Aggressive Driving Picture this, you are on your way to either school or work. You’ve driven on the same road hundreds of times. You might even say that you know every crack and pebble on the road. Cruising the speed limit or maybe even a bit higher than normal speed. You looked at the time and realize you have only five minutes to get to work. Oh no, you’re panicking and looking at traffic to see how you can get to work faster. What are you going to do? You’re most likely going to speed up, but the other cars aren’t going fast enough or are barely at the speed limit. You have no other choice but to get right behind the car in front and tailgate them, hoping they go just a bit faster. Tailgating is a simple action of getting undoubtedly close …show more content…
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Aggressive driving involves failing to yield right of way, making improper and unsafe lane changes, passing on the shoulder, ignoring traffic lights, following too closely (tailgating) and speeding.
Dangers on roadways is an issue that describes the discrepancy between perception and reality of road rage. The media, for some odd reason, tends to make road rage a huge controversial issue. As seen on talk shows from Oprah Winfrey to CNN, they reveal to people that road rage could happen at any time and to always be looking over your shoulder. These talk shows and news programs also put fear into our minds by explaining that most roadragers often use guns to kill or injure their victims. Glassner contradicts the media's speculations by stating that out of approximately 250,000 people killed on roadways between 1990-1997, AAA attributed that one in one thousand was an act of road rage (pg.5).
Road rage caused by aggressive driving tendencies is a growing epidemic affecting today's roadways, but there is a solution.Transition 1: As you can see road rage is a serious problem that could potentially affect us all. But many of us have different ideas of the scope of road rage.BodyI. You can better combat "road rage" by understanding what it is...A. Road rage or aggressive driving is defined as behavior behind the wheel in which furious drivers lose their temper and engage in risk-taking behavior or attempt to injure or kill another driver or pedestrian over minor traffic disputes.(Dr.
Road rage is a problem that has existed ever since people have been driving. However, thanks to technology, more people are aware of the seriousness of this problem. David Boggs is one of the people who happened to witness road rage and decided to intervene.
Road rage is the act of aggressive driving or behavior that could lead to crucial physical or mental injury’s. In the Green Issue, Brendan Purves describes it as “an individual who commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.” (“What Causes Road Rage”, Purves). Many innocent lives are taken because of incidents caused by road rage. Most of these incidents happen in result of misunderstandings or impatience with unaware drivers. Not all of these road rage incidents result in an accident but mostly all of them involve aggressive acts. Some even involve armed weapons, vulgar language, and violent acts. Anyone can experience road rage but its important to stay calm and safe while driving to save
More than one third of driver fatalities involve speeding as shown by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of the young male drivers between the ages of fifteen and twenty years old who were involved in car accidents in 2012, thirty seven percent were speeding. In 2011, speeding was present in fifty two percent of fatal car accidents with a teenager behind the wheel, which is almost the same percentage as in 2008 showing that the issue of speeding has not been improving. In addition, of the crashes due to error by young drivers twenty one percent of serious accidents were due to driving faster than what was safe for the road conditions. The biggest risk that is easily forgotten is that speeding increases the stopping distance required to prevent an accident. At the ages between sixteen and nineteen thirty eight percent of males and twenty four percent of female teenagers are involved in crashes resulting from high speeds. A total of two thousand eight hundred and twenty three teenagers ages thirteen through nineteen were killed in car crashes in 2012, this is sixty eight percent less than in 1975 and seven percent less than 2011. Though the numbers have decreased, they are still there; furthermore they are not just numbers as is easily forgotten, these numbers represent more than a statistic, they represent a life. To further drive the point that beyond the numbers are lives, here are a couple stories about the life of someone killed in a car accident due to excessive
Statistics has shown that road rages has been increased over the years. Where do you usually feel the most impatient and angry? If you are like the most of people, driving in traffic is probably high on your list. No matter what you do it remains the same. Looking at most major highways these days, you probably would think you were on a racetrack instead of a roadway. For being that, there are three excellent reasons for becoming a less aggressive driver. First, driving aggressively is not healthy for you. Second, you ended up saving your life and getting the place you want to go safely. Third, when you are aggressive, you put yourself, passenger and everyone around you in extreme danger.
