Holding Aggressive Drivers Accountable

Holding Aggressive Drivers Accountable

Key Takeaways

• Aggressive driving causes a substantial portion of over 6 million annual accidents. Behaviors like tailgating, rapid lane changes, and speeding directly increase your crash risk and endanger everyone around you.
• These drivers can be held legally liable for the harm they cause. When aggressive driving results in injuries or property damage, the at-fault driver is responsible for compensating victims.
• Aggressive driving costs society over $40 billion annually. Beyond the human toll of 1,500 deaths and injuries each year, these preventable crashes create massive economic damage.
• Nearly half of all drivers admit to recent aggressive behavior. Traffic jams and running late don't justify dangerous driving—every driver has a legal duty to operate safely regardless of circumstances.
• An experienced attorney protects your rights after an aggressive driving crash. If you've been injured by a reckless driver, legal representation ensures you receive full compensation for your damages.

Aggressive driving is not difficult to spot. If you have ever been stuck in traffic on the highway or at a crowded intersection where there was lane blocking, tailgating, gestures from passing vehicles, or horn honking then you have likely experienced aggressive driving.¹ It is easy to recognize the signs of aggressive driving when you see them, but more difficult to define the phenomenon. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines aggressive driving as the event in which an "individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property."²

The Effect of Aggressive Driving

NHTSA estimates that of the over 6 million annual accidents a substantial portion of them are due to aggressive driving. According to the NHTSA survey, 60 percent of drivers feel that their own safety and that of their families has been threatened by the unsafe and aggressive driving of others. These aggressive drivers are also more likely to have dangerous and escalating incidents when behind the wheel such as drunk driving, driving unbelted, or engaging in road rage.³

Aggressive driving accounts on average for 1,500 injured or killed people each year. The car accidents caused by aggressive driving cost society over 40 billion dollars each year.⁴ State Farm conducted a survey in 2013 that revealed 45 percent of drivers had engaged in aggressive behavior in the past three months alone.⁵ The reasons for their aggressive driving include traffic jams, running late, or navigating through road construction zones or closures, but the risks caused by aggressive driving, no matter the reason for its use, remains the same. Aggressive driving which includes rapid lane changes, reduced focus, and speeding increases the chances for a car accident to occur.

Contact an Experienced St. Louis Car Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

All drivers have a duty to drive in a safe manner in which they obey traffic laws. However, when a driver engages in aggressive behaviors behind the wheel, traffic laws are overlooked and people are placed in danger which often causes a car accident. When an aggressive driver causes an accident which injures others or property, they should be held liable for the damage. If you have been injured or a family member killed in a car accident caused by the aggressive actions of another driver, it is important to seek the experience and advice of an experienced injury attorney who can help protect your legal interests and rights. To contact a car accident attorney for a free consultation about the circumstances of your car accident please feel free to call the The Bruning Law Firm trial attorneys at 314-735-8100.

References:

1. https://dmv.dc.gov/
2. https://www.nhtsa.gov/
3. https://www.nhtsa.gov/
4. https://learningcenter.statefarm.com/
5. https://www.claimsjournal.com/