Road rage isn’t just a buzzword tossed around during traffic reports—it’s a real and growing threat on America’s highways. In South Florida, one man learned that the hard way when a frightening encounter on the Sawgrass Expressway turned into a full-blown 40-mile chase that ended with felony charges, viral videos, and a shaken victim just trying to get through his workday.
On April 29, 2025, 38-year-old Brian Joseph Putnam was arrested after a prolonged and aggressive pursuit of Steven Perkins, a man driving a work truck, from Broward County down to Doral. What began as a typical act of tailgating spiraled into a serious confrontation that police say easily could have turned deadly.
The ordeal began on the Sawgrass Expressway, a heavily trafficked highway in Broward County. Steven Perkins, a local worker driving his company truck, found himself the target of relentless tailgating by a man later identified as 38-year-old Brian Joseph Putnam. When Perkins changed lanes to let the vehicle behind him pass, he assumed that would be the end of it.
But Putnam didn’t just pass. He stayed on Perkins’ tail—persistently honking, refusing to back off, and eventually following him for nearly an hour across multiple cities. The situation came to a head in a Doral parking lot, where police say Putnam deliberately blocked Perkins’ vehicle, preventing him from leaving and forcing a confrontation.
Authorities arrived soon after, arresting Putnam on charges that included false imprisonment, aggravated stalking, and battery. He was released on bond pending further legal proceedings.
In interviews following the incident, Perkins shared his side of the story. What began as just another tense highway encounter quickly became something more sinister.
He admitted that at first, he brushed it off as typical aggressive driving—common in the region. But as the truck continued to follow him for miles, his anxiety grew.
“I really thought he was going to hurt me,” Perkins recalled. “It’s scary that someone would let their anger carry them for 40 miles, just to keep harassing a stranger.”
Videos recorded by witnesses and surveillance cameras have since circulated online, capturing the tense final moments of the incident.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t an isolated incident. Road rage has been increasing across the country over the past decade, with some experts calling it a public safety crisis. Florida, in particular, has seen a significant uptick in such incidents.
Firearm-Related Incidents: Florida ranks among the top states for road rage incidents involving firearms. Between 2014 and 2023, the state recorded 488 such incidents, placing it just behind Texas in total numbers.
Recent Surge: In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Florida reported 27 road rage incidents involving firearms, the highest in the nation for that period.
Increase in Aggressive Driving: Aggressive driving cases in Florida jumped from 17,593 in 2018 to 21,296 in 2022—a 21% increase that puts every driver at risk.
Fatalities on the Rise: Between 2018 and 2021, Florida experienced a 48% increase in crashes and a 43% increase in fatalities involving road rage or aggressive driving.
There are three main reasons this incident stands out:
Duration and Distance: Most road rage events last minutes. This one continued for over 40 miles—through multiple cities and major highways.
Stalking Behavior: Police didn’t classify this as a spur-of-the-moment outburst. The charges reflect an intentional, sustained pursuit.
Public Endangerment: Other drivers were potentially put at risk during this high-speed tailing, not just the direct victim.
It’s not every day that a road rage case involves felony-level stalking and false imprisonment. That signals something deeply troubling about how unchecked anger can escalate when a vehicle becomes a weapon or tool of intimidation.
Incidents like this shine a light on the urgent need for prevention strategies. Here are a few ways communities and individuals can push back against the trend:
Driver Education: Promoting emotional awareness and de-escalation techniques in defensive driving courses.
Legal Accountability: Prosecuting extreme cases of road rage as criminal offenses—not just traffic violations.
Public Awareness: Encouraging drivers to report dangerous behavior immediately, and to use dash cams for safety.
Personal Restraint: Remembering that you never really know who’s behind the wheel—and that ego battles aren’t worth your life.
Steven Perkins’ story could have ended very differently. Thankfully, it didn’t escalate into physical violence or worse. But the fear and trauma he experienced are real—and they’re becoming more common.
If there’s one takeaway from this incident, it’s that road rage isn’t just a fleeting emotion. When it turns into action, it can lead to injury, destroy lives, lead to jail time, or worse. We all have a role to play in making the roads safer—by managing our anger, showing empathy, and refusing to meet aggression with more aggression.
Because in the end, getting home safe matters more than getting there first.
Most people are not aware of how the law works, the rights they have and the amount of compensation they can be entitled to after they have been injured in an accident that was the result of another party’s negligence. The obstacles and confusion that follow an accident and an injury can seem overwhelming.
