As a 45-year-old Chicago resident faces murder charges in a road rage-related shooting in the suburbs, police are offering safety tips for motorists this holiday weekend.
Phillip Rogers was charged with murder and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon after he was allegedly involved in a road rage incident with another driver earlier this week on Interstate 80.
According to police, Rogers and the other driver were involved in a crash, and Rogers allegedly pulled out a weapon and shot the other driver, who was pronounced dead at an area hospital.
Illinois State Police Trooper Jayme Bufford delivered a message from the department after the shooting, asking motorists to help defuse potentially dangerous situations before they can escalate further.
“A lot of these expressway shootings are stemming from road rage so drive safely, avoid the aggressive driving and aggressive drivers,” Bufford said.
State police also offered several tips to help avoid road rage incidents:
-Don’t follow other motorists too closely
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-Move to the right to allow others to pass
-Use turn signals when merging
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-Give extra room for those seeking to merge
-If another driver appears angry or overly aggressive, avoid eye contact or responding with aggressive driving
Bufford says patience on the roads can often make a big difference too.
“Give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. I know sometimes people are in a hurry and that can cause you to be uptight and angry and can cause those aggressive behaviors,” Bufford said.
Finally, call 911 to report aggressive driving or potential road rage incidents, and be sure to have precise information to give to police to help locate drivers.
“License plate is always a good thing to have, but if you can’t, possibly a vehicle description,” Bufford said. “Make sure you know which roadway you’re on. Sometimes that’s a big deal, people don’t know what roadway there on or if they’re traveling north, south, east, west.”
Bufford also said that the holiday season can potentially increase the risk of road rage incidents as more motorists hit the roads.
“Holiday travel, there’s a lot more vehicles on the roadway, so I’m sure we’re going to see some of this aggressive driving,” Bufford said.
