Road Rage: Arizona driving school giving would-be drivers tips to stay safe while on the road

PHOENIX - In the aftermath of a deadly shooting that happened along the I-10 on Aug. 15, experts are giving tips on ways people can stay safe while on the road.

The shooting, according to police, happened in West Phoenix. The victim, identified as 18-year-old Brittany Gutierrez-Bugarin of Phoenix was riding in a car as a passenger when she was shot near the I-10 and 91st Avenue off-ramp.

Driving instructors teaching road rage safety to students

AZ driving school teaches road rage safety

As Arizona sees more and more road rage incidents, driving school instructors are teaching would-be drivers ways they can stay safe while out in the streets. FOX 10's Linda Williams reports.

In Arizona, authorities started tracking road rage incidents in 2019, and according to data, cases jumped 36% from 2021 to 2022. In addition, an 2022 analysis done by the non-profit Everytown For Gun Safety found that road rage incidents involving guns have surged since 2018.

At Driving MBA School in Glendale, one of the things driving instructor Kathy Ryan does with simulations is to teach drivers of all ages how to be a smart, and not be emotionally drawn into trouble.

"We start, from the very first lesson, on how to not be engaged in road rage," said Ryan.

In one simulation at the school, an angry driver is honking and closely following a car Ryan was driving. She says they teach drivers what to do and not do.

"How to not respond because they want to respond," said Ryan. "They want to honk, they want to pull over. If we pulled over, that man who is following me would pull in behind me. I would have to find a safe place to go."

ADOT officials require that driving courses include education on road rage in their curriculum. It is something Ryan says the school has always done. They also teach on safe places to go if a person is being followed, even focusing on when and how to honk the horn.

In the simulator, these are valuable lessons, but in the real world, it could save a person's life.

"How dangerous is it to be out on the roads, and how to identify aggressive drivers around you and how to disengage from them. There are a lot of aggressive drivers out there, and you need to have a plan on what to do to keep your self safe," said Ryan.

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