aggressive driving

Are You Guilty of Aggressive Driving?

Aggressive driving, defined by AAA as engaging in deliberate and unsafe behaviors behind the wheel, is a bad habit — and a common one.

A recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety showed that most respondents believed driving through a red light (81%) or aggressive driving — including switching lanes quickly and driving closely behind other vehicles (89%) — was very or extremely dangerous. Despite this, 11% of the 2,700 drivers surveyed were found to predominantly engage in distracted and aggressive driving behaviors.

Additionally, about 59% of drivers believed police would apprehend them for traveling 15 mph over the speed limit on a highway, yet approximately half reported having engaged in the behavior in the 30 days prior to the survey.

Do you consider yourself an aggressive driver? Here are some indicators, as taught in the AAA Defensive Driving Course.

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Do You Ever:

  • Speed?
  • Run red lights?
  • Follow other cars too closely?
  • Fail to obey traffic control signs, such as yield, one way, no U-turn?
  • Maneuver or turn improperly?
  • Maneuver in a way that forces another driver to change their speed or direction, such as cutting them off or not yielding the right-of-way when necessary?
  • “Camp out” in the left lane, which is the passing lane?
  • Hit the brakes without cause or warning?
aggressive driving

Aggressive Driving vs. Road Rage

Road rage is the step up from aggressive driving. This involves even more dangerous behaviors in which drivers should never engage. You likely have road rage if you ever have:

  • Thrown objects at another vehicle.
  • Yelled insults or made rude gestures at another roadway user.
  • Attempted to sideswipe or ram another vehicle, or tried to or force them off the road.

Road rage and aggressive driving are serious safety hazards, often contributing to crashes.

Driving while emotionally compromised, which includes being angry, sad, crying or emotionally agitated, raises the risk of a crash almost 10 times, according to one study. Furthermore, the error rate for angry drivers can be as much as 2 1/2 times more than that for emotionally stable drivers.

All that anger also takes a toll on your health. The stress and anxiety generated when driving aggressively increases your blood pressure and heart rate, which could increase your risk for heart attack or stroke.

To stay calm while driving, Brain Butterworth, senior manager of AAA Driving School, suggests leaving plenty of time to get where you’re going. This can help reduce any temptation to speed, or frustration you might feel if you get stuck in traffic. If you’re already upset, don’t drive until you’ve calmed down. And if you’re on a longer drive, take breaks. AAA recommends scheduling a break every two hours or every 100 miles. Keep your focus on safety and try be as courteous as possible to other drivers; say sorry, wave thank you and let other drivers merge into your lane .

More Tips to Avoid Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

Other drivers may do things that are inconsiderate, and even illegal. Don’t respond personally — most drivers aren’t thinking about others, they are simply in a rush, distracted or upset. Use these tips to prevent aggressive driving behaviors and to avoid becoming the target of a road rage driver.

Follow the Rules of the Road
  • Don’t tailgate.
  • Don’t block the passing lane.
  • Use turn signals when turning or changing lanes.
  • Maintain adequate following distance.
Dealing With Confrontation
  • Avoid eye contact with angry drivers.
  • Give angry/aggressive drivers lots of room.
  • Don’t make obscene gestures.
  • Avoid using the horn with an angry driver.
  • Don’t take another driver’s mistakes personally.
  • Do not go home; go to a public place.
  • Don’t exit the vehicle to argue or engage another driver.
And Always Remember:
  • Don’t offend. Never cause another driver to change their speed or direction. That means not forcing another driver to use their brakes or turn the steering wheel in response to something you have done.
  • Be tolerant and forgiving. The other driver may just be having a really bad day. Assume that it’s not personal.
  • Do not respond to aggressive driving behaviors. Avoid eye contact, don’t make gestures, maintain space around your vehicle and contact 911 if needed.

For more ways to keep your cool and stay and safe while driving, check out our rules for dealing with a tailgater.

To improve your driving habits, consider taking the AAA Defensive Driving Course. AAA Northeast also offers driver training programs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Do you ever catch yourself driving too aggressively? What do you do to calm down?

3 Thoughts on “Are You Guilty of Aggressive Driving?

  1. Whenever my adrenaline rises because someone has cut me off or done some other reprehensible stunt, I calm myself by reminding myself that it is not personal, that person doesn’t even know me. If that doesn’t work, I remind myself that I’ll forget about this incident in 15 minutes, so why wait. Forget about it now. If that still doesn’t work, I try to imagine what it will feel like having his bumper being pulled out of my rib cage in the hospital. That usually works.

  2. I get angry sometimes at the behaviors of other drivers. I’m especially angered when I make the rare mistake of cutting in front of someone and they fly off the handle as happened recently. They were going WAY beyond the 30 MPH speed limit when I turned in front of them. That was followed by tailgating in a school zone, them passing unsafely and illegally, and rude gestures – as though I somehow intended to cut them off. It took everything I had not to respond in an aggressive manner to this seemingly selfish and entitled motorist. Civility and forgiveness has broken down somewhat in society and the roads are no exception.

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