Road Rage
“Road rage”—aggressive behavior by the driver of one automobile against one or more other vehicles—became a popular term about 1987-88. KTLA, a television station in Los Angeles, california, is said to have coined the term.
“In the meántime, all of you with road rage—cool it!” was cited in print in January 1988.
Wikipedia: Road rage
Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other road vehicle. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Road rage can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions that result in injuries and even deaths. It can be thought of as an extreme case of aggressive driving.
The term originated in the United States in 1987–1988 (specifically, from Newscasters at KTLA, a television station in Los Angeles), when a rash of freeway shootings occurred on the 405, 110, and 10 freeways in Los Angeles, California. These shooting sprees even spawned a response from the AAA Motor Club to its members on how to respond to drivers with road rage or aggressive manoeuvers and gestures.
22 January 1988, Duncanville (TX) Today, “Road Ragers—cool it!” by Rosemary Rumbley, pg. 14, col. 5:
In the meántime, all of you with road rage—cool it!
12 February 1988, Duncanville (TX) Today, “Defining many types of road rage” by Jack Tipping, pg. 2A, col. 2:
We see and hear a lot these days about “road rage.” I checked with Mr. Webster for a definition of “road rage” but, apparently, the term is so new he hasn’t gotten around to defining it yet, so, let me give it a try: “road rage—furious, uncontrolled anger by a driver of a motor vehicle directed against the driver of another vehicle.”
OCLC WorldCat record
Road rage.
Author: B Wright
Edition/Format: Article Article : English
Publication: Accident and emergency nursing, 1994 Oct; 2(4): 181
Database: From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
OCLC WorldCat record
Driven to the edge - Walter Brennan reports on the phenomenon known as road rage
Author: Walter Brennan
Publisher: Harrow, Middx. : [Scutari Projects Ltd., 1987-
Edition/Format: Article Article : English
Publication: Nursing standard. 9, no. 42, (1995): 21
Database: ArticleFirst
OCLC WorldCat record
The handbook for overcoming road rage : the 10 step compassion program
Author: Arnold Nerenberg
Publisher: Los Angeles, CA : Seed-Thought Publishers, ©1996.
Edition/Format: Book : English
Los Angeles (CA) magazine
Proved by Science! Road Rage-aholics Aren’t Angry, They Just Need to be Loved
The psychologist who popularized the term “road rage” tells us why we’re so filled with it—turns out, you’re not angry, you’re lonely
Posted on 3/31/2014 10:34:00 AM by Shayna Rose Arnold
What do the Internet and L.A. traffic have in common? Both turn average people into angry, anonymous trolls. Arnold P. Nerenberg, Ph.D. of The Nerenberg Institute, Whittier claims that talking to each other on streets and sidewalks will make L.A. a friendlier place:
“Some say I coined the term “road rage.” I didn’t. I popularized it. What is the real reason that people—often nice people—openly express hostility to other drivers? Part of the reason is self-expression and the need for respect. When someone is cut off by another driver, many people take it personally. They feel disrespected. People crave to express themselves, but can’t in the usual social situations. One the road, they are anonymous. They can curse, make obscene gestures, blow their horns, and think they will never see the other driver again. They got away with it.