It's hard to find a driver out there who hasn't had a moment of frustration behind the wheel, maybe even said a few choice words about another driver from the confines of your own car. But, according to the law, that's about where the line is when it comes to road rage.
You can be cited for aggressive driving if you purposely tailgate another driver for an extended period of time, make unsafe lane changes to cut them off or leave the roadway to overtake them.
The penalty is a misdemeanor and could cost money in fines, or even your license for up to a month. Police say it comes down to intent and if you are trying to cause harm to another driver they could charge with disorderly conduct, endangerment or even attempted aggravated assault.
Alejandra Seranno says he got tangled in a road rage incident in Chandler after picking his kids up from school. He believes the other driver should face charges for damaging his car and putting his family's safety in danger.
Seranno says a black Hyundai Elantra merged into traffic on Ray Road and cut him off. He changed lanes to get some space but says the other car's passengers starting yelling obscenities at him. Eventually the incident escalated to tailgating through several intersections and he was repeatedly cut off.
"My son starts saying 'They're following us, they're following us." Seranno said.
He says passengers in the other car started throwing rocks and metal pieces at his car, causing damage to his hood.
When the suspect finally turned away Seranno decided to follow while his wife called 911. He stopped following after the other car pulled over and it appeared that a passenger was getting out.
"Kind of scary seeing that kind of stuff happen you know?" he said.
Police recommend you always report road rage incidents to 911, even if the other car is no longer on scene, they say it's likely that driver will get aggressive with someone else and dispatch can help coordinate a meeting place with police.
You should also try to be the best witness you can providing a make, model and color of the car, any driver description you can remember and when it's safe, provide a license plate number.
