A pair of trucks pass illegally on the right shoulder as race fans jam Interstate 15 near Lamb Boulevard as they head to the CarsDirect.com NASCAR race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, March 5, 2000. This photo was taken at 10:45 a.m., just 45 minutes from the scheduled start time.
Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015 | 11 p.m.
In the wake of a road rage incident that left a Las Vegas mother dead and made national headlines, Metro Police is offering advice to help drivers who feel threatened by other motorists.
Tammy Meyers, 44, was shot in the head outside her home in a cul-de-sac near Alta and Buffalo drives shortly before midnight Thursday after confrontations that began when she was giving her 15-year-old daughter an after-hours driving lesson and the girl honked at a driver she felt was speeding, police said.
Capt. Christopher Tomaino said that when encountering an aggressive driver, as might be the case in the Meyers tragedy, it is better not to engage him, which can escalate the situation. If someone cuts you off or tailgates, he said, responsible drivers will recognize these actions as "normal, national phenomenon," especially in a large metropolitan area with thousands of people on the roads every day.
The main problem with road rage incidents is a lack of manners and respect on drivers' parts, Tomaino said in a news conference Wednesday. If you happen to feel slighted or disrespected by a driver's actions, a simple shoulder shrug can diffuse the situation.
If you can see the other driver growing angrier, flipping you off, cursing or yelling, Tomaino says to stare straight ahead, and if the driver continues to follow you, call 911 and drive to a police station.
Road rage can lead to car accidents. Even if not injured, Metro will respond to accidents in which a driver may feel threatened or endangered by the driver at fault, Tomaino said.
When people are behind the wheel, they say and do things they normally wouldn't do in person, Tomaino said.
"It boils down to manners … whether people treat each other with respect on the roadway," he said.
Metro doesn't keep statistics on accidents involving road rage, as it is a pop culture, not legal, term Tomaino said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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