JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man is dead after what the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office describes as an apparent road rage incident that happened on St. Johns Bluff on Wednesday night.
JSO said the alleged shooter turned himself in.
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Just last week, Action News Jax told you about another road rage shooting in our area that happened on Philips Highway and left one person in critical condition.
Florida was ranked the 10th worst state in the nation for road rage in a new Journal of Consumer Research report, with aggressive and careless driving involved in roughly a quarter of all traffic accidents and fatalities in the state.
Sergeant Steven Coppola works traffic homicides for the Florida Highway Patrol.
He said in his experience road rage is fairly rare, but when it happens it often leads to tragic outcomes.
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“We had one on U.S. 17 many, many years ago where we actually instructed one of the drivers, pull over, get away from that situation and sadly she failed to do so and she ended up going to jail because the other driver involved in the traffic fatality was killed,” Coppola said.
He said he doesn’t necessarily think there’s any factor unique to Florida that could be blamed for causing more road rage than is seen in other states.
“I don’t think our roads have anything to do with it. I think stress and just, I don’t think people want to be in their cars anymore,” Coppola said.
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He said drivers can take some simple steps to avoid falling victim to road rage -- and it starts before you even hop in the car.
“If you’re in a mood or emotional, take a break. Don’t get into that car and be in a hurry to get across town,” Coppola said.
Coppola said if you see someone who seems to be driving recklessly or is harassing you on the road, the best thing to do is to avoid engaging with the driver, safely pull over and contact FHP or local law enforcement to report the behavior.
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