The jerk who cuts you off in traffic. The little old lady driving 25 miles per hour in the passing lane. The moron who can't figure out how to use a blinker. The idiot who changes lanes without checking his mirrors. The imbecile who won't hang up the phone and drive already. Thoughtless, careless, and inattentive drivers are enough to drive anyone crazy. For most of us, though, our anger and frustration is short-lived and controllable. For others, road rage can hold life-altering consequences.

The term "road rage" was coined in the late 1980's during a series of freeway shootings in Los Angeles. The phrase refers to all manner of angry behaviors behind the wheel, most commonly involving shouting, cursing, or making obscene gestures, but also including aggressive driving such as speeding, tailgating, cutting someone off, refusal to let someone merge, acceleration to prevent passing, brake-checking, and other actions intended to harass, threaten, or intimidate another driver. While some states have road rage and aggressive driving laws, Oklahoma has no specific law penalizing aggressive driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that nearly 6.8 million motor vehicle accidents occur in the United States each year, and the agency attributes a "substantial number" of these accidents to aggressive driving.  The NHTSA and the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation report that 13,000 people were killed in aggressive driving accidents between 1990 and 1997.

Sometimes, however, aggressive driving and road rage escalate to assault or even murder. Last month, a 30-year-old mother was shot and killed after a suicidal man who had just ended an extramarital affair ran a red light, nearly causing a serious accident. When the woman and the man each got out of their vehicles to assess the damage, Matthew Webster, drew his gun and killed Anna Alger, who by all accounts, was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Webster, who ended the affair at his wife's insistence and who was being followed by her to make sure he made good on his promise, was carrying the loaded weapon in order to kill himself. However, after the traffic incident, in his emotionally unstable state, he took the life of a young mother instead.

All 50 states have had cases of fatal road rage--Oklahoma is not immune to roadside violence. 

  • On September 2012, David Bloebaum shot and killed Jasen Yousif in a northwest Oklahoma City Target parking lot after an alleged road rage incident on the John Kilpatrick Turnpike. Bloebaum, who says he was acting in self defense, has been ordered to stand trial on a first degree murder charge.
  • On July 31, 2013, police arrested Steve Thrower on a complaint of assault with a deadly weapon and multiple traffic violations after they witnessed him making a U-turn to ram a Dodge Challenger with his Range Rover. Thrower had earlier called 911 to report that the Challenger was following him and shooting at him, but the allegations were determined to be unfounded when the driver of the Challenger was found to be without a weapon.
  • Last month, on September 22, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper shot a teenager during an altercation following a road rage incident. A woman called police to say that she had pulled into a parking lot to get the plate number of some teens who were driving aggressively when they exited their vehicle, took off their shirts, and began jumping on her car. Later, when apprehended by police, at least one teen engaged the trooper in physical violence, and the trooper fired his weapon, injuring the assailant.

If you are accused of assault or other violent crime after a traffic situation got out of hand, contact us to see how we can help with your defense. Click here for more information.