Atlanta Road-Rage Incident Progresses to Shooting

The Atlanta Police Department is searching for a man who reportedly fired multiple gunshots at another car while on the Downtown Connector on Monday.

The shooting happened as a result of an alleged road-rage incident. The suspect was reportedly driving a van with a temporary tag on it and has yet to be located.

As a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I handle various types of serious traffic violations such as Reckless Driving in Georgia and DUI in Georgia. As this is my focus of law, I will take a closer look at the law behind aggressive driving as it was the first alleged offense in the story above.

Aggressive Driving in Georgia

Aggressive Driving in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. §40-6-397 as:

A person commits the offense of aggressive driving when he or she operates any motor vehicle with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person, including without limitation violating Code Section 40-6-42, 40-6-48, 40-6-49, 40-6-123, 40-6-184, 40-6-312, or 40-6-390 with such intent.

To put it simply - aggressive driving refers to any sort of selfish, unsafe and risky driving behavior that shows disregard for the safety of other drivers.

Examples of aggressive driving behaviors include weaving in and out of traffic, changing lanes without signaling, passing in no-passing zones or emergency lanes, forceful merging, failing to yield, cutting off other drivers at close range, speeding, inappropriate gesturing and hand signals, inappropriate use of horns, flashing headlights, and tailgating.

Aggressive driving is classified as a high and aggravated misdemeanor in Georgia. A first time conviction can result in penalties of jail time up to 12 months or fines up to $5,000 or both.

Practice Note

Obviously not every instance of aggressive driving results in a shootout. But unfortunately, that is not unheard of - especially in the Metro Atlanta area.

If you've been arrested for a serious traffic violation, contact our offices today. We can help you with any criminal charges.