x
Breaking News
More () »

Ongoing road rage challenges prompt efforts to develop an aggressive driver simulator

On Saturday, Jason Giovanni Bustos was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one several recent road rage incidents that ended in crime.

SAN ANTONIO — An arrest has been made in a road rage investigation that happened on I-10.

On Saturday, Jason Giovanni Bustos was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

According to the affidavit, the victim used his phone to record what happened. After being brake-checked the victim passed Bustos. Then Bustos caught up with him and showed him a gun. Moments later, police say Bustos started shooting.

Aggressive driving in Texas is not unusual but there is technology in development that aims to keep you and your family safe.

The prototype for the aggressive driving simulator is expected to be completed by June of this year in collaboration with the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dean DeSoto is the executive director of Community Alliance Traffic Safety Inc., a charity that is leading the charge against aggressive driving with a simulator.

"We discovered there were 1,015,100 citations issues for speeding in excess of 15 miles per hour," DeSoto said.

That's according to a 2023 study across five metropolitan Texas cities including San Antonio.

"We're the only program in the country that is looking at the causation of the behavior and not the outcome of the behavior," he said.

The aggressive driving simulator runs off a laptop, has a steering wheel, accelerator and brake and has three screens that place you in the simulation of a vehicle.


"It's interactive, it uses AI so it learns your behaviors very quickly and also the information we programmed in – whatever how you respond or acknowledge an attitude it will be programmed into the simulator," said Desoto. 

DeSoto is hopeful that this technology can elevate the topic of aggressive driving amongst current and future drivers.

"This is not a driving safety program. It's an attitude program. It's what I call an intervention and prevention program,” he said.

He feels the culture of driving is the problem.

"We seem to be driving faster and less compassionate and more willing to take a life. It just strikes me as very strange behavior," he said.

As for Jason Giovanni Bustos, he is set for a pre-hearing Apr. 10 at the 187th Criminal District Court. His bond is set at $100,000.

Before You Leave, Check This Out