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Calm urged on the roads

Joel KellyThe Advocate

The incident saw a woman punch another woman in her car at the intersection of Great Northern and Reid highways.

Police allege the woman got out of her car, approached the victim's car, punched her face several times, then removed and threw away the victim's car keys.

Senior Sergeant Craig Davis said while it was unusual for road rage to get to the point of assault, it was important for motorists to settle down while driving.

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"We all make mistakes behind the wheel " no one's a perfect driver and there'll always be a time when someone might not indicate enough or someone might make a minor mistake," he said.

"We just need to sit back, take a deep breath and just get on with it.

Associate professor at UWA's Crime Research Centre, David Indermaur, said road rage was a reflection of a culture of accepting aggression.

"The cause of it, if anything, is cultural " to give one's self permission to lose one's temper and act aggressively on the road," he said.

"Really what's required to prevent it is a cultural shift. In a way, you can see road rage as an extension of aggressive driving so cases of aggressive driving should really be policed more and prosecuted more."

Dr Indermaur said the cause of road rage was within individuals and had some advice for irate drivers.

"If you find yourself getting agitated behind the wheel, you need to look at what's going on inside your mind and work towards constructing a peaceful place inside your mind," he said.

"Whether it's putting on music or just accepting the drive home from work or wherever you're driving can be an occasion for relaxation rather than agitation."

Midland police are investigating the alleged road rage assault, which occurred on April 30 around 11.30am.

They are looking for a dark-skinned, solidly built female with straight long black hair and tattoos.

She was about 30 years old and drove a burgundy-coloured Suzuki four-wheel drive.

A man remained seated in the Suzuki during the assault and is described as dark-skinned, about 30 years old with a slim build and full-face beard.

Anyone with any information about the incident, or the identity of the people involved, can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.