Aggressive Driving

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as "when individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property."

The exact number of traffic crashes caused by aggressive drivers is unknown, but NHTSA has estimated 66 percent of all traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving behaviors.

Some behaviors considered aggressive include:

• Exceeding the posted speed limit
• Following too closely
• Erratic or unsafe lane changes
• Improperly signaling lane changes
• Failure to obey traffic control devices (stop signs, yield signs, traffic signals, railroad grade cross signals, etc.)
• Red light running

Road rage is sometimes confused with aggressive driving. While aggressive driving may lead to road rage, the two are different because aggressive driving is a traffic offense while road rage is a criminal offense. Road rage is defined by NHTSA as "an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger(s) of one motor vehicle on the operator or passenger(s) of another motor vehicle or is caused by an incident that occurred on a roadway."

If confronted by an aggressive driver, motorists should attempt to get out of the way of the aggressive driver, avoiding eye contact and ignoring gestures or verbal attacks. If safe to do so, call the police and report the aggressive driver. Also, if an aggressive driver is involved in a crash farther down the road, stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for the police to arrive and report the driving behavior witnessed.

For more information on aggressive driving, visit these websites:

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)