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.” The NHTSA went on to differentiate road rage from aggressive driving: “An important distinction is that aggressive driving is a traffic violation, while road rage, aside from the yelling and gesticulating, is a criminal offense.”
What Causes Road Rage
Many people justify their aggressive driving as a daily need to “make good time” exacerbating the already stressful experience of modern driving. This effort to “go faster” and the aggression that almost always comes with it can cause a ripple effect in which other drivers to start make erratic maneuvers in response that ultimately lead to an accident, stalling traffic and ironically frustrating the original driver’s attempts to “make good time.”
Road Rage Statistics
The AAA Foundation published a report of a survey conducted in 2014. It found that almost 80% of drivers admitted to engaging in at least one instance of aggressive behavior in the past year. The most common aggressive behaviors reported to the AAA Foundation by drivers were (1) purposefully tailgating another vehicle (50.8%), yelling at another driver (46.6%), and honking their horn “to show annoyance or anger” (44.5%).
Closer to one-third of drivers said that they have made an angry gesture at another driver, while 25% reported that they had purposely tried to obstruct or block another driver from changing lanes, and 11% said they had cut off another driver on purpose.
Smaller but still alarming numbers of people said they’d gotten out of their vehicle and either confronted another driver (3.7%) and bumped or rammed another vehicle on purpose (2.8%).
Because road rage has a negative perception in our society, many who engage road rage or aggressive driving-related behavior may be reluctant to admit they do or, at the very least, under-report aggressive behavior behind the wheel. It stands to reason that some acts of aggressive driving will only lead to more because when one driver starts taking aggressive driving actions other drivers will either respond directly to aggressive behavior made toward them or, having seen on driver acting out, feel that their own negative, aggressive driving behavior is justified or excusable.
The data also suggested that men were more likely than women to report having engaged in aggressive driving-related behavior but the AAA Foundation noted that because of the general negative societal perception of aggressive driving related behavior, the number of actual aggressive driving-related incidents may be much higher.
Geographically speaking, some cities have been identified as having more or less courteous drivers. Back in 2006 those areas with the most courteous drivers (with the least road rage) were identified as Minneapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, Seattle, and Atlanta while Miami, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, and Boston were the least courteous (had the greatest road rage).
Is Road Rage A Criminal Offense?
As of last year (2018), the governor’s highway safety association has reported that 15 states have created some form of legislation to address aggressive driving and another eleven have passed laws that specifically define aggressive, driving-related behavior.
Ultimately, as with most things both legal and driving-related, criminal liability for aggressive driving and road rage will likely be determined by local law enforcement. This is because much of what is considered “aggressive driving” may also fall into the category of “reckless driving” which is already a criminal offense in every state in the United States, including the District of Columbia. New Jersey, for example, enforces aggressive driving under its reckless driving laws. In contrast, a few states have taken specific legislative action related to aggressive driving. California and Utah have amended their laws to incorporate actions that would otherwise be considered aggressive into the category of reckless. Pennsylvania passed a specific resolution against aggressive driving.
Road Rage Events
Depending upon the state, courts often order traffic school or some kind of driver training program, among other possible penalties. In some states online courses satisfy these requirements. But not in Florida! While some states only require in-person courses after repeated offenses, some courts in the Sunshine State mandate an in-person training course on the first offense. These courses can range from 8 to 12(!) hours.
What to Do as a First-hand Witness
Is someone near you driving aggressively or erratically? If you feel unsafe driving pull over to the side of the road and let that driver pass. You can also contact your local highway patrol or police department and report them either while you are parked on the side of the road, or later should you happen to catch the license plate.
Road Rage and Off The Record
If you have already received a citation for aggressive driving and want to contest it Off The Record can help connect you with an experienced, local lawyer; we can even offer a money-back guarantee if allowed by law and applicable to your specific infraction. Stay safe - and calm - out there.
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