By YASEMIN TALAT
ROAD rage incidents in Hobsons Bay are a driving force behind police pleads urging drivers to “calm down”.
Inspector Richard Paterson said there were three road rage incidents in the area last week alone.
“People need to be aware that these incidents are happening,” Insp Paterson said.
“Although people are not being physically hurt in some of the cases, it can be quite threatening to the other drivers on the road,” he said.
Insp Paterson said last week’s reports were higher than usual but growing reports of road rage were noticeable in the last month.
One incident last week involved a female driver tailgating another female driver and making cut-throat gestures to her.
A threat of violence falls under the assault category and consequently drivers who commit road rage type offences can be liable for assault charges, Insp Paterson said.
A second incident last week involved two males arguing over a car park in a residential street which resulted in a minor scuffle.
A motorcyclist involved in reckless conduct endangering other road users was the third reported incident last week.
“It’s disappointing these minor incidents escalate to threats and assaults,” Insp Paterson said.
“We all need to use the roads and it would be great to see people being courteous and decent towards one another.”
Insp Paterson blamed a lack of patience and courtesy of drivers for the escalation of road rage incidents.
“People are wanting to get things straight away,” he said.
Insp Paterson said road rage could be stopped if drivers showed more courtesy to other road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
He recommended those who had the tendency to lose their temper should pull over to a safe place and cool down.
“Calm down and relax and then just drive off again when in the right frame of mind,” he said.
“Because people, when they are angry or in a bad frame of mind, tend to commit traffic offences and make the roads unsafe for other users.”
Victims of road rage should get the registration number of the vehicle and report it to police or Crime Stoppers.
