Dr Sheetal Bhoola is a lecturer and researcher at the University of Zululand, and director at StellarMaths (Sunningdale)
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Road rage has been a global problem for decades, and the U.S. was the first nation to identify this behaviour and classify it under this term.
Scholars have indicated that perpetrators of road rage exhibit inconsistent and sporadic behaviour, making it rather difficult to accurately define and comprehend the meaning of this term.
However, central to understanding road rage is the emotion of anger, triggers, and an overall unhealthy emotional stress that relates to several reasons and motivations. Road rage is ultimately about the behaviour that people adopt while driving, and this behaviour includes indecent gestures towards other drivers accompanied by aggression.
Aggression among humans has been heightened by legislation that permits the carrying of firearms in public spaces.
Approximately 3 million South Africans legally own firearms and carry these weapons for personal defence reasons, and this figure excludes the number of citizens who carry firearms illegally.
According to the World Population Review, there are approximately 9.7 guns per 100 people in South Africa. The purpose and irregular measures are unaccounted for in this study, but it clearly indicates that there is a high number of firearms circulating within South African communities.
Under the Firearms Control Act (Act 60 of 2000), individuals who are licensed under Section 13 (self-defence) may legally carry a firearm concealed. Open carry is legal but highly discouraged and uncommon.
Unfortunately, there is no separate permit system or operational evaluation required for a firearm to be carried; the licence itself allows it, provided it is done responsibly and concealed, according to South African Police Service (SAPS) official documentation. This may partly explain why violence has escalated to these detrimental levels of shootings.
A recent road rage incident in Emmarentia has raised awareness of the potential tragedies that can result from such confrontations. It has been alleged that the shooting was a response to both physical and verbal abuse experienced by the perpetrator before he discharged his firearm. The perpetrator has not been prosecuted, as the case remains under investigation following claims that he acted in self-defence. One man was killed, his wife was wounded, and two young children witnessed the aftermath.
Last year in Umlazi, Durban, motorists were involved in an altercation that resulted in a man being shot multiple times beside his vehicle, dying at the scene. Paramedics reported fatal gunshot wounds, and SAPS investigated the shooting as a road rage-related incident.
In 2024, in Johannesburg, another shooting linked to road rage occurred. An argument between drivers in traffic escalated, resulting in a firearm being discharged and a fatality. The incident was cited by police and safety groups as part of a growing pattern of firearm-related road rage in the province.
In 2023, in the Western Cape, during a confrontation following aggressive driving, one motorist shot another at close range. The victim later died in hospital. Western Cape SAPS confirmed that the shooting followed a traffic dispute.
The reasons for such aggression on the road vary. Minor collisions, lane disputes, and hooting have all been associated with the above-mentioned road rage shootings. There have been reported incidents in policing and media reports that emphasise a dominant pattern of behaviour that begins with verbal abuse, escalates to physical confrontation, and thereafter leads to firearm use.
Often, individuals are highly stressed and have licensed firearms readily available in their vehicles. The accessibility of these events on social and mass media platforms amplifies trauma and public concern among both adults and children in society.
Theorists have indicated that the human brain is wired to defend territory, and people often treat their cars as extensions of their personal space, feeling uncomfortable when others come too close, even in public parking lots.
Driving can provide a sense of personal control and autonomy. A car is often seen as a mobile extension of a person’s identity and ego.
A car is like a second home, and motorists tend to respond to perceived threats in a territorial manner. When a driver makes an error, it is often difficult for them to apologise or signal “excuse me” in a way that can be readily understood.
By contrast, cars provide an environment in which individuals may feel safe to display hostility. A car gives the motorist power, protection, easy escape, and anonymity. Not surprisingly, hostile behaviour by motorists is relatively common (Whitlock, 1971; Turner et al., 1975; Fong et al., 2001).
The approach going forward would be to limit the number of civilians carrying weapons, and a shooting licence should not be the central criterion for owning licensed firearms.
Stringent laws need to be in place so that these incidents can be curbed in a society that is already fraught with entrenched violence and present socio-economic discontent, which has been exacerbated by current global economic pressures driven by the war in the Middle East.
Ideally, drivers should strive to avoid confrontation, remain in their vehicles, move to a safe area, and contact policing services and insurers rather than engaging on the roadside without representatives from the police.
*The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.*
DAILY NEWS