Phone fends of road rage driver on US 41 in North Naples

A man unleashes a torrent of terrible threats on the road. And the driver filming that thinks there is only one reason he escaped that road rage with his life — his phone.

When you’re behind the wheel, especially in the busy season, taking out your phone is usually a bad idea. But for one man, he thinks his phone saved him. Because when he hit record, the angry man drove off.

A driver sent WINK News the video he took of his road rage encounter on U.S. 41 in North Naples.

“The whole thing was so jarring,” said the road rage victim, who asked to remain anonymous. “When something like that happens all your senses are going crazy.”

Making a mistake on the road and getting crazy backlash like this from a driver.

“Flipping me the bird, calling me obscenities,” the victim said. “You know, throwing pennies at my windshield.”

The man said he accidentally switched lanes when he cut another driver off. That’s when the other driver tailgated him for 10 miles.

“At one point, we were stopped in traffic, and he actually got out of his car,” the victim said.

The driver said he wanted to find a public place or a police officer.

“Luckily, as soon as I started filming the situation, I think he realized what was going on and sped away,” the victim said.

An in-depth study by Farah and Farah, a personal injury law firm in the state, shows road rage incidents like this have surged in recent years, many leading to gun violence.

The study even breaks down who the most aggressive drivers are — men in their thirties.

“I just wanted to get home,” the victim said. “I was shaking so bad.”

A local driving school said, if you’re ever in this situation, never make eye contact. Don’t engage, and try to get to a public place. And call police.

“Could’ve been very scary, and it could’ve gone a lot further,” the victim said.