Do you honk your horn at drivers often? Have you yelled at other drivers? What about speeding past a slow driver? If so, you may have road rage.
Road rage is typically defined as aggressive driving with a few curse words, honks, or dangerous passing of other drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) objectively defines road rage as a combination of moving traffic offenses that purposefully endanger other persons or property.
So what causes aggressive driving and road rage? It is the small things. You may have had a stressful day at work, your child may be sick, or you may be late for a meeting. When another driver is not following traffic rules (or most importantly, the norms of driving, which may be different than the actual rules) a person will take out their frustration on another driver.
The worst part of it all is that when drivers are aggressive, half of the other drivers on the road will respond aggressively.
Common “symptoms” of road rage are:
- Tailgating
- Flashing headlights at other drivers
- Honking the horn
- Changing lanes quickly and often, typically without turn signals
- Yelling or gesturing to other drivers
- In serious cases, fighting, or pulling out guns
Whichever way you define road rage, it is a serious problem on the roads. Six out of one hundred drivers have road rage, according to a study by the National Institute of Health. The scariest statistic is that two percent of aggressive drivers have tried to run other drivers off the road.
As car accident attorneys, we are more concerned about what happens if you are involved in an accident with an aggressive driver. If an aggressive driver causes a car accident and you get injured, you shouldn’t have to pay. Even worse, if you were aggressive in return and a car accident occurred, who is to blame?
At Finney Law Office, LLC, we can answer all your questions about who’s at fault and the legal options for your compensation.
For more information on road rage, check out NHTSA’s brochure.
The next time somebody cuts in front of you, think about the type of driver you are. Do you act aggressively to other drivers, or do you calmly assess the situation?
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