Link: http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/live/article/84427

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BRIAN TOWIE, METRO

Who does your typical road rager look like? You.

The phenomenon of fury behind the wheel has come to the fore once again after 55-year-old Antonio Greco was killed in what police are calling a deadly act of road rage last week on the James Snow Parkway near Milton.

Wayne Winsor, 39, faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, criminal negligence and dangerous driving.

The victim’s family has since called for an end to aggression on the roadways.

But neither Greco nor Winsor fit the description of what experts have called likely road rage perpetrators: Young males under 30. Experts say that while a case this extreme is rare, it’s proof that anyone, particularly successful people, can blow their top and put themselves and others in harm’s way.

It’s more common than one might think: Angelo DiCicco, a 21-year driving instructor and general manager at Young Drivers of Canada, says out of the more than 500 professional drivers his school retrains per year, 95 per cent say they have been the subject of or subjected to road rage.
Control issue

“The most common acts of road rage don’t come from the Charlie Manson types who carry the bloody axe in the seat next to them, they come from people with above-average incomes and education,” adds Sgt. Cam Woolley of the Ontario Provincial Police.

“They’re successful people who interact well with the community around them and are referred to in a positive way. I think it’s a control issue. These people are used to being in charge of their lives, so when they get cut off or someone tailgates them, they react the wrong way.”

Incidents such as the one last week usually start with a mistake, says Woolley, followed by visual communication — a glare or offensive gestures, for instance. The situation can then escalate into aggression, then possibly violence if tempers flare high enough.

So what is it about the road that brings out the worst in people? Dr. David Wiesenthal, a York University psychology professor and co-author of Contemporary Issues In Road User Behavior And Traffic Safety, says the anonymity the car provides spurs people to act in ways they normally never would.

“Roads are a place where you see vengeance on a daily basis,” he said. “Speed and anonymity are factors: You have the car, which is both the weapon and the means of escape. You’ll probably never see that stranger again, so the social constraints are gone. You’re freer to deviate from social behaviour.”
Anonymity

Nevertheless, the protection from recognition the car affords drivers is no excuse to act aggressively, says Edyta Zdancewicz, media spokesperson for the Canadian Automobile Association.

“Road rage is essentially a selfish act, and it’s always serious. One life lost is too much,” she said. "It’s not something you can legislate out. The drivers have to take control of themselves. The onus is on all of us to use our common sense."

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A video from CityTV with reporter Dwight Drummond. Covering the new speeding law and what it means to the people.

Link: http://www.drivers.com/article/949/

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According to local media reports, new "safer roads" legislation in Canada's province of Ontario not only comes down hard on drivers exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/hr (30 mph) it's also tough on "stunt driving" such as doing 'wheelies' or 'donuts.'

One police officer predicted a "shock and awe" reaction when the realization of the law's impact hits the street racing community.

When the law came into effect at 12.01 a.m. on September 30 it didn't take long to pull in some culprits. There was lots of warning in the media but 28 drivers were charged the first day. The police had some dramatic examples:

"A young man started crying as his mom's car was impounded," OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley, told the media. Another driver lost the new car he'd just purchased when he was caught at 174 km/h on Highway 401, which has a 100 km/h speed limit. "He only had the car for two days, and the car will be impounded longer than he owned it," Woolley noted. Two drivers had their rental cars impounded, leaving them with an extra week's rental but no car.

However, the law is not just about speeding. Included under the heading of stunt driving: unsafe lane changes, "people slaloming through traffic at high speed", and perhaps even drivers doing wheelies or donuts.

"There's a lot of room for the officer to use their own judgment," Sgt Woolley told the Press. "Anyone driving in a risky manner, driving an unsafe vehicle, driving double the speed limit on wet or icy roads,'' could be risking charges under the new Act.

Apart from the more flagrant driving offences such as racing and doing stunts there could be more mundane ways in which drivers could infract the new laws. For example, one observer pointed out that a driver coming off a motorway with a 100 km/hr speed limit might wind up in a 50km/hr zone without realizing it. However, it is not normal for speed limits to drop so dramatically and there is usually an intermediate speed zone between the two (for example 80 km/hr).

Law resulted from tragedies
Support for the new law was boosted by recent deaths in the province due to high speed driving. In January, 2006, a high-speed driver killed Tahir Khan, a 46-year-old Pakistani immigrant just days away from obtaining his Canadian citizenship. Police said two 18-year-olds were racing in their parents' Mercedes-Benzes through an upscale Toronto neighborhood when Khan’s cab was hit. They alleged the cars hit speeds of up to 140 km/hr (87 mph) in a 50 km/hr (30 mph) zone.

Another alleged case of street racing concluded in a Toronto courtroom on October 3, 2007, when two young drivers were spared jail time following a crash that killed the parents of an 8-yr-old girl.

Rob and Lisa Manchester, aged 46 and 43, died after their vehicle was broadsided as it turned left from a busy street north of the city. They were hit by one of two Hondas that police alleged were racing. Their car was ripped apart by the impact.

Both Hondas had been modified with larger tires and exhausts, lowered suspensions, and were adapted with air intakes that allow the use of high-octane fuel, police said. Local drivers Ruben Rodrigues, 22, and Marco Gasparro, 19, were sentenced October 3.

Justice William Gorewich said he did not believe the drivers were racing when Rodriguez's Honda broadsided the Manchesters' vehicle. He sentenced Rodriguez to a conditional sentence of two years less a day to be served at his home, when he's not working or attending school. Rodriguez was also banned from driving for five years and must perform 150 hours of community service. Police estimated Rodriguez was driving 20 to 32 km/hr hour over the speed limit when he hit the Manchesters.

Gasparro pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and received two years probation, a fine of $2,000 and 100 hours of community service. He was banned from driving for 18 months.

Sgt. Dave Mitchell of York Regional Police said he was "disappointed" by the sentences since the two drivers had been driving faster than other traffic and weaving in and out for several kilometers. Under the new street racing law the sentence would have been different, Mitchell believed.

A number of jurisdictions in the U.S. have administrative license suspensions and vehicle impoundment laws. However, they are normally associated with drinking/driving laws.

More vehicle impoundment laws

Jurisdictions are increasingly turning to impoundment as a preventative measure because studies show it's effective. MADD cites studies showing that 50 – 75% of DUI offenders continue to drive without a license during their suspension/revocation period and "over 60 percent of third-time offenders who have their license suspended or revoked commit some form of traffic violation during their suspension/revocation period.

When vehicles are impounded, repeat offences are reduced. "In Ohio," says MADD, "even two years after the sanction period, those drivers who had had their vehicles impounded still had at least 35 percent fewer DUIs compared with those who had not."