Motorists need to be aware of the dangers presented by aggressive driving. They need to recognize the red flags that may signal their own aggressive driving, and also see the signals when someone else’s aggression may jeopardize their safety.
If you get hurt as a result of driver aggression, you have legal rights. If you are able to prove that aggressive driving by another motorist caused your injuries, you should be able to get compensation for the losses and serious harm you have endured. If an aggressive driver causes a fatal car accident, family members of the victim can also pursue a claim for compensation to protect their legal rights.
Motorists need to know the signs of aggressive driving because the risks of a collision caused by an aggressive driver is substantial. Almost all motorists begin to feel frustrated at some point while driving, perhaps because of traffic or because of a driver who is going too slowly. Unfortunately, many drivers struggle to simply let their frustrations go. Thousands of motorists every day aren’t handling their annoyance in a way that’s healthy or safe.
In fact, when surveyed by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, as many as 80 percent of all drivers admitted to expressing road rage or significant anger while driving at least once over the course of the past year. When drivers express road rage, this does not just take the form of yelling or making rude gestures to other motorists. It also takes the form of actual aggressive behavior which significantly increases the chances of a collision happening.
The consequences of this aggression are very real. Researchers looked at traffic accidents over a four-year period and found in as many as 50 percent of the collisions which occurred, at least one of the drivers who was involved in the motor vehicle accident had engaged in some type of aggressive driving behavior in the moments leading up to the collision.
If the driver has not engaged in aggressive behavior, the accident might never have happened. The various types of aggressive behavior which motorists tend to engage in all are behaviors likely to significantly increase the chances of an accident. AAA Foundation indicates behaviors like tailgating, speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, not using signals properly and running red lights are all aggressive behaviors which motorists may engage in when feeling road rage.
To avoid becoming involved in a collision, stay away from doing any of these things while you are driving. If you see another driver who is doing these things, try to get out of his or her way. Let them pass. It is not worth it to prove a point or show you are right. It’s more important to drive safely and defensively, protecting yourself, the people in your car and others with whom you are sharing the road.
Marcus & Mack
