There are a great many things for drivers to be angry about today, and our roadways can exacerbate emotions. For instance, Project Illinois’ dedication to upgrading transportation routes throughout the state requires all sorts of road work construction zones which can be maddening in their own right. And then there are all the traffic jams that come with living in metropolitan areas like Indianapolis or Chicago, or facing the huge volume of large truck traffic throughout our “Crossroads of America.” For more, read Reckless Driving in Chicago Road Work Accidents; and Huge and Growing Freight Truck Traffic in Northern Indiana: Increasing Danger of Semi-Truck Crashes.
Frustration is understandable. We’re all human. However, there are some times where drivers’ emotions boil to a point that they rise to “road rage.”
Here in Illinois and Indiana, road rage is an increasing problem and rising danger for serious or deadly accidents involving cars, trucks, pedestrians, or motorcyclists. Road rage is getting worse.
Read, “ISP steps up enforcement surrounding Indianapolis,” written by the Lebanon Reporter and published by Yahoo! News on July 5, 2025; “Illinois State Police targets road rage with new campaign,” written by Jeff Bernthal and published by FOX-2 on January 4, 2024; and “Indiana Road Rage Crisis Ranks Third Worst in the Country,” written by Noral Parham and published by the Indianapolis Reporter on January 28, 2024.
What is Road Rage?
Aggressive driving is always dangerous, but it is particularly hazardous when it involves road rage. The Illinois State Police define road rage as “…driving a vehicle in an aggressive manner that could endanger the safety or property of another driver, motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian,” listing the following examples:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Running red lights/ stop signs
- Tailgating/following too closely
- Improper lane changes, passing, or turning
- Illegally driving on the shoulder of the road (emergency lane), in a ditch/median, or on sidewalk
- Operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless, careless, or negligent manner
- Failure to yield right of way
- Failure to obey traffic laws, signs, and devices
- Failure to signal
- Failure to yield to emergency personnel and construction zone speed limits
- Racing
- Cutting off another vehicle/weaving
- Slamming on brakes in front of a tailgater
- Forcing a driver off the road
- Rude hand or facial gestures at other drivers
- Yelling/cursing
- Repeatedly honking the horn
- Repeatedly flashing the headlights
- Throwing objects
- Ramming/sideswiping.
For safety organizations, law enforcement, agency regulators, and advocates for accident victims and their loved ones, it is alarming how commonplace road rage has become in this country. And, of great concern, the National Safety Council confirms that “…road rage can spill out of the vehicle and turn into an assault.”
Studies warn us that almost everyone has seen it: 96% reported witnessing road rage. And around half of all drivers have been the recipient of rude behavior by an enraged driver. See, “47 Road Rage Statistics for 2025,” written and published by GeoTab on May 2, 2025.
Liability for Damages After Road Rage Crash
For accident victims in a serious or fatal collision where road rage may be the cause of the accident, it is important to understand the complexities of these matters. The road rage driver who caused the crash must be found responsible using authenticated and admissible evidence.
Advocates and accident reconstructionists will work together to find things like police reports, dashcam videos, witness statements, black box data, and more to establish road rage as the cause of the crash. See: Accident Reconstruction Experts and Injury Claims; and Why a Lawyer who is a Trial Attorney Is Important for Accident Victims in Personal Injury Cases.
The Road Rage Driver
However, victims and their loved ones need to know that insurance policies often carry language excluding coverage for a driver who operated the vehicle with road rage. Road rage may be a listed exemption on the driver’s insurance policy. Read, “Road Rage and Auto Insurance,” published by the Insurance Information Institute.
This means that damage awards must be paid by the driver, without the help of their insurance company.
Other Parties
Each case is unique and deserves independent investigation and analysis. There may be some instances where facts reveal other parties share in legal responsibility for the crash.
For instance, an employer with prior knowledge of the driver’s aggressiveness and emotional outbursts while on the job may have liability for allowing that employee to be driving that day. See, Negligent Supervision by the Trucking Company and Semi-Truck Crash.
And conversely, an employer who allowed their worker to be placed into a recognized dangerous area where the risk of criminal activity (think shooting during a road rage incident) may also be legally culpable for failing to keep their employee safe. For more, read: Truckers Can Use Exception to HOS Rules If Threatened with Violent Crime.
Any party that allowed or encouraged someone obviously upset and angry to drive away may in some instances be included in legal liability claims too, especially if there is an established and known pattern of road rage for that driver.
For road rage accident victims and their loved ones, damages may be provided for civil claims that include things like:
- medical expenses
- future medical care and treatment
- rehabilitation costs
- lost wages
- lost earning capacity
- pain and suffering
- loss of consortium
- disfigurement or scarring.
For more, read: 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims; Pain Awareness: Claims to Cover an Accident Victim’s Pain Damages and Amputation and Disfigurement Damages After Chicago Accident.
Also see:
- What To Do If You’ve Been Hurt In an Indiana Car Crash
- What To Do If You’ve Been Injured In A Car Crash in Illinois.
With road rage being a significant risk for all of us driving the roads of Illinois and Indiana, it is wise to know how many angry, hostile drivers are behind the wheel here. Defensive techniques like not engaging with the road rage driver; avoiding confrontations (like honking your horn, etc.); and moving away as best you can to allow that angry person to move along, can save lives. Please be careful out there!
