"This is deadly behavior:" Sheriff warns against driving recklessly after road rage incident caught on camera

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MILWAUKEE COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Dash cam video captured a dangerous situation on I-41 in Milwaukee County. The Milwaukee County Sheriff is now saying that anyone with road rage or who drives recklessly will be punished.

A semi driver who almost crashed because of someone else's road rage wants his dash cam video to help people understand that they need to slow down and drive smart. The semi driver sent CBS 58 News a video showing a vehicle using the distress lane to speed past another car on I-41 Tuesday before the vehicle stops short on the highway in front of the truck.

Sheriff Richard Schmidt said that road rage is unacceptable after viewing the video.

"On the expressway, this is deadly behavior. This is the kind of thing that can get someone killed," said Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt.

The Sheriff says a joint effort with deputies, state patrol, and local police are helping to get reckless driving under control.

"Not only on the highway but mainly on the city streets as well we are finding individuals with no regard for life. Pass on the right, zip around the distress lane," said Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt.

He says that they've issued about 17,000 citations so far this year; roughly half of those tickets are related to speed and aggressive driving.

"Some of these aggressive drivers that are doing the road rage thing; they get very relentless on trying to prove their point," said Sheriff Schmidt. "The best you can do is try to get away from them, try to drive at a safe distance, try to slow down."

Professional drivers at a Racine County rest stop tell CBS 58 this behavior is nothing new and they constantly deal with people cutting them off and stopping short. Drivers say it's not easy to stop short in a semi-truck.

"You’re either going to get it stopped or not, if you don’t have anywhere to go to the left or right, you’re going to get them," said Roy Bean, a professional truck driver.

Bean has been driving semi-trucks for 10 years and hopes other drivers will learn to respect them on the roadways.

"Until people start showing common courtesy towards each other out here, these things are going to happen and people's lives will be taken," said Bean.

Sheriff Schmidt says he will try to find the driver in the video. Driving recklessly or aggressively can get you a ticket and if it's serious enough, the Sheriff says you could be criminally charged with recklessly endangering safety.


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