|
 |
From the Office of the Sheriff
Sheriff Dennis L. Dotson
|
Date: May 5, 2008
Aggressive Drivers-Anyone You Know
Who Are Aggressive Drivers?
- They are high-risk drivers, more likely to drink and drive, speed, or drive unbelted.
- Their vehicle provides anonymity, allowing them to take out their frustrations on other drivers.
- Their frustration levels are high, concern for other motorists, low. They have even been known to commit acts of violence, commonly known as road rage.
- They consider vehicles as objects and fail to consider the human element involved; therefore, they seldom consider the consequences of their actions.
- They run stop signs, disobey red lights, speed, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, pass on the right, make unsafe lane changes, flash their lights, blow their horns, or make hand and facial gestures.
If you think you might be an aggressive driver, here are a few tips to help avoid road rage:
- Avoid committing acts that cause you frustration when committed by other drivers such as cutting off another vehicle, following too close, failing to signal turns or lane changes, stopping in a traffic lane to pick-up or drop-off passengers, failing to dim headlights or “flashing” high beam lights, and offering objective or obscene gestures.
- Avoid behavior or actions that can frustrate you, such as driving behind a slow-moving vehicle in the fast lane of traffic or engaging other drivers when spurred by another driver’s actions. Avoid the mindset of “teaching another driver a lesson.”
- Give yourself an extra ten minutes to arrive at your destination. This will reduce the stress that leads you to drive fast and being impatient with other drivers. Find a route to your destination that is less congested. Let someone else drive if you’re feeling angry or frustrated.
- Changing aggressive driving habits might save you from being arrested or from being in the next news headline about a traffic fatality.
Return to Tips.
|
