Another Elderly Iowan Attacked in Road Rage Incident

What's up with Iowa these days?  A couple weeks ago, a 22-year-old Solon resident got arrested for repeatedly punching a 70-year-old motorist for driving too slowly, even after the victim pulled over to allow the younger man to pass him by.  Now the Cedar Rapids Gazette has reported another suspected road rage attack, this time against a 90-year-old motorist.

Here are the details so far:

Police responded to a hit-and-run accident near the Hy-Vee at 1556 First Ave. NE (in Cedar Rapids) just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. According to the police report, Richard Mackey, 90, was pulling out of the store parking lot onto 16th Street NE when he struck a northbound car.

Witnesses said the male driver of the other car got out and began to pull Mackey out of his vehicle. When the witnesses approached, the man began to “square off” with them, as if to fight them, police said.

When the witnesses mentioned that the police had been called, the man got back into his car and drove away, police said. Mackey was not injured.

The man is described as a white male with a thin build, about 5-foot-11, with a small beard and a mustache. He was driving a 1995 Ford Contour. Anyone with additional information is asked to call police at (319) 286-5491.

For crying out loud. I've been hit by other cars in my life, too. It's annoying, disruptive, and it's interrupts the dozen and one things going on in your life. But they're accidents. You weren't hit on purpose. Attacking the other driver doesn't solve the problem. It transforms your from an innocent victim to a big jerk with pending assault charges, not to mention charges based off leaving the scene of an accident.

Next time your car gets hit or your find yourself stuck behind a slow driver, take a deep breath. Chill out. Don't become an ass and don't become a bully.