Drivers who speed often do not realize the enormous danger they are creating. When someone is speeding they have a higher braking time and are often going too fast to notice all of their surroundings, and fail to take all of the safety precautions a driver should use. Road conditions play a large role in the effects of speeding. Choosing to speed can also get a person’s license taken away, cost a fortune, or both.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as "the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property"—a traffic and not a criminal offense like road rage. Examples include speeding or driving too fast for conditions, improper lane changing, tailgating and improper passing. Approximately 6,800,000 crashes occur in the United States each year; a substantial number are estimated to be caused by aggressive driving. 1997 statistics compiled by NHTSA and the American Automobile Association show that almost 13,000 people have been injured or killed since 1990 in crashes caused by aggressive driving. According to a NHTSA survey, more than 60 percent of drivers consider unsafe driving by others, including speeding, a major personal threat to themselves and their families. About 30 percent of respondents said they felt their safety was threatened in the last month, while 67 percent felt this threat during the last year. Weaving, tailgating, distracted drivers, and unsafe lane changes were some of the unsafe behaviors identified. Aggressive drivers are more likely to drink and drive or drive unbelted. Aggressive driving can easily escalate into an incident of road rage. Motorists in all 50 states have killed or injured other motorists for seemingly trivial reasons. Motorists should keep their cool in traffic, be patient and courteous to other drivers, and correct unsafe driving habits that are likely to endanger, antagonize or provoke other motorists. More than half of those surveyed by NHTSA admitted to driving aggressively on occasion. Only 14 percent felt it was "extremely dangerous" to drive 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. 62 percent of those who frequently drive in an unsafe and illegal manner said police for traffic reasons had not stopped them in the past year. The majority of those in the NHTSA survey (52 percent) said it was "very important" to do something about speeding. Ninety-eight percent of respondents thought it "important" that something be done to reduce speeding and unsafe driving. Those surveyed ranked the following countermeasures, in order, as most likely to reduce aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors: (1) more police assigned to traffic control, (2) more frequent ticketing of traffic violations, (3) higher fines, and (4) i...
A term that emerged around the 1990’s and is used to describe dangerous on-the-road behaviors, acts of aggression, violent behavior by a driver of an automobile, which causes accidents or incidents on roadways (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Between 2003 and 2007, 56% of deadly vehicle crashes are a result of aggressive driving.
Some would say that speed limits are not adequate, or certain laws should be changed. Reports have shown that the majority of Americans have no problem with speed limits or the laws; new drivers are not helping either. There are key things that are liable for joining or causing road rage. For example; loud music, honking the horn, tailgating, and changing lanes without signaling all have been known to increase tension while driving. The actual causes can be traced back to different forms of stress. Such as being called into the boss' office for discussion of work performance, making bad grades in school, or having just been dumped by your girlfriend/boyfriend. Road rage is a result of an outburst of all the stress in ones life. Cars are a status symbol in our time. Nice cars give others the impression that the driver has money. Fast or flashy cars give an impression
“The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers” -Dave Barry, comedian. The number of accidents over the last ten years have drastically increased, drivers are paying less attention to the road itself. Many individuals behind the wheel of a car believe that their driving does not affect the road conditions, however it always will. The driving habits of today are catastrophic due to the reasoning that the driving will affect other lives through reckless or distracted driving, and disobeying traffic laws.
The major cause of aggressive driving is the discourteous or inattentive driver. Driving behaviors include changing lanes to closely, tailgating and "the number one cause is the left lane hog." (Larson 1) These seemingly small errors infuriate the potentially aggressive driver and cause a transformation indescribable to man kind. Reduced law enforcement, highway traffic, the growing congestion is cities, and personal issues play a large role in the disposition of the aggressive driver. Then the angry driver may demonstrate his or her displeasure by speeding around the other vehicle, cutting the other car off, and or with a number of verbal and non-verbal messages. Though the driver may feel justified in his or her action, but the display in most times is very dangerous and often will result in damage to one or both cars involved.
Imagine driving on I-75 as cars race by you at a blink of an eye. You are driving 60 miles per hour, the speed limit; they must be doing 100 miles per hour or more. This is not an illusion; this is the reality of driving on a highway. Believe it, it happens everyday. Cars race down the road at uncontrollable speeds that cause tickets, accidents, and sadly death. Speed limits are a must for traffic control, for safety in neighborhoods and for avoidance of collisions.
III. Connection: Everday we have to deal with these people on our roads. We run a great risk just driving around the corner to go to the store or a quiet trip to church. According to U.S. News and World Report, the U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that two-thirds of fatalities are at least partially caused by aggressive driving. Fortunately, there is something we can do about it.