Dangers of Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving, also commonly referred to as road rage, includes behavior motivated by anger while driving. The term refers to dangerous driving with a disregard for safety and courtesy. Aggressive driving includes activities such as rearing, speeding, not using turn signals, turning off other motorists, and other dangerous activities. Aggressive driving has received attention over the last twenty years as it has been found to be the cause of serious car accidents and crimes. Aggressive driving is just one aspect of a large set of dangerous driving problems that puts all motorists at risk.

Types of Aggressive Driving

In addition to dangerous driving, aggressive drivers often try to intimidate their victims with obscene gestures and screams. Although laws vary by state, there are several offenses for which aggressive drivers can be fined:

Distracted driving occurs when a driver does not exercise normal care while driving and endangers other people or property. In many states, distracted driving laws also contain provisions that prohibit the use of devices such as mobile phones.
Reckless driving is more serious than distracted driving and is generally defined as driving in a manner that creates an unreasonable and substantial risk of harm to others.
Aggressive driving includes the behaviors listed above because they occur over a short period of time.

Road rage and aggressive driving

Road rage is generally considered to be a more extreme form of aggressive driving that involves violence or intimidation while driving. Road rage may include intent to harm others, use of the vehicle as a weapon, and may take place outside the vehicle involved. Road rage and aggressive driving are often triggered by driver anger when the goal of getting from point A to point B is interrupted. Many drivers report getting angry from time to time, although anger does not always lead to aggressive driving and aggressive driving. Usually a combination of individual, situational or cultural factors causes aggressive driving.

The dangers of aggressive driving

Car crashes are the leading cause of accidents and deaths in the United States, and aggressive driving is responsible for a large percentage of all car accidents. Studies have shown that aggressive drivers kill two to four times more people than drunk drivers. Research also shows that aggressive driving is common and greatly contributes to collisions with injuries and fatalities.

What makes people drive aggressively?

There are many different factors that can lead to aggressive driving. To correct behavior, you need to understand these factors:

Anger and frustration - Anger and frustration often combine with other factors that cause drivers to behave aggressively.
Character traits Research has shown that there are two main personality types prone to aggressive driving. These include antisocial personalities and competitive personalities.
Environmental and situational factors - Environmental and situational factors can provoke aggressive driving. Environmental factors may include street design and road and vehicle environments. Situational factors typically include technology such as mobile phones in addition to noise, heat, traffic, or other conditions.

What to do about aggressive driving?

To combat aggressive driving, traffic enforcement is enforced by the police, and behavior is curbed by heavy fines or possible jail time. Unfortunately, due to police staffing problems, traffic enforcement only partially deters violent drivers, as the police often fail to catch drivers who break the law. Some cities use surveillance technology, after which fines are mailed to criminals. As the dangers of aggressive driving became more apparent, expanded laws and regulations were proposed to keep the roads safe. Drivers can also help prevent aggressive driving by taking their time behind the wheel and not letting environmental and situational factors influence them.

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