Road Rage Leads To Assault Charge For Grand Rapids Woman

I like to think I'm a decent driver.

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I use my turn signals, I don't sit in the left lane when other vehicles want to pass.

But sometimes I have to contain my inner hulk when it comes road rage.

Things that set me off are slow drivers in the left lane, people not using turn signals and people that play traffic cop when you're trying to properly zipper merge.

Despite me getting upset, I've been able to keep my cool and never had a road rage incident, unless you count flipping someone off, I've done that a time or two.

Common Behaviors That Can Be Considered Road Rage

Changing lanes without signaling
Signaling rude hand gestures
Tailgating
Speeding
Excessively honking the horn
Making obscene gestures
Shouting
Deliberately preventing another driver from changing lanes

A Grand Rapids woman is facing a misdemeanor assault charge after losing her cool during a road rage incident that happened in July.

Wood TV reported that Kalinda Jacobs pulled out in front of Michael Nguyen and slammed on her brakes.

When Nguyen honked his horn for Jacobs to move forward she put her car in park, got out and walked up to the passenger window and slapped Nguyen's fiancé

Jacobs will likely not get any jail time if found guilt of misdemeanor assault, but could face jail time up to 93 days and/or a $500 fine.

What To Do If You Experience Road Rage

If you encounter road rage you should try to avoid confrontation and escalation.

Instead you should do the following.

Call 911: Provide as much information as possible to the dispatcher, including the driver's description, the vehicle's make, model, color, and license plate number, and the direction of travel.

If you are being followed, do not stop or go home. Instead, get help from the police and note the vehicle's information.

Keep a safe distance: Slow down, switch lanes, or exit the highway to get away from the driver. Check your blind spots and use your signals when changing lanes.

Avoid eye contact: Maintain eye contact with an angry driver can make things worse. Instead, keep your eyes on the road.

Stay calm: If another driver is yelling, honking, or driving too close to you, try to stay calm and patient

I get that Jacobs was upset with people cutting through the private property, that would make me really mad too, but that doesn't give you the right to brake check someone and then slap them in the face.

I'm just thankful this incident didn't get any further out of hand.

Here's the full story from Wood TV including video of the road rage incident.