Available 24/7
Free Consultation
The National Safety Council describes aggressive driving behavior as a combination of speeding, careless driving, improper lane changing, tailgating, and other erraticbehaviors aimed at advancing beyond surrounding traffic. When a driver engages in these reckless behaviors, they increase the chance of a collision. Over 45% of fatal car accidents result from one or more aggressive driving factors.
No one wants to become a statistic in an aggressive driving study. Drivers should know how to quickly recognize aggressive driving and how to avoid accidents caused by another driver’s recklessness behind the wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration describes aggressive drivers as those committing a combination of traffic offenses that endanger others sharing the roadway. Common warning signs of an aggressive driver include the following:
Aggressive driving isn’t the same as road rage, which typically involves an angry driver targeting a specific vehicle, but it can quickly escalate into road rage situations, making it important to avoid aggressive drivers as much as possible.
The best way to avoid an accident with an aggressive driver—and to minimize the distraction and stress of this type of encounter—is to let the aggressive driver pass you as soon as safely possible. Remove yourself from the situation by dropping back and putting sufficient space between your car and the aggressive driver’s vehicle. Try not to engage with the driver by making eye contact, honking your horn, or making rude gestures, even if they cut you off in traffic. If the other driver tailgates you, don’t speed up. Instead, move over as much as safely possible to allow them to pass.
If an aggressive driver targets you and engages in harassment, the situation has escalated into road rage. Experts recommend diffusing the situation by waving a hand and mouthing the words, “I’m sorry,” even if you did nothing wrong, and then letting them pass. Continued aggression warrants a call to the police after you find a safe, public location to pull over.
In the worst-case scenario, you may have done your best to avoid an aggressive driver or evade the situation, but the other driver’s tactics caused an accident. If you’re able to move safely, use your phone to snap photos of the damaged vehicles and the accident scene before law enforcement moves the cars out of traffic flow. Report the accident to the police and request emergency services if there are injuries. Always go to a hospital straight from the accident and obtain a medical report listing your injuries.
Car accident claims are rarely as straightforward as you might hope, even after an aggressive driver causes an accident. Insurance companies often dispute claims or quickly reach out to injury victims with low settlement offers that require them to sign away their right to a lawsuit. In an aggressive driving accident claim, the insurance company might do this before you know the full extent of your damages. Call the New Haven car accident lawyers at Weber & Rubano so we can put our over seven decades of experience behind your compensation claim.