Vehicular Homicide

Profile of Road Rage Perpetrators

An interesting point was noted by Dr. Leon James, an expert on road rage, in which he declared that almost everyone, sometime in their lives, has thoughts of retaliation and feeling of rage while driving a vehicle. This shows that defining who is more likely to be an offender of road rage is a very difficult task. Research has indicated that both men and women are equally likely to be the perpetrators of aggressive acts while driving. It was determined that men are more likely to be involved in shootings and women are more likely to ram another vehicle. The type of vehicle, whether a car, sport utility vehicle, minivan, or truck, does not make a difference, and although a majority or offenders are under the age of 25, middle-aged drivers are also well represented. The Cincinnati police department issued an article identifying the “road rage warrior” as male, 18 to 26 years old, and poorly educated; with a criminal record, history of violence, and drug and alcohol abuse; and possibly suffering from emotional or professional setbacks. A specific profile of a road rage perpetrator is difficult to determine, however.

Factors in Road Rage

Numerous factors are related to road rage. As cities continue to grow, increased congestion on the roads and increased commuting distances contribute to the problem. Keith Brooks, traffic analyst with the Calgary Police Service (2002), indicates that in Calgary, a definite pattern shows a substantial increase in the number of registered vehicles. In March 2002, there were 666,434 registered vehicles, compared with 641,583 in March 2001. This is an increase of 20,851 registered vehicles, which does not include those vehicles not registered or registered in another province. There is almost a one-to-one ratio of registered vehicles to registered owners (.95). This, together with poor driving skills and impatience and inattentiveness behind the wheel, leads to many more incidents of road rage.

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