Last November, in Neos Kosmos, a 58-year-old man was beaten to death following an argument with a motorcyclist who, according to the victim, had cut him off. Years earlier, in the summer of 2007, two brothers cold-bloodedly killed a 29-year-old man in Agios Ioannis square in Agia Paraskevi.

They had been looking for him for seven months after he argued over right of way with their younger brother. When they finally found him, they killed him without hesitation. Now, police are searching for a man in his 50s who, on Saturday afternoon, insulted a 23-year-old woman, assaulted her, and broke her leg because she was taking too long to park and blocking his way.

The phenomenon of aggressive behavior on the road — which often escalates into crime — is internationally known as “road rage.” According to a past survey on responsible driving conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Vinci Autoroutes foundation in 11 European countries, including Greece, it was found that in Greece one in four drivers (26%) gets out of their car to argue with another driver, six in ten (59%) admit to insulting other drivers, 57% honk unnecessarily, one in two (48%) deliberately tailgates the vehicle in front, while nearly nine in ten (87%) say they fear the aggressive behavior of other drivers.

According to assistant professor of psychiatry Christos Liapis, who explained in an article why people become angry behind the wheel and how road rage can be prevented, perpetrators are usually men with lower levels of education, while victims of such incidents are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder or depressive symptoms.

The motorcyclist who attacked the 23-year-old woman in Pangrati and broke her leg is still being sought, with reports suggesting he fled into an apartment building after the violent incident. Police records, however, are filled with countless cases of violence — even murders — triggered by misunderstandings, overtaking maneuvers, or being cut off.

Murder over a road argument

One of the most shocking cases ended in the killing of a 29-year-old man in Agios Ioannis square in Agia Paraskevi in July 2007. The perpetrators were two brothers, one of whom was a border guard.

Their motive, as they later confessed, was that the victim had argued over right of way shortly before Christmas and had punched their younger brother. The two men decided to track down the person who had insulted and assaulted him. They searched for seven months.

When they found him sitting with a friend in the square, they were armed: the border guard with a legally owned firearm (not his service weapon), and his brother with a knife. They confronted the 29-year-old, and within minutes, the border guard shot and killed him, while his brother stabbed the victim’s companion. Shortly afterward, the border guard falsely reported that his weapon had been stolen.

Crime in Neos Kosmos

One of the most brutal killings involved a 58-year-old man in Neos Kosmos last November. Three young men — two Greeks and one Albanian — were riding behind his car on two motorbikes. They argued with the driver and began chasing him.

Trying to escape, he ended up in a dead end. There, they trapped him, and the 29-year-old Albanian began beating him violently. According to witnesses, he grabbed the man’s head and repeatedly slammed it against the steering wheel. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died.

Parking disputes

Parking spots often trigger tensions between drivers. In one such case on New Year’s Day 2024, a 65-year-old man stabbed and injured a 51-year-old man at Akti Kondyli in Piraeus. The two argued over a parking space, and during the altercation, the older man pulled out a butterfly knife and attacked him.

Last March in Thessaloniki, a man beat his neighbor over a parking spot, in front of her young child, who was crying and shouting, “Leave my mom alone.” The attacker also assaulted the woman’s father when he tried to intervene.