Road Rage in Goose Creek

Two men walked into the Goose Creek Police Department on Monday morning looking to file a report — one of them with a cut in his hand. The pair had allegedly been driving aggressively all the way from Monks's Corner to Mount Holly.

At the intersection with Old Mount Holly road, they got out of their vehicles and started fighting. Rodney Castleberry, 49,  after Scott Miller, 41, was cut in the altercation. Charges have not been determined for Miller.

A little more than a week ago, two drivers were  March 10 that took out the La Petite Academy sign, closed busy St. James Avenue and left one of them with a head injury.

Witness reports of the two men driving at high speeds led to the racing charges, but one of the men claimed he started driving aggressively because he felt the other driver started following him too close and he said it made him angry.

A 2009 study suggested driving behavior was often the catalyst for road rage incidents.

The survey showed that 43 percent of people reacted to bad driving by honking their horn. But, 36 percent resorted to cursing, 13 percent waved their fists or arms, and 10 percent made an obscene gesture. Seven percent were so angry they called the police. One percent admitted they had slammed into the car in front of them.

Oddly, that last number was much higher in Washington, D.C. 

Responding to the poll, Thad Peterson, the head of the Michigan State Police committee on driver behavior said the road rage incidents that turn into police situations often involve environmental or engineering issues, pointing to one road as an example.

"The low speed limit frustrated many drivers, so they drove over the speed limit," said Peterson. "This caused problems for other drivers who were driving at the speed limit. The speed differential caused the tailgating, passing, and speeding that were reported as 'aggressive' driving."

There are certainly some roadwork issues around town — like the water line work along Red Bank Road. And there are a few choke points, particularly exiting some neighborhoods, where the blood pressure could go up. 

Peterson's advice was probably the best, but it may be a hard pill to swallow for some:

To deal with frustration on the road, Peterson recommends this acronym: FIDO. Forget It and Drive On.

"It is often best just to keep on driving," said Peterson.