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After the interstate highway system was created in 1956, driving has become a way of life for almost all Americans.
With these new highways came the emergence of new types of criminal activity. Disenchanted World War II veterans created biker gangs and “road rage” (aggressive driving) became more and more popular among aggravated drivers.
Recent headlines, however, seem like those of 1956 rather than those of 2013.
On September 29, a viral video began to dominate headlines, by depicting a group of motorcyclists chasing a black Range Rover through Manhattan’s West Side Highway into the streets of New York City.
The video, filmed from one of the biker’s helmet cameras, follows the pack of motorcycles, showing the initial Range Rover/motorcycle bumper collision. The video continues to depict the car pummeling a particular motorcyclist, who was paralyzed due to the impact.
The six minute long video continues to show bikers breaking the glass window of the car, which had stopped in the inescapable New York traffic. As CNN reports, the driver, banker Alexian Lian was pulled out and beaten in front of his wife and child.
While road rage and biker gangs are relatively uncommon in Madison, a so-called “parking lot rage” is rumored in the north and south parking lots of Bob Jones High School.
“People get really angry when you’re backing up, they’ll speed up and cut you off,” said Bob Jones senior Caralyn Patton, who parks in the north lot.
Fellow north parking lot user, Shannon Walker, tells of how “people who let a lot of people out upset the people behind them and get honked at.”
Senior Alexis Gurganious tells of students rushing to their cars in order to not be “locked in” the after-school traffic. “It literally looks like survival of the fittest [in the south lot]. That’s why I don’t drive to school anymore,” Alexis revealed.
“We see some rear bumper to rear bumper accidents when [students] are backing out of the parking lot. Students seem to be pretty safe overall. I often encourage [students] to use the resources around them, and to keep their eyes open,” Student Resource Officer, Jason Sims reassures.
Other students, not eager to involve themselves in any possible driving altercations, opt to bypass all parking lot drama. “I park in the Eastview lot to avoid any problems,” Chris Lycans, a senior, admits.
While “parking lot rage” includes some mean-spirited honking and the occasional cut-off, it cannot compare to actual road rage.
“As far as encountering road rage, I always encourage people to back off, call the police, and advise [the driver] on the situation,” officer Sims advises.
