The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines road rage as an incident in which a driver commits moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property, an assault with a motor vehicle or other weapon by the driver or passenger in one vehicle on the operator or passengers of another moving vehicle. The NHTSA makes a clear definition between road rage and aggressive driving. According to NHTSA, 66% of traffic accidents are caused by aggressive driving. Half of all drivers are the recipient of aggressive behavior like tailgating, horn honking, or aggressive gestures.
The Tampa Bay Times reports on an aggressive driver who was killed after rolling their vehicle with two children on board.
The accident occurred Tuesday evening in the southbound lanes of Interstate 75.
At about 6:29 p.m., 27-year-old Jona Kay Wright was driving a 2005 Hyundai Sonata south in the inside lane of I-75. She was traveling at a fast speed when she came upon a slower-moving driver.
She made aggressive hand gestures to try and get the other vehicle to move faster before she tried to overtake the vehicle. As she attempted to pass the slower motorist, she lost control of her vehicle.
The vehicle flipped several times before coming to rest in the median. Wright and her two sons were all wearing seatbelts. The two young boys received minor injuries in the crash and all were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Sadly, Wright succumbed to her injuries later that night.
According to state troopers, alcohol was not a factor in the crash. Debris from the crash closed down the interstate until it could be cleared around 9 p.m.
Between August 2012 and August 2014, Wright had received six traffic citations for charges such as speeding and careless driving. In all six cases, the charges were either dropped or Wright was acquitted.