NCJ Number
216158
Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse: A Review Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 109-121
Date Published
April 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews what can be done to prevent road rage by exploring possible prevention avenues in five areas: legal, court-based, educational, car redesign, and societal changes through structural modifications.
Abstract
There appears to be several promising approaches to the prevention of road rage. Five areas have been identified and include: legal changes, court programs, car redesign, mass media education, and social change. Legal changes aimed at increasing the penalties for road rage behavior could be instituted utilizing models from aggressive-driving or impaired-driving laws. The adoption of court ordered programs for convicted road ragers would include driver-improvement classes, and drunk driver programs. Car redesign offers a means of reducing crime through environmental design. Mass media education could be implemented to inform drivers of the risk from road rage and how to avoid such situations. Lastly, prevention efforts could be directed to long-term societal changes that emphasize structural modifications, such as reducing congestion on the road, reducing driver stress, or promoting public transportation. Road rage has become a serious concern and problem for drivers throughout the world. The picture of road rage that emerges from the research is that the serious road rager is a young male who is a reckless, aggressive driver, probably with alcohol and psychiatric problems. Given the potential for increased incidence of road rage, there is a need to consider how road rage can be prevented. This article reviews the possibilities for all of the approaches listed above, suggesting which ones may be most effective, and identifying further research necessary to improve prevention efforts. References