Traffic Safety
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...
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...ture a risk-taking species. In ancient times we took risks just to eat. Later we took huge risks by setting out in little wooden ships to explore the earth's surface. We continued as we sought to fly, travel faster than the speed of sound and to head off into space. We rely on increasingly more complex equipment and constantly strive to design and manufacture faster and even more elaborate devices. It goes without saying that every effort is made to ensure our "safety"; to keep us from harm or danger. Every time you slide behind the wheel of your vehicle you are taking a risk. Driving is the riskiest activity in our lives. It is an inherently "unsafe" environment. The most perfect vehicles on the best designed highways on beautiful sunny days driven by fallible human beings crash into each other. The only way to drive "safely" (as we are all admonished to do!) is to learn more about the process. Learn more about your vehicle and how to maintain it; learn how to use your eyes to look far down the road; learn to spot problems before they happen; and also learn to deal with emergency situations. In most cases it's the human element that fails. After all, safe is only as safe does.
Aggressive driving can also result from drunk or drug driving and distracted driving. It is hence densely woven into multiple road dangers.
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).
"CDC -Injury - Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 23 Mar. 2010. .
You are a driving thought the neighborhood on your way back home from work, when you reach a stop sign, so you naturally stop, however the car behind you doesn't quite stop and keeps going full speed towards you and inevitably crashes into you, ruining your car as well as setting you back in money not only for the car but from your insurance company as your rate will go up. This is the reality of today's road as many drivers whether new or old have picked up dangerous driving habits.
People around other drivers have become more aggressive, territorial, and mean. It happens every day. A person could be driving the speed limit but another car behind gets frustrated, rides too closely as if they are about to crash, and then speeds past honking like a maniac. Some people who have no temper problem admit to losing control when they are driving. “For some road ragers, it’s a need for control, to counter to other drivers who they feel violate their proxemic space, or their need for possession of their lane or their part of the road. For others, it’s unchecked anger and aggression. It’s hormone-based, primitive, small-brain thinking, bringing a lack of emotional intelligence or the need to dominate someone else and their unsharable space. Add in unchecked egos, the need for superiority, narcissistic pride: my vehicle is bigger than yours.” This is quoted by Dr. Steve Albrecht who has written the article
Teens need to be taught that driving is a task that is complex and demanding. Parents know how much experience a young driver has, and they know exactly how inconvenient it is when they have to drive with their teen everywhere while they have their permit. Teens tend to cause most traffic accidents in adults’ eyes. They are not experienced yet, and often fail to pay attention to others on the road. They often think of a car as being some type of toy, but they do not know how powerful it really is. The driver education programs must be strengthened in order to make sure that students really have safer habits, behind the wheel experience, and by having a better understanding of all the laws on the road.
The connection between drivers and aggressive driving is that it’s contagious. Driving is dangerous already and now we have someone on the same road driving with no respect and risking everyone on the road is even worse. Marcella Baietto, a reporting journalist for AzCentral, wrote about an accident on Intersection 17 in Phoenix, Arizona. She had been ejected from her car and was killed, leaving six others injured, five being children. Baietto also mentions that the car had rolled over, and that is when the woman was ejected from the car. A simple crash can turn deadly fast, almost too fast. Is it worth it to be upset behind the wheel and risk others
This essay is to inform you about certain aspects of driving. In this letter I am going to talk about the effect of response time, a safe following distance, how the stopping distance depends on speed, how to decide what to do at a yellow light and how you have to change your speed around a curve. In the next following paragraphs I will explain each of the topics that I have listed and I will give you a better knowledge of how to be a safer driver.
I think that it is easy to tell when a person will be a responsible driver because, if the person is generally responsible it makes it easier to avoid being a reckless driver. However, sometimes accidents may occur because others are not careful, which makes it even more stressful, but being extra careful and looking out for the way people next to us are driving can help prevent accidents. Whenever I ask my dad how he does it to be so careful while driving, he says one just gets used to it. That gives me a sort of comfort to know that it will not always be very stressful once I get used to it.
Inventors hope to help people with autonomous cars because “autonomous cars can do things that human drivers can’t” (qtd. in “Making Robot Cars More Human). One of the advantages that driverless cars have is that “They can see through fog or other inclement weather, and sense a stalled car or other hazard ahead and take appropriate action” (qtd. in “Making Robot Cars More Human). Harsh weather conditions make it difficult and dangerous for people to drive, however, the car’s ability to drive through inclement weather “frees the user’s time, creates opportunities for individuals with less mobility, and increases overall road safety” (Bose 1326). With all the technology and software in the car, it can “improve road traffic system[s] and reduces road accidents” (Kumar). One of the purposes for creating the driverless car was to help “make lives easier for senior citizens, people with disabilities, people who are ill, or people who are under influence of alcohol” (Kumar). It can be frightening to know that that we share share our roads with drivers that could potentially endanger our lives as well as other people’s lives. How can people not feel a sense of worry when “cars kill roughly 32,000 people a year in the U.S.” (Fisher 60)? Drivers who text while driving or drink and drive greatly impact the safety of other people, and Google hopes to reduces the risk of accidents and save lives with the
As mentioned above, two thirds of the fifty eight thousand highway deaths last year, 2004 were related to aggressive driving. In a recent survey by roadrage.com reported that six out of ten people reported that they were followed by a driver displeased with their driving. Another survey reported that out of those six people, four reported a chase of more than ten miles and out of the four, three reported being followed to their house. A questionnaire posted by roadragers.com surveyed 600,000 thousand people and out of those 600,000 thousand 216,000 people reported that they know someone who was killed or injured by an aggressive driver.
“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.
Road rage is a large problem all over the world, especially in the United States. There are two types of road rage. The first one is habitual road rage. It is a learned behavior; drivers have learned to drive in an aggressive manner. The second one is situational road rage. It is based on the situation that surrounds the driver, such as the driver receiving bad news or losing a job. Many people have died on the American highways because of stress or maybe they are in a hurry to get home to watch the football game, to be at work on time, get to a rendezvous doctor. It may be also that they are using their cell phone. Since driving is dangerous things a person can do, losing
The world is full of traffic, cars, trams, bicyclers, pedestrians and buses and a lot of people are using these transportations - everyday. Because of this, events happens. One might feel comfortable to travel with several people but another person can feel exposed. Safety issues may arise naturally because of the amount of people in traffic, maintenance problems and a perceived discomfort due to, for example, badly lit public spaces. So what makes us feel unsafe in traffic, what are the dangers in traffic and what can be done for a better infrastructure and traffic situations?
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.