A press conference was held this week in Los Angeles County with ties directly to Honolulu.
Nearly a week after a Honolulu judge sentenced a notorious road rage driver to seven years in prison, his victims in California said he did not get enough time there.
Two of the women attacked by Nathaniel Radimak, 39, held a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday with their high-powered attorney, Gloria Allred, in which they thanked Hawaii’s justice system, and criticized their own. Radimak was convicted of eight road rage crimes in California, where he was called the “Tesla road rage driver." Although he was convicted for his crimes there, his California victims still feel violated by their own judicial system which allowed him to commit violent crimes here in the Pacific.
Nathaniel Radimak was arrested in Hawai‘i last year for a road rage incident and accused of assaulting a woman and her 18-year-old daughter. This past Thursday, after pleading no contest, he was sentenced to seven years in prison. Before the Hawaii assault, Radimak was sentenced to five years in prison for multiple assault counts connected to road rage in Los Angeles County but was released after serving less than a year due to prison overcrowding. Some of the road rage incidents were caught on camera.
It's not often an incident unites the people of Hawai‘i.
The local news reports featuring video of Radimak punching the local victims through their parked car window incited all who saw the violent encounter. In addition, the video footage of Radimak attacking a female at an East O‘ahu gym further cemented the anger at this individual. When California media released video of Radimak attacking motorists on the freeway in Los Angeles, it was a pure affirmation of the sheer capacity of violence he possessed. If there is one positive element of this story, it's the fact that nobody lost their life.
What is the reality of road rage on our streets?
Road rage is at an all-time high, with up to 79% to 96% of U.S. drivers experiencing aggressive driving or road rage incidents annually. Over half of all motorists admit to actively expressing road rage behavior, such as swearing or cutting off other drivers, and the number of fatal crashes linked to aggressive driving has nearly tripled over the past decade, per an AI overview.
The rise of social media has given motorists new ways to vent their driving-related frustrations. Back in 2016, the Auto Insurance Center analyzed 65,535 Instagram posts #RoadRage to find out where, when, and why American drivers are feeling most aggravated. According to its analysis, Hawai‘i was No. 1 in U.S. "The center logged 5,872 posts per 100,000 drivers in Hawaii. Compare that to California, which came in second with a ratio of just 3,506 posts per 100,000 drivers," reported KHON2 at the time.
If you're on the road as a driver or a passenger, it's likely that you have contended with different degrees of road rage here at home. It seems as if it's been a part of driving life for as long as I can remember but the intensity, randomness and, yes, verbal and even physical violence has never been more profound.
People looking for solutions are looking first at HPD.
I came across this story posted on The Honolulu Police Department's Facebook page:
"There are only so much the police can do … Many years ago, I merged on to the H-1 and went into the center lane. A lady pulled up next to me and was shaking her fist at me with so much anger on her face, and I could tell she was cursing. I just kept driving and didn’t look back at her. She eventually pulled off the freeway, but it took me a while before I stopped shaking," posted one driver.
"When we lived in ‘Aiea, I turned on to Moanalua by ‘Aiea Elementary but misjudged the speed of a car coming off the freeway and he didn’t like that because he followed me to the post office nearby. I know because he had a red sports car with a vanity plate. I think he followed me to another quick stop. Instead of going home I drove to the Pearl City Police Station, something I had heard I should do. I didn’t have a cell phone then. The man stopped following me, but I was still so freaked out I went inside and explained what happened to the officer. I knew there wasn’t anything he could do, but he was gracious and let me sit there until I calmed down," posted another.
Why are there road ragers?
You might be pretty cool and collected at home, at the office or even at public events, but as soon as you get behind the wheel of a car, truck or van, you lose your mind. Listen, I get it. Driving in this town can be frustrating. I am bewildered at some of the shenanigans some drivers make. I, too, will give a good, "Aarrrggghhhh!" when dealing with drivers' ... stuff.
I've mentioned in this space previously that others cannot make you feel bad. You have control over yourself and your emotions. If you lose control, then that's on you and you cannot blame others. If you find the words or actions of others propel you to losing your temper thereby "making" you to lash out verbally and physically then you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself, why? Yes, easier said than done, but if you can't stop losing control then you need to seek help.
There are two sides to every story. If you're on the other side driving and acting like a complete buffoon, well, you got issues, too.
Here are some of the actions on the road that can understandably cause great frustration:
- Failure to use turn signals. You got 'em then use 'em.
- Cutting people off. See the above.
- Tailgating. Why the hell do you ride the rear of the vehicle in front of you? Obviously dangerous but disrespectfully aggressive, especially if you're stopped at a light and this buggah just eats your bumper. Ugh.
- Lane diving. That's what I call these selfish putzs who speed up to last second to cut in line in front of drivers who are patiently waiting their turn. The right turn lane on Beretania St. onto Punchbowl St. is legendary for violators.
- Swerving lanes at high speeds. You're the worst. You don't care about anybody but yourself. You treat this as a game especially on H1 in both directions, and you're so ignorant of the terrible consequences your actions can cause. And if you're a passenger with a driver like this and you don't say a word then you're just as bad.
- Pick the correct lane. Here we go. The right lane is for slower traffic, and the left lanes are for faster traffic and passing. How many times have you found yourself trying to pass and there's a kupuna driving their 1994 Honda Accord in the left lane. Please stop feeding the frustrating fire.
- Stay in your lane. Really? Granted there has been some reduction in lane widths with more recent road construction. However, this is no excuse to encroach upon the other driver's lane. The danger level rises for all .
- The flow of traffic. Please keep up. And no, I'm not advocating for excessive speeding but leaving large gaps in the lane travelled is inefficient and another understandable irritant.
- Mopeds. Most riders are responsible but some of you are ridiculous. Please see the aforementioned swerving, signaling, and correct lane use. And the worst? Riding your ride in between vehicles at the stop light. Boo!!!
- Finally, use your horn. I know it's not local style but it is a safety tool. Offended? Get over it.
We live in a world that has never been as divided as we are now. You say black, I say white and rarely can we find that gray area where there is a compromise. I hope someday we can get back to singing out of the same hymnal even though they be different verses.
In the meantime, do you think we can start with one thing in the eventual possibility of achieving what the late Rodney King tearfully requested many years ago, "Can't we all just get along?"
Don't drive angry.
Please.
Thank you.
Rick Hamada can be reached at rickhamada@aol.com.
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