging motorists to evaluate their driving style, particularly in terms of whether they are following too closely to the vehicle directly ahead of them. Nearly half of all auto crashes in the city this year were caused by someone following too closely, police said.
The rule of thumb is the “three second rule” that creates a three-second distance buffer between your vehicle and the one in front of you, police said.
