VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Racial discrimination isn't as openly expressed these days, until you get behind the wheel. That's according to an SFU communications expert who says he is worried about what he calls road rage racism.
Someone's anger can often reveal a lot more than their driving habits, says the university's Peter Chow-White. He recalls one extreme case involving an Asian woman who was in a car with her kids, when a white man started banging on her window yelling racial slurs.
He says the lack of research into this issue is apparent. "It would be an excellent study for someone to take on. Whether the government or police or ICBC or the federal granting agency are going to fund this type of study, that's another story all together. Studies take money, and grants are needed in order to do this."
Chow-White says based on what he has been hearing, the threat of road rage violence is on the rise in Metro Vancouver and is especially prevalent among white men. He says gender discrimination is also a concern.