According to the American Automobile
Association (AAA), aggressive driving is seen as the primary cause of auto
accidents in the United States. The agency said that 56 percent of auto
accident deaths were because of aggressive driving behaviors. This was seen as
one of the outstanding factors why 32,885 people were killed in 2010 due to
road crashes.
For the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), aggressive driving is
defined as an occurrence in which a motorist performs a certain or a
combination of “moving traffic offenses” that may “endanger other persons or
property.”
An aggressive driving behavior can be any one
or a combination of the following:
- Venting out emotions while driving;
- Getting distracted by another activity or an event worth seeing while driving;
- Following too closely on rear-end of the preceding vehicle or tailgating;
- Frequently changes lanes which may obstruct the flow of traffic, as well as threaten motorists who are moving only on a certain lane;
- Crossing the intersection at fast speed with no regard to the traffic light; or
- Exceeding the posted speed limit of a certain thoroughfare.