A scary case of scooter road rage brings a bigger issue to the surface. Drivers who use Gulf to Bay Boulevard, particularly between Belcher Road and the Bayside Bridge, say road rage cases are common.
Clearwater Police tells us Gulf to Bay Boulevard is the most dangerous road in the city for 4 reasons: speeding, a huge number of pedestrians, congestion and drivers not using turn signals.
“I rarely see people use them and they cut each other off a lot,” explained driver Mark Hershenson.
David Stickler agrees. He sees crashes constantly while working at Clearwater Bait, Tackle and Seafood. “We hear a pow outside and there is an accident at least once a week,” he explained. Drivers are constantly losing their cool too, he added. “Somebody cuts me off I may let a word out or two but I’m like, ‘hey it’s over with, just let it go.’ If they want to be an idiot that’s fine.”
Police officers say if it wasn’t for dash cam video from another driver’s car rolling as the Rivera-Gabriel twins used their helmets to assault another driver, they may have never caught them. Clearwater police tells us the 25-year-old Tampa brothers swayed back and forth across multiple lanes, keeping driver James John Heinsman in his pickup truck, from being able to pass by.
Once Heinsman finally sped up and got around them, the brothers got off their bikes, broke the truck’s mirror, then used their helmets to smack Heinsman. His wife, Barbara, and grandson were also in the car.
Drivers tell ABC Action News, while the Rivera-Gabriel twins got caught, there are more fuming mad drivers just like them, sharing the roads with all of us.
Hershenson says it’s simply not worth it, “You might save all of 20 seconds. It’s not worth getting into a fight and road rage. Just sing a happy tune and be on your way.”
