Over 75% of US Drivers Admit to Aggressive Driving

Research into aggressive driving has resulted in some troubling discoveries. Aggressive driving has lethal effects and is exceedingly common.

Aggressive driving poses a legitimate threat to driver safety. In a study from 2009, researchers looked at the link between aggressive driving and fatal car accidents, and found a distinct connection. A study of fatal crashes occurring between 2003 and 2007 found that, in nearly 56% of these accidents, at least one driver was described as having acted aggressively prior to the crash.

With this knowledge that aggressive driving can have lethal effects as background, researchers sought an understanding of the prevalence of aggressive behavior and its connection to other unsafe driving habits. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety surveyed over 2,700 licensed drivers who had driven in the past 30 days regarding a number of driving behaviors, including aggressive driving. Researchers asked study participants whether they engaged in certain behaviors which could be described as “aggressive,” including honking their horn out of anger or frustration, yelling at other drivers, tailgating (defined as following other drivers closely to get them to move or speed up), getting out of their car to confront a driver in person, and hitting or bumping another car deliberately.

The researchers found that 78% of all drivers surveyed had engaged in some form of aggressive driving behavior in the past year. The most common of these aggressive behaviors was tailgating, reported by nearly 51% of all drivers. Forty-seven percent yelled at another driver, 45% honked in anger, 4% got out of their car to confront another driver, and 3% hit another car on purpose. When extrapolated to the whole population of US drivers, that means that approximately 5.7 million drivers are likely to have hit another car on purpose over the past year.

The researchers also found that drivers likely to have committed aggressive behaviors were also likely to have violated other driving laws. For example, 21% of survey participants who admitted to running a red light in the past month also admitted to cutting off another driver on purpose, while only 7% of drivers who said they had not run a red light admitted to deliberately cutting someone off in traffic. Aggressive drivers were also much more likely to have received a citation for a moving violation in the past year. Enforcement of moving violations such as following too closely or passing another car at an insufficient distance could help to curb the fatal effects of aggressive driving.

If you or someone you love has been injured by a reckless, negligent, or aggressive driver in Kentucky, seek the damages you’re owed for your medical expenses and lost work by contacting the knowledgeable and diligent personal injury attorneys at Davis & Haymond, in Richmond at 859-624-3380, and in Irvine at 606-726-9991.