Armed Road Rage: December 2011

Monday, December 5, 2011

Man in car with his two young children fires gun at another driver in road rage incident

29-year-old Kenneth Simmons, of Normalville, PA, was driving on Route 711 with his two children, ages 4 and 2. According to police reports, a dispute started when Simmons encounter a car driven by 18-year-old Tyler Dipaola. Simmons thought Dipaola almost hit his car so he started chasing him. This lead to the cars passing and weaving around one another until the two became cornered on Backcreek Rd.
Along the way Simmons allegedly made an inappropriate gesture to Diapola and pulled out his rifle and showed it to Diapola twice. He then fired the gun. Simmons told police he fired the gun at the ground.
Simmons has been charged with reckless endangerment, simple assault, and firearms violations.

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States have made it easier and easier for motorists to carry loaded guns in their vehicles. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health asked the question, "Are motorists with guns in the car more or less likely to engage in hostile and aggressive behavior? The studies concluded that "riding with a firearm in the vehicle was a marker for aggressive and dangerous driver behavior."

(see Accident Analysis and Prevention, Nov. 2005, issue 38, pgs. 687-695 and 2002, issue 34, pgs. 807-814)

Authors Hemenway, Vriniotis, and Miller write, "Road rage may be most dangerous when an enraged motorists has immediate access to a lethal weapon, such as a gun. Our study finds that motorists who have ridden with firearms in their vehicles are more likely to make obscene gestures at other drivers and to follow other drivers aggressively. They are also more likely to be the victims of these behaviors. Contrary to common claims, it does not appear that 'an armed society is a polite society'."