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Geneva Police Department and Illinois State Police have a simple message for drivers when it comes to road rage: Don’t engage.
The Illinois State Police launched the “Road Rage, Don’t Engage” safety campaign earlier this year, which focused on reducing road rage incidents leading to violence. Geneva Police partnered with State Police after responding to two isolated incidents this spring.
On May 7, a Geneva man, 40, approached two people after a driver failed to obey a stop sign near the 100 block of S. Randall Road. He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated use of a weapon and one count of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon, according to a news release.
A week later, a Batavia man, 23, allegedly cut off another driver on Kirk Road near Averill Road, and after a short verbal altercation, allegedly pointed a gun at the other driver. He was charged with two counts of aggravated use of a weapon and two counts of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon, according to the release.
“The Geneva Police Department is fortunate to partner with the Illinois State Police in addressing this important topic,” Geneva Police Chief Eric Passarelli said in a news release. “There has been a notable increase in aggressive driving in our community. Unfortunately, some of these incidents have escalated to motorists being threatened with a firearm.”
The Illinois State Police campaign encourages people to follow these important safety tips:
- If you are in the left lane and someone wants to pass, safely move to the right lane
- When merging, make sure you have plenty of room and use your turn signal
- If someone cuts you off, slow down and give them room to merge into your lane
- Safely change lanes if a speeding driver is tailgating your vehicle
- Making gestures might anger the other driver
- Create distance and avoid confrontation
- Do not make eye contact if another driver is acting angry
- Call 911 for police assistance if you are involved in a road rage incident
- Try your best not to lose your temper
“The consequences of aggressive driving are no longer just yelling and obscene gestures, but potentially looking down the barrel of a gun,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said in the release.
For more information about the road rage safety campaign visit the Illinois State Police website.