What's behind road rage

AUSTIN, Texas - It’s a situation  any driver can find themselves in a severe case of road rage.

Officials are using recent incidents within the last week as an opportunity to educate drivers.

We’ve seen it time and time again road rage escalating into fights.

Last year a road rage situation led to two men to duking it out.

Also last week, police blamed road rage for the death of 48-year-old Alfred Lockett.
The suspect is still on the loose.

And just over the weekend, Austin police got the call about a shooting in central Austin.

A man claims he was shot while driving his car.

Police have not confirmed if it was road rage yet.

Doctor Kim Kjome said often times on the road, people objectify others, and something called deindividuation.

“You might not be a mom, you might not be a dad, You might not be somebody's brother. You're just a person who's frustrating them. It's more like an object that being a human being,” said Kjome.

Austin Police Department believes we can stop seeing this type of behavior if drivers follow important tips:

• The first and foremost thing you want to do is get as much distance from the other vehicle as possible
• Don't follow the other vehicle; don't start engaging in aggressive behavior like cutting the drivers off or running red lights.
• Road rage is real, road rage can be deadly