Aggressive Driving a Factor in 56% of Deadly Vehicle Crashes

Hamilton-– As many as 56 % of fatal car crashes nationwide involve one or more unsafe driving behaviors typically associated with aggressive driving, according to a new analysis released Tuesday, April 21 by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Aggressive driving continues to be one of America’s main traffic safety worries. Eight out of 10 people surveyed recently, as part of the AAA Foundation’s Traffic Culture Index, rated aggressive drivers as a serious or extremely serious traffic problem.
However, in the same AAA survey, many individuals reported driving aggressively. For example, nearly half of the drivers reported exceeding the speed limit by 15 MPH on major highways in the past 30 days; and, 15 % even admitted exceeding the speed limit by 15 MPH on neighborhood streets, according to the AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index results, an annual nationally-representative telephone survey.
What’s more, a recent New Jersey survey, completed for the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety last year, found 68 percent of motorists polled on driver attitude and behavior believe aggressive driving and drunk driving are the top two issues facing drivers according to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.
“And yet we see drivers all the time driving aggressively. These various research and survey results reflect, both nationwide and in the Garden State, the ‘Do as I say, Not as I Do’ attitude we have toward traffic safety,” said David Weinstein, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “We point the finger of blame at others, but we’re the ones to blame, too.”
“Our goal in releasing these findings is to educate motorists about the scope of aggressive driving as well as encourage motorists to reevaluate their own driving behavior, and ultimately to improve this country’s traffic safety culture,” Weinstein said.
Many people confuse aggressive driving and road rage, notes AAA Mid-Atlantic. In reality, road rage is simply a dangerous consequence of aggressive driving. Anyone can be an aggressive driver. Here is a snapshot of the findings in the AAA
Foundation’s Traffic Culture Index:
78 percent of the respondents rated aggressive drivers as a serious or extremely serious traffic problem.
Yet nearly half of these same people reported exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph on major highways in the past 30 days.
These drivers also admitted having performed numerous other aggressive acts, including:
Exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph (15%),
Speeding up to beat a yellow light (58 percent),
Honking at other drivers (41%),
Pressuring other drivers to speed up (26%),
Tailgating (22%), and,
Deliberately running red lights (6 percent).
For more information or to see the full report, visit www.AAAFoundation.org.