How to prevent road rage and protect yourself behind the wheel
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — State police say it's that time of year.
As spring approaches and the weather breaks, more drivers are hitting the road. But with that brings traffic and aggressive drivers.
"We get cut off on the regular," truck driver Denise Johnson said. "They are not friendly with us out here on the road."
Truck drivers said they see it happen almost every day. Johnson wants to remind drivers that operating a commercial tractor-trailer has its challenges already, without small vehicles making it even harder.
"Oftentimes, we might not even be able to see you behind us," Johnson said. "And we're supposed to stay in a certain part of the lane, but you're not letting us or keeping us from doing our jobs."
That may have been the case last weekend, when a man reported to the police that a tractor-trailer merged in front of him, forcing him off the road. But it's what police said he did next that got him arrested.
Police say Marshall Dolfi passed the trucker, got in front of him and came to a complete stop on Route 66. Police say video surveillance shows Dolfi then approached the victim and threatened him before grabbing his phone and throwing it on the ground and then over an embankment.
State police said they are looking for aggressive drivers and encourage those behind the wheel to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles, watch their speed and use their turn signals.
"That's one of the triggers," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said. "When you move from one lane to the next without using your turn signal, that's one of the triggers that we found for aggressive driving."
The best thing to do to diffuse the situation is to pull off the road and away from an aggressive driver.
"By no means should you participate or create more friction between you and the person that's driving behind you," Limani said. "Just move over."
State police say you can also get the other driver's license plate number and report it to law enforcement.
