NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We've reported countless cases of road rage in Middle Tennessee in the past few years. The days of honking your horn or shaking a fist are long gone as we're seeing more people pulling out weapons.
Now lawmakers are looking to toughen penalties to keep you safe on the roads.
Senator Jeff Yarbro crafted the Anti-Road Rage Act. It would create a Class E felony for a driver or passenger who recklessly shoots a gun at another driver.
It also creates a Class A misdemeanor for anyone who just flashes a gun at another driver. The average jail stint is 15 days.
The goal is to prevent drivers from being placed in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm. A few months ago, five bullets were pulled from the engine of a man's car after another driver shot at him on a local interstate. Late last year, Metro Police told us someone in a car opened fire on a woman on I-440.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, between 2019 and 2023 there have been a total of 60 incidents, or an average of 12 incidents per year, of road rage in Tennessee where someone brandished a gun in a threatening way.
Some lawmakers and officials feel there are even more cases that are not reported. This Anti Road Rage Act is being heard in committees in both the House and the Senate today.
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
