Do you know the difference between ‘Aggressive Driving’ and ‘Road Rage’? I sure didn’t until I dove into my research for this month’s blog post. If you’re anything like me, you probably think the terms are synonymous. Turns out, they’re not.
‘Aggressive Driving’ refers to certain behaviors on the road, such as speeding, changing lanes quickly, not letting people merge into your lane (pretty much anything that would cause an attentive backseat driver to slap you on the wrist). ‘Road Rage’ refers to an actual response to the behavior of another driver, which can be anything from an angry gesture to a criminal act of assault.
And now, on to the statistics:
According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 56% of fatal crashes involve some sort of aggressive driving behavior.
The AAA Foundation also discovered that 90% of today’s drivers feel aggressive driving is a threat to their safety when they’re driving.
Are you concerned about confrontation on the road? If not, it may be because you, my friend, are an aggressive driver (gasp!). Take our ‘Aggressive Driving Quiz’ and find out whether you’re considered a cool cucumber or a hot tamale (sorry, just couldn’t resist the corny idiom) when you’re behind the wheel.
Have something you’d like to share? Post it in the ‘Comments’ section below and let’s talk about it!
ANSWERS:
If you answered A for any of the questions above, you are a:
Road Rager: It may be a good idea for you to relax a bit when you’re behind the road. As we learned today, 56% percent of fatal crashes involve aggressive driving. Aggressive driving leads to road rage, which could lead to an unwanted trip to the police station in the back of a squad car. Keep your cool and stay safe!
If you answered B for any of the questions above, you are in the:
Middle of the Road: Your attitude on the road is usually situation-based; unless you’re running late, you’re generally easy-going when you’re behind the wheel. You do, however, have the potential to slip into that “Road Rager” category if someone gets on your nerves, so be careful!
If you answered C for any of the questions above, you are an:
Easy-going Driver: You’ve realized that there’s no point in showing angry, aggressive behavior towards other drivers, which makes you a calm, relaxed driver. You tend to leave yourself plenty of time to get where you need to be so you don’t have to rush, and you understand that dealing with inconveniences on the road is just a part of driving.
