Editorial: Road rage must be curbed

Road rage used to be one of those ugly trends we thought only occurred in the freeway jungle in Southern California. Guess again.

Senseless, naked aggression has become an all-too-familiar sight on roadways in the Las Vegas Valley. A 22-year-old defendant will go on trial in Las Vegas next week on charges that she caused the death of a motorcyclist when she darted in front of two trucks and then hit her brakes. The motorcyclist slammed into one of the trucks when he was forced to brake suddenly.

As Sun reporter Launce Rake noted in Sunday's section, Las Vegas is sixth worst in the nation for traffic deaths caused by aggressive driving, according to a study by the Surface Transportation Policy Project. In 1996 Las Vegas had 8.1 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents caused by aggressive motorists.

This insanity has to stop. When driven with evil intent, a car or truck turns into a murder weapon. Ask professional race car drivers and they will tell you they feel safer going door handle-to-door handle with a fellow professional at 180 miles an hour than with some ill-tempered jerk traveling at a much slower speed on city streets.

The 1999 Nevada Legislature deserves plaudits for passing a law that allows police to cite motorists for aggressive driving. It is one thing to moan about the enforcement of certain speed zones when there is no one on the road except the police officer and the guilty motorist. But there should be absolutely no argument when it comes to aggressive driving. Police should not only enforce the new law but do so vigorously.

The Nevada Highway Patrol already has taken such steps in Northern Nevada through its Aggressive Driving Apprehension Team, issuing more than 100 citations over 26 hours of operation. We urge the highway patrol to conduct similar operations in Las Vegas. It also would not hurt to spend additional public funds on advertising and programs geared toward aggressive drivers, much the same way inebriated motorists have been targeted in the past.

Darting through traffic will save only a few minutes of driving time. It is not worth the risk. Traffic congestion in the valley is not going to go away anytime soon. Use common sense and plan extra time for a trip across town. Relax, turn on the car radio or sing to yourself. Turning yourself into a moving road hazard is something we can all live without.

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