Texas Crash Data and road Rage Identification

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) meticulously documents every reported ⁣vehicle crash within ⁤the state. Crucially, each crash report​ includes a detailed listing of contributing factors‍ as determined by the investigating law enforcement officer. ‍Among these ⁤factors, “road rage” is specifically‌ identified and categorized by TxDOT as:

“An assault with ⁢a motor vehicle​ or other dangerous weapon by ⁢the operator ‌or ​passenger(s) of another motor vehicle, or an assault precipitated⁢ by an incident that occurred on a⁢ roadway.”

For the purposes of recent analysis, the‌ Express-News ​ focused on isolating all crashes ⁢within the extensive TxDOT database‌ where “road rage” was explicitly listed as a contributing factor. This‌ allowed ​for a targeted⁣ examination of ⁢incidents ⁢directly​ linked to ⁤aggressive⁢ driving behaviors.

Gun Violence Archive and Road Rage Incidents

Complementing the TxDOT data, the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) provides a broader outlook on incidents involving firearms. The GVA aggregates data from over 7,500 verified sources – including official law enforcement reports, government agencies, and reputable media outlets ⁣-‍ to create a ⁢thorough​ record of gun violence across the United States.

Each incident documented by the GVA undergoes independent ⁢verification and is manually tagged by researchers with a range of characteristics, encompassing approximately 120 variables. ‍ This⁢ detailed⁢ tagging system allows⁢ for nuanced analysis of the factors contributing to each ⁤event. For this reporting,⁢ the ⁣ express-News extracted all incidents where “road rage” was designated ⁣as a​ relevant ⁣incident characteristic.

The GVA clarified its methodology: the “road rage” tag is applied when either a police report specifically mentions ​road ​rage, or when a law enforcement officer is directly quoted in a‌ news article utilizing​ the phrase “road rage.” This ensures a consistent⁣ and verifiable submission of the designation.

Data Integration and ⁤Analysis

By combining data from TxDOT’s crash reports and the ‍Gun Violence Archive’s incident records, ​a more complete picture of road rage-related incidents ​in Texas emerges.​ This dual-source approach allows for a deeper understanding ⁣of the scope and nature of this growing concern.