Road Rage Shooting Reported in Stone Mountain

Stone Mountain, Ga. - Another road rage incident has been reported in Georgia this week. According to authorities out of Stone Mountain, a man was shot in the face while driving to Stone Mountain Park to hike with his wife.

Fortunately the man is now stable, however, officers remain on the lookout for the suspect. The shooting happened in broad daylight around 1:45 PM on I-675. The wife reported, “I saw him in my passenger-side mirror behind us. He pulled up beside us and I said, 'He has a gun, he's going to shoot,' and I hit the floorboard.”

Even though the suspect is facing several felony offenses on top of the traffic violations, as a Georgia DUI Lawyer, I will focus on the most serious of the traffic violations in today's post - aggressive driving.

Aggressive Driving in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines aggressive driving in Georgia as: “driving with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person, including without limitation violating Code Section 40-6-42 [overtaking and passing], 40-6-48 [improper lane change or usage], 40-6-49 [following too closely], 40-6-123 [failing to signal], 40-6-184 [driving too slowly], 40-6-312 [lane usage by motorcycles], or 40-6-390 [reckless driving] with such intent.” O.C.G.A. §40-6-397.

According to the statute, aggressive driving just needs to target another person - not just a driver. The aggressive driving could be directed at pedestrians or passengers in other vehicles or even passengers in the same vehicle as the aggressive driver. 

The law outlining aggressive driving is a relatively new law - the offense itself is a new offense. In fact, there are only a few reported cases. This is why we see so many more charges of reckless driving in Georgia. Reckless driving is simply defined as driving in a manner where there is a reckless disregard for all people or property. 

If  convicted of aggressive driving, you're guilty of a Georgia misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. This means that the punishment could include a fine up to $5,000, jail time of up to 12 months, or both. This is the same classification of crime as a DUI in Georgia.

A conviction for aggressive driving will also add six points to your license. This could lead to a points suspension of your Georgia driver's license if you have accumulated fifteen or more points in a consecutive 24-month period. If you're a driver under 21 years old, any offense that is four points or more will suspend your Georgia driver's license for a six-month period. 

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