The incidents involving rage or anger at other drivers while driving has increased over the years, which can be a criminal act of assault. If a driver’s actions result in a “hit and run” that has a fatality or serious injury, that is a Class C felony. Some actions that could be characterized as road rage or angry driving are:
• Deliberately cutting another driver off
• Obscene Gestures
• Tailgating
• Honking Horn excessively
• Improperly blocking a lane
• Deliberately driving to slowly
If someone sees these type of driver actions they can voluntarily report them, but they must leave their contact information for the report to be accepted. All drivers owe other people a certain duty of care and road rage driving certainly breaches that duty. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that aggressive driving leading to road rage, is a factor in 56% of all fatal crashes.
Depending on the driver’s record and other charges being brought against them in the state of Oregon, charges for causing the death of another while operating a motor vehicle could be:
• Manslaughter in First degree- 10 year imprisonment
• Manslaughter in Second degree-75 months
• Aggravated Vehicular Homicide- up to 20 years and up to $375,000 dollars in fines
If it is determined that the driving actions, like road rage actions, leading up to the death of this person, the driver can be charged with manslaughter in the second degree in Oregon. Currently the state of Oregon has no specific statute for aggressive driving leading to road rage.