There’s just no end to road rage dramas across the world. Super 12 rugby player Wendell Sailor was forced to apologise after smashing a truck window on a freeway in Australia at the weekend, and we now have a few ‘road rage thrillers’ coming to our cinemas.
There’s just no end to road rage dramas across the world. Super 12 rugby player Wendell Sailor was forced to apologise after smashing a truck window on a freeway in Australia at the weekend, and we now have a few ‘road rage thrillers’ coming to our cinemas.
Sailor admitted to breaking the window of the truck. The vehicle cut in front of Sailor’s car on a freeway in Brisbane. The Queensland Reds player motioned to the driver to pull over and he broke a window after an argument ensued.
The truck’s owners are seeking compensation for the window.
Road rage has also become a serious problem in South Africa. In February, Cape Town man Alberto Saunders was accused of bludgeoning two Table View men with an aluminium bat. Marc Combrink and Marc Walden both suffered broken skulls. The case has gone to court.
And Graeme Eadie recently had his appeal against a road rage sentence turned down. Eadie was sentenced to 10 years in jail after he was convicted of murder in November 2000 for beating Kevin Duncan to death with a hockey stick after a road rage incident near Fish Hoek in June 1999.
Road rage has now also made it to the big screen. Two movies to be released in South Africa soon both reflect on motorists who can’t control their tempers.
is a film about two ordinary men who seek revenge after a minor car accident. Gavin Banek, played by Ben Affleck, is a go-getter attorney who is late for court in a high-profile case, while Doyle Gibson, played by Samuel L Jackson, is a recovering alcoholic who is also on his way to court, but to fight for the right to see his children in a custody battle.
Banek is weaving in and out of traffic when he hits Doyle’s car. He is in too much of a rush to exchange insurance information with Doyle, so he gives him a blank cheque before rushing off. The enraged Doyle is left stranded in the rain with a flat tyre. When he finally gets to court, the custody hearing is over and he has lost.
Banek gets to court and discovers he has dropped important papers that he needs for his case at the accident scene.
is about a college student who makes a cross-country road trip to fetch his girlfriend. On the way he stops to rescue his older brother, who goads him into playing a practical joke on a trucker over a CB radio. The trucker is not amused, and hunts them down.
The film stars Paul Walker, last seen in , as Lewis Thomas, and Steve Zahn as his troublesome brother, Fuller. Leelee Sobieski plays Venna, the girlfriend who also gets terrorised by the mad trucker. The trucker, known only by his CB handle, Rusty Nail, is an unseen and terrifying force.
has received good reviews in the United States and is due in South Africa by July 26. reaches local screens on July 19.
Maybe there are lessons in the two films, but the increase in the number of road rage incidents across the globe has reached alarming proportions.
CARtoday.com has put together a few tips that may seem quite basic, but could be stop the guy in the car in front of you from becoming the incredible hulk wielding a baseball bat:
- Stay calm
- Always signal your intentions on the road.
- Don’t hog your lane
- Do not use hand gestures
- Do not use your hooter unnecessarily
- Keep your following distance
- Do not use your brights unnecessarily
- Be courteous in parking lots when looking for a bay
- Be alert
- Don’t retaliate
Find another way to work out your rage issues – not when you are in a car.
Using your indicators makes it easier for motorists near you, and no one is upset because you have notified all that you are about to turn.
If you are in the right lane and someone wants to pass, move over and let them by. You may feel you are correct because you are following the speed limit, but you may also be putting yourself in danger by making drivers behind you angry.
Hand signals can easily be misinterpreted. Avoid making any gestures that might anger another driver, even "harmless" expressions of irritation like shaking your head.
Save the hooter for a time when you really need it, it just angers other drivers if you think it’s your right to hoot at everything.
This will also prevent a rear-end accident. Back off a few car lengths. Drivers get angry when they are followed too closely.
Do not try to blind approaching motorists or those ahead of you.
Do not swerve into a bay immediately after the previous occupant has pulled out. If someone else is waiting for a parking bay then look for another one, do not try to beat them to it. If you and another driver see a parking place at the same time, let that person have it.
Be aware of what is happening around you and what other motorists are doing.
One angry driver can’t start a fight unless another driver is willing to join in. You can protect yourself against aggressive drivers by refusing to become angry at them. If you do see an aggressive or angry driver, it’s best to keep your distance from them.
Do you have any good tips to pass on?
