UPDATE: The YouTube user has now removed their video (see below), but you can still see the footage in our video above.
Story:
A violent example of road rage between two men was recently caught on tape and posted to YouTube.
The video, called ‘ROAD RAGE VANCOUVER’ was posted on June 13, and shows two men throwing punches in the middle of a busy street.
According to the description on YouTube, the person who shot the video saw a younger man weaving in and out of traffic, before almost rear-ending a car in front of him.
The description then says after the cars exited the highway, the younger man jumped out of his car, goes up to the car in front, and starts kicking the door of the older man’s car.
The video starts at the point where the younger man is yelling at the other driver and then walks back to his car.
The older man then approaches the younger one and punches are thrown, with both men being knocked to the ground.
The two men are fighting on the sidewalk when the younger man gets up and says ‘I’m a kid, leave me alone.’
A few more words are exchanged and a few more punches thrown, before both men get into their cars and drive away.
Cpl. Richard De Jong with the North Vancouver RCMP says he has seen the video, but there has been no report filed to the RCMP about the incident.
Watch the video below: (warning – not suitable for all audiences due to violence and offensive language)
Traffic safety expert with the Justice Institute of B.C., Allan Lamb, said this video is certainly one of the worst examples of road rage he’s ever seen. “It was a very serious road rage incident,” he said.
“Some psychologists say we become very different people when we’re operating our cars. We have a sense of power and authority when we’re driving our vehicles and inside our vehicles,” he said. “Most of us can relate to the fact that we often will say and do things that we shouldn’t say and shouldn’t do, in front of our children for example when we’re driving a vehicle. So it’s an interesting psychological question I believe, that why are we different people in a vehicle than we are at a workplace or with our neighbours?”
ICBC psychologist John Vavrik agreed with Lamb in that this video is one of the more extreme types of road rage he’s every seen.
“Not everybody goes from being angry to being aggressive,” he said. “It takes a certain type of personality.”
Vavrik said people who are not assertive when they should be, tend to be aggressive when they shouldn’t be.
The Justice Institute of B.C. has put out six tips on their Facebook page for dealing with road rage:
1) Avoid eye contact with the aggressive road user
2) Be tolerant as the aggressive behaviour may involve someone on drugs and/or carrying a weapon
3) Phone 911 if you or anyone else is threatened by a hostile road user (not just drivers as cyclists and pedestrian can also be aggressive)
4) Leave sufficient space between vehicles involved so you can leave the incident if necessary
5) If followed, drive to a public place and a police department or detachment if possible. Never drive to your residence if followed.
6) If possible, record the licence number, description of vehicle and direction of travel
Lamb said to always phone 911 if you feel you are being threatened, you are never bothering the police with that call.
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