OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Everyone gets on the road at some point when they're having a bad day, but it appears more people are taking that anger out on the driver next to him or her.
When road rage goes to the extreme, it can cause a crash or lead to a beating with a baseball bat. Wixom police are still looking to talk to a man who they said was involved in a road-rage assault earlier this month.
The number of people reporting anger on the roadway is increasing.
"Everyone has such a short fuse," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Bouchard has seen it first hand.
"I've pulled over a lot of people after they've cut somebody else off, and they had no idea the police were around," Bouchard.
Bouchard told Local 4 News that the road anger usually has nothing to do with the person in traffic, but the aggressor takes it out on another driver.
"There are a lot of people that have short fuses and they may have a tire iron, they may have a weapon illegally, they may have one legally. None of that matters if they have a weapon they're going to come after you because they felt you took their spot on the road," Bouchard said.
While many incidents are random, Bouchard said some cases all start on social media.
"And that's even transferring into road rage where they say something on social media and then they look for each other and have battles," Bouchard said.
If you find yourself in a road-rage round, it's recommended you disengage, and if you're followed, look for a safe location to pull into.
"Head away from whatever the situation is. If they continue to follow you, look for a fire station or a police station," Bouchard said.