Road Rage: Just One Symptom

Road Rage Everywhere!

Road Rage is on the rise. Violent altercations are leading to fatal shootings, and it is happening with increased frequency. It's another symptom of our social ills, and it's the tip of the iceberg.

This just a sampling from various news sources

• After boarding a flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Arielle Jean Jackson got into a heated verbal altercation with a Southwest employee. According to Bloomberg, she was asked to leave. While departing, the confrontation turned physical, and Jackson hit an airline agent. The employee was brought to a hospital after being punched in the head.

• In Vermont, a man menaced a group of election officials, warning them that “your days are f*cking numbered.”

• In Missouri, a public health official was “physically assaulted, called racist slurs, and surrounded by an angry mob.”

• In Oregon, a school board member was told that a neighbor was out looking for him — and threatening to kill him

• Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) shared a video posted to his Twitter and Instagram depicting violence and the apparent killing of the Democratic congresswoman. His party thinks this is ok.

• The former head of Tennessee’s vaccine rollout, Dr. Michelle Fiscus and her husband, have been forced out of their home after facing threats and taunts. 

• School nurses threatened for enforcing COVID protocols. 

• Anti-vaxxers are threatening to burn down schools. 

• In 2020, 279 hate crime incidents against individuals of Asian descent were reported, compared to 158 incidents reported in 2019. More than 60% of hate crimes in the United States were carried out on the basis of an individual's race, according to FBI data released Monday.
• 

We're coming apart at the seams

 There is no civil discourse. We could blame social media, but social media is only the means by which we spread our hate.

It should be no surprise that road rage is on the rise too. It's not just your imagination. There are more shootings and deaths as a result of road rage.

In 2020, 42 people a month on average, were shot and killed or wounded in road rage incidents according to a recent report by Everytown for Gun Safety, a national gun violence prevention organization. That’s nearly double the monthly average for the four years prior.

The group’s report comes from data collected by the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research organization.

If the trend continues, Everytown projects there will be more than 500 deaths or injuries involving road rage incidents with guns in 2021. So far this year, someone has been shot and killed or injured every 18 hours, said Sarah Burd-Sharps, the group’s research director. -Pew Trust

Where to go from here?

We can't control another person's emotions, but we can control our own. We can understand our own triggers and put a lid on them before they get out of hand. We can also attempt to deescalate the situation. I went to the NSW Website to find out more.

This is from NSW Government Health.

When there are signs of anger or verbal aggression it is important to remember that:

• you need to stay calm
• anger may be a sign that the person is in distress, experiencing fear or frustrated
• it is not possible to reason or problem solve with someone who is enraged
• effective communication skills are the key to settling, resolving and de-escalating a situation.

Use the strategies below to de-escalate a situation:

• Listen to what the issue is and the person's concerns.
• Offer reflective comments to show that you have heard what their concerns are.
• Wait until the person has released their frustration and explained how they are feeling.
• Look and maintain appropriate eye contact to connect with the person.
• Incline your head slightly, to show you are listening and give you a non-threating posture.
• Nod to confirm that you are listening and have understood.
• Express empathy to show you have understood.

It is not possible to stop another person being angry, but these steps may help to make the person feel calmer. Something more constructive begins then.

Mass Shootings

There's been another mass shooting over the weekend. A gunman or gunmen opened fire at a backyard party in Fresno. At least four are dead. (As I write this, there is a second shooting in Oklahoma at a Walmart!)

Deadly Backyard Shooting

As tragic as these shootings are, it's only the tip of the iceberg in this country. According to statistics from bradyunited.org, 310 people are shot in the United States every day. The effects are much broader than the glaring headlines created when there is a mass shooting.

• 100 people are shot and killed
• 210 survive gun injuries
• 95 are injured in an attack
• 61 die from suicide
• 10 survive a suicide attempt
• 1 is killed unintentionally
• 90 are shot unintentionally
• 1 is killed by legal intervention
• 4 are shot by legal intervention
• 1 died but the intent was unknown
• 12 are shot but the intent was unknown

DAILY GUN VIOLENCE IMPACTING CHILDREN AND TEENS (1-17)

Every day, 21 children and teens (1-17) are shot in the United States. Among those:

• 4 die from gun violence
• 2 are murdered
• 17 children and teens survive gun injuries
• 8 are injured in an attack
• 2 children and teens either die from suicide or survive a suicide attempt
• 8 children and teens are shot instances of family fire — a shooting involving an improperly stored or misused gun found in the home resulting in injury or death

Over 113,000 are shot every year. I would think gun owners want to be a part of the solution. Yet, nothing gets accomplished. Congress and the President are doing nothing, shielding themselves in the second amendment. There is something bigger than this. It is a guiding principle in the Declaration of Independence. Our founding fathers thought it so important they put "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness toward the top of the Declaration. None of this make sense if we're all afraid of what our neighbor may do with his or here second amendment rights. 

John Lewis offers a perspective on Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

 There is no motive available at this time for the shooting in Fresno, but maybe Americans are not mature enough to bear arms without some limits put on that ownership. Those limits may not end violence, but this is not a zero sum game. Reducing the violence should be a the goal.

Public Radio stations are offering perspective on guns and gun violence. My station, Connecticut Public Radio, is a part of this collaborative.Guns and America over the course of two years, Reporting Fellows at 10 partner public media stations, representing a diverse range of communities all over the country, will report on gun issues, from the cultural significance of hunting and gun ownership to the role guns play in suicide, homicide, mass shootings and beyond.