ROAD RAGE

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING ON THE ROAD

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

 More drivers have started acting out their anger when they get behind the wheel.

 Cut off  Tailgated  Slowed down by a vehicle in front of them.

 Angry drivers can commit incredible acts of violence.

 Assault and murder

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING STATISTICS

 AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety studied:  More than 10,000 incidents of violent aggressive driving committed between 1990 and 1996.

 It found that at least 218 people were killed.

 Another 12,610 angry drivers got injured.

What is ROAD RAGE?

 No national definition for the term

“road rage”

 It is commonly defined as a societal condition where motorist lose their temper in reaction to a traffic disturbance.

 In most cases, the traffic situations encountered are

typical

of today's normal driving conditions in higher traffic volumes.

Aggressive Driving

 “Aggressive driving” refers to an angry motorist attempting to intentionally injury or kill another driver because of a traffic dispute.

 Aggressive drivers react negatively and use their vehicles to retaliate by making sudden, threatening maneuvers.

 This makes “Road Rage” a serious issue of traffic safety for yourself and others.

What Causes Aggressive Driving Behaviors?

 Aggressive driving behaviors are triggered by a variety of stimuli.

 Provoked by the actions of another driver.

 Set off by road congestion.

 Most are caused by the drivers’ own moods and reactions when they get behind the wheel.

Stated Reasons for Violent Traffic Disputes

 Arguments over parking spaces.

 Cutting another motorist off or refusing to allow passing.

 Minor traffic crashes.

 Obscene gestures.

 Slow driving.

 Loud music.

 Overuse of the horn.

 Failure to use turn signals.

Violent Traffic Disputes

 Violent traffic disputes are rarely the results of a single incident, but rather are the cumulative result of a series of stressors.

 Traffic incident that turns violent is often

“the last straw”

Aggressive Driver Profile

 Persons who exhibit aggressive behaviors cross all ages, race, socioeconomic and gender lines.

 Even people who are usually “mild-mannered” can blow their top behind the wheel.

 People who are characteristically cynics, rude, angry or aggressive are pone to get angry more often.

 Those people are on the road.

“raging”

at home, at work, and

Aggressive Driver Profile

 Majority of perpetrators:  Males between the ages of 18 and 26.

 Hundreds of reported cases were 26 to 50 years old.

 In 86 cases the driver was between 50 and 75 years old.

Aggressive Driver Profile

 No one profile for aggressive drivers.

 Most are relatively young, poorly educated males with criminal records, histories of violence, and drug or alcohol problems.

 Many have recently suffered an emotional or professional setback.

 Hundreds of others are educated men and women with no such histories.

Aggressive Driver Profile

 While most of the drivers are male:  Approximately 4% were female.

 Women used their vehicle as a weapon in 285 cases.

 In 31 known cases, women attacked police officers, usually while the officer was attempting to issue a traffic citation.

Common Motorist Irritants

 Tailgating to pressure a driver to go faster or get out of the way.

 Flashing lights in order to signal drivers to move to another lane.

 Obscene gesturing.

 Changing lanes without signaling.

 Blasting the horn.

Common Motorist Irritants

 Frequently changing lanes by weaving back and forth.

 Racing to beat a yellow light that’s about to turn red.

 Traveling in the passing or left lane at a slower speed, making it impossible of others to pass.

 Driving with high beams on behind another vehicle or toward on coming traffic.

Common Motorist Irritants

 Cutting drivers off.

 Slowing down after passing someone.

 Not making a right turn in the right-hand turn lane.

 Not reacting quickly after the light turns green.

How Can Motorist Protect Themselves?

 NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the other driver’s

CAPACITY for MAYHAM

.



BE PATIENT KEEP your COOL

in traffic.

and

Practice Basic Traffic Courtesy

 Do not make obscene gestures  Use your horn sparingly  Don’t block passing lane  Don’t switch lanes without signaling  Avoid blocking the right hand turn lane  Do not take more than one parking space  If you are not disabled, don’t park in a disabled space  Do not allow your door to hit the car parked next to you  Do not tailgate  If you travel slowly, pull over & allow traffic to pass

Practice Basic Traffic Courtesy

 Avoid unnecessary use of high beams headlights  Don’t let the car (cellular) phone distract you  Don’t stop in the road to talk with a pedestrian or other driver  Don’t inflict loud music on neighboring cars

Other Useful Attitudes

 Assume other driver’s mistakes are not personal  Be polite and courteous, even if the other driver isn’t  Avoid all conflict if possible. If another driver challenges you, take a deep breath and get out of the way

Reduce Your Stress

 Allow plenty of time for the trip.

 Listen to smoothing music.

 Improve the comfort in your vehicle.

 Understand that you can’t control the traffic, only your reaction to it.

Enraged Road Warriors

 Many otherwise peaceful motorist become

enraged road warriors

behind the wheel. If you’re one of them, be advised that: when they get  a) cars are not bullet proof;  b) a truly aggressive driver will follow you home; and  c) you’ve got to get out of the car eventually.

FINALLY

 If you are tempted to participate in a driving duel, ask yourself:  Is it worth being paralyzed or killed?

 Is it worth a jail sentence?

An impulsive action could ruin the rest of your life.