APD shares road rage prevention tips

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – APD has investigated five road-rage related homicides in 2021, including a shooting in northeast Albuquerque Friday where a 20-year-old man was killed.

Officers responded, at around 8 p.m. Friday to a crash near Montgomery Boulevard and Morris Street. Police said they discovered Kevin Lerma-Hernandez was shot. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Witnesses allege an argument between Lerma-Hernandez and the occupant of another vehicle occurred and gunshots were fired in the area.

In response, APD released tips on how to avoid road-rage incidents and what to do when faced with an aggressive driver.

For handling aggressive drivers, APD recommends these tips:

• Use your horn sparingly
• Don’t challenge an aggressive driver by speeding up
• Avoid eye contact
• Ignore gestures and refuse to return them
• Report all road-rage or aggressive driving incidents to law enforcement in as much detail as possible (e.g., vehicle description, license number, location, direct of travel)
• Call 911 if you are reporting an active road-rage incident or call 242-COPS otherwise

In general, APD also recommends that drivers avoid:

• Tailgating or following closely behind vehicles
• Cutting off other vehicles
• Not using signals for turns or lane changes
• Inattentive driving due to cell phone use, applying makeup or looking up an address
• Stopping in the lane of traffic to drop off or pick up passengers
• Improperly using high-beam headlights
• Using obscene gestures