Road rage on rise, but drivers have ways to avoid violence (2024)

A trio of recent road rage confrontations — two in Tucson and one in Sierra Vista — turned deadly.

Local authorities say it’s too soon to cite three fatal shootings in as many days as an indication that traffic disputes more typically settled with a few curse words and perhaps a vulgar gesture are increasingly turning violent, but national figures show road rage shooting injuries have more than doubled since 2018.

The shootings

The first of the three recent deadly road rage incidents occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on June 20 on Tucson’s southwest side at the intersection of West Ajo Way and South Kinney Road.

Martin Bloom, 56, was shot when he stopped his blue sedan in front of a Nissan Pathfinder being driven by Robert Ryan, 77, walked to the SUV and punched Ryan in the face through an open window, according to the interim complaint filed in Pima County Justice Court.

Ryan pulled out a black handgun and shot Bloom, who died later at a hospital, the court document says.

Ryan drove off after the shooting and later told deputies searching his home that he didn’t remember firing the gun after pulling it out of its holster and pointing it at Bloom, the document says.

The next day, Eliseo German, 47, was shot and killed during a traffic dispute with a 21-year-old driver on Tucson’s south side, near South 12th Avenue and West Ajo Way, police say. Both were armed, police have said.

Police have not provided details about what prompted the dispute and shooting, but the 21-year-old has been charged with a crime.

The third fatal road rage shooting occurred June 22 in Sierra Vista.

Zacarius Pierre, 37, was arrested after Sierra Vista police say he shot and killed William McCutchan, 53, during a traffic dispute. Police have said Pierre fired in the windshield as McCutchan tried to drive away from an extended traffic dispute.

McCutchan was found dead behind the wheel a short distance away, police have said. Pierre was jailed on suspicion of murder.

Trend or coincidence?

“It’s like any crime, there’s always potential of crime spikes to happen,” said Lt. Aaron Wine of the Tucson Police Department’s Violent Crimes Section when asked about any possible pattern of escalation here in violent traffic encounters.

“There’s a seasonality to things ... We do get different levels of calls that come into 911, everything from aggressive drivers to what can be considered road rage, but this is not necessarily a pattern.”

A spokesman for the sheriff’s department had a similar reaction.

“From my experience, it seems like incidents like this in general come in waves for some reason,” Deputy Keith Bee said. “Sometimes it’s calm, then it’s back-to-back.”

On a national level, however, statistics collected during a 2023-24 survey by the Consumer Affairs Journal of Consumer Research indicate a continuing rise in violent traffic disputes.

It shows that road rage shooting injuries have more than doubled nationally since 2018 — jumping from 176 to 413 in 2022.

The top reasons for feeling road rage include heavy traffic, already feeling stressed, running late and feeling angry or tired, according to a 2023 survey published by Forbes Advisor.

That said, it’s important for drivers to know how to act and react.

“Try not to take it personally,” said Julian Paredes, a spokesman for Arizona AAA. “Road rage is often a symptom of much larger things happening in that person’s life that aren’t related to you.

“The worst thing you can do is respond with aggression in the face of aggression, “ he said.

About 92% of American drivers reported witnessing road rage at least once in the past year, and 89% reported being a victim of such an experience, the consumer research survey showed. Those who reported witnessing a more severe incident, like a physical fight between drivers, was 6%.

The most common road rage behaviors: speeding; tailgating; honking; gesturing; running a red light; aggressive driving; and cutting off another vehicle.

In the Forbes survey, about 32% of Arizona drivers reported that another motorist exited their vehicle to yell or fight with them.

Safety steps

Getting away from a road rage situation — or even a potential one — is the best course of action, local authorities say.

“Don’t let another aggressive driver’s behavior get under your skin to the point where it creates a confrontation,” said Wine, the Tucson police lieutenant.

Wine suggests frustrated motorists take a few breaths, turn off the road when possible and give the other driver enough space to avoid conflict.

If need be, call 911 for help and to alert dispatchers about an aggressive or violent driver.

If the aggressive driver happens to be you on a particular day, there are ways that law enforcement officers suggest to calm down before getting back on the road.

“Take a breath and think about what you’re really going through and dealing with,” says Bee, of the sheriff’s department.

“Is traffic the reason, or is something else wrong? It’s not worth putting yourself in a potentially dangerous situation with someone else,” Bee said. “Put on some calming music or call a friend — anything that will discourage yourself from getting out of that car.

“Don’t let those circ*mstances escalate and turn into something it was never intended to be.”