(StraightNews.org) – A young boy was shot dead in front of his parents during a road rage incident in California. The tragedy occurred on the Sierra Highway in the Los Angeles suburb of Lancaster, where the family were driving before being cut off by a fellow motorist who then began chasing them. Under pursuit, the driver slowed his car, and the chaser pulled alongside him and opened fire. One bullet hit the 4-year-old, who was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle and killed him.
Deputies from Lancaster Sheriff’s Station responded to the incident and confirmed the young boy’s death. A statement issued by the office said police used CCTV cameras to track down the culprits and arrested a 29-year-old black male and a 27-year-old white female. The statement confirmed that there were no other injuries and no other parties involved.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said, “It’s unimaginable that this could have been any of our families, it could have been any of us.”
Road rage incidents account for more than 50% of fatalities on American roads, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. It is characterized as involving aggressive and unsafe driving that causes harm, or risks causing harm, to motorists or property and results in about 30 deaths and 1,800 injuries every year.
The most commonly recognized examples of road rage include tailgating, speeding, cutting off, weaving, excessive lane changing, and running red lights. The AAA reports that 78% of drivers admit to some of these behaviors, with males slightly more likely to exhibit aggression behind the wheel than women.
Of the drivers who admitted bad behavior, 55% of men said they had tailgated another car, and 46% of women said the same. Slightly more men – 49% – admit to shouting at other drivers, compared to 42% of women. In more serious categories, such as physical confrontation, 5.7% of men said they were guilty, but only 1.8% of women.
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