SCDigest
Editorial Staff
SCDigest Says: |
Some truckers are saying the newest generation of younger drivers is causing many of the problems, using the over-the-road equivalent of the “trash talk” now common in basketball and other sports.
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The term “road rage” was coined several decades ago to describe the violent incidents among traditional car drivers; now, there is evidence that the phenomenon is increasingly being seen in over-the-road truck drivers as well.
Somewhat anecdotal reports of increased incidents by and between truck drivers rose to a new level of scrutiny in January, when a fatal incident involving two drivers in Chicago caught some national attention.
According to police reports, two truckers went at it in their vehicles for more than 10 miles on a busy Chicago-area expressway, swerving in front of each other and riding each other's bumpers, fueled in part by escalating CB banter.
Then, one of the drivers challenged the other directly.
"Let's do it!" one driver radioed the other.
That ultimately led to a death, as the drivers pulled over and began fisticuffs, when at some point David Seddon of Racine, WI allegedly pulled out a knife and fatally stabbed his combatant. Seddon has been charged with first-degree murder.
In November, Maryland State Police arrested a tractor-trailer driver for pointing a fake gun at a dump truck driver after some incident on the roadways.
Last August, New York state troopers arrested a driver hauling a load of kerosene after he rammed a car that wouldn't move out of his way near Utica. After the car pulled off the road, the driver pulled over as well, walked up to the car and started choking and hitting the driver of the car – a woman with two children in the vehicle.
Just last month, a truck driver in his personal vehicle was arrested after he fired several shots at a trucker in Missouri whom he felt was tailgating him.
Is the level of truck driver road rage increasing?
Some say yes – and that it is often fueled by CB chatter that seems to be turning even more aggressive with the latest generation of younger drivers.
“Sometimes, when drivers are tired, they will play a little game called “CB Rambo” to stay awake,” says Jason Cox, who has a popular blog site for truck drivers. “Other times it is just some idiot who really does not know how to interact with normal people. Regardless, this is how road rage will sometimes start off among truckers.”
(Transportation Management Article - Continued Below)
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