They could be parents or professionals. Teens or seniors. People who are late, in a rush or angry. Aggressive drivers show contempt for traffic and safety laws, for other motorists, as well as basic common sense at the wheel. It's hard to define aggressive driving in terms of crashes, violations, and driver populations. But it's easy to see that it's an enormous and growing problem on our roads today. Some of the biggest culprits include: - Tailgating
- Unsafe lane changing
- Speeding
- Running red lights and stop signs
These are causing too many crashes, injuries and deaths today. - Many people who are courteous and polite at home and the office totally change when they get behind the wheel.
- Some motorists drive aggressively simply for the thrill and power.
- Many people feel they can get away with acting out anger in the anonymity of their car.
- A powerful predicator of a young driver's behavior is the parent's driving behavior during the years they learn to drive.
- Surveys indicate almost everyone believes themselves to be above average drivers making it very difficult to change behavior.
- Our region has the second-worst congestion in the country after Los Angeles.
- According to authorities, demand on our road system will increase 40% by 2020 but road capacity will increase only 9%.
- The metro area will grow by 1.4 million people (25%) with a million new jobs by 2020.
Roads are ever more crowded, and busy roads take time, raise frustration, and diminish courtesy and good driving manners. It's an environment for conflict. Our road networks are so busy that rain, a pothole, a fender-bender or jackknifed truck, even sun glare can disrupt travel for thousands of drivers. |