Tag Archives: Aggressive Driving

Jul 25 2022

See You Later Tailgater

No time to read a long-winded BLOnG? Welcome to the Three-Second-Stop mini-Blog.

Today’s Three Seconds: Dealing with Tailgaters

3 Second Stop

Summer break will soon be coming to an end and children will be returning to school. As school hours return so does the morning traffic. You might notice more tailgating occurring as people rush to get their kids to school and try to make it to work on time. Tailgating is not only dangerous but also illegal, not to mention that it is also a form of reckless driving. If you notice that you are being tailgated, make sure to remain calm and allow more space in front of you. This can help give you more time to slow down if there is a problem up ahead, lowering the chances of being rear-ended. If you are able to move over to the next lane do so. Drivers who tailgate are impatient and the best way to avoid the situation getting worse is to just let them go ahead. Tailgating can be deadly if it leads to an accident. Losing a few minutes of your life is better than losing your life in a few minutes!

Mar 23 2022

Don’t Let Rage Take the Wheel

Road rage can happen to anyone, even the calmest drivers can experience it. There have been many studies to find out what exactly causes road rage and the results conclude different things. From stress, to a bad morning or even traffic congestion, it all varies. The American Psychological Association actually did a study and they found that the people most likely to exhibit road rage are young males. But ultimately, both males and females experience it.

Road rage can be dangerous, a small altercation can turn deadly. The L.A. Times wrote an article about road rage and stated that, in 2021, every 18 hours someone was shot and injured or killed in a road rage incident in the United States.

If you ever encounter another driver acting aggressively, remain calm, switch lanes if possible and ignore the temptation to respond to the other driver. Responding to the aggressive driver might lead to the situation escalating. If you are ever caught in a road rage situation where the driver could be following you, keep your doors locked and drive to the nearest police station. Remember to ignore the urge to reciprocate an aggressive driver’s actions, your loved ones will thank you.

*This traffic safety topic is covered in our 8-hour California Traffic School course for traffic tickets. If you need traffic school to keep a moving violation hidden on your driving record, sign up today at https://www.trafficschool.com/california/california-traffic-school/?source=blog_03232022

Dec 21 2018

Holiday Travels and Aggressive Driving

 

An interesting report from GasBuddy found that Americans tend to drive 175% more aggressively during the holidays. GasBuddy looked at the number of instances quick accelerating, hard braking, and speeding occurred during the Thanksgiving holiday (November 21 – 25, 2018). The results showed that these aggressive driving events happened most often on the day leading up to the holiday. Aggressive driving is not only dangerous, it is also hard on your gas consumption. This is something to keep in mind with upcoming holiday travels. Some tips for your holiday trips: Plan ahead so you have plenty of time to reach your destination. Take a deep breath, relax, and drive with courtesy. Our goal should be for us all to get where we are going safely. Drive safe and have a happy holiday season!

May 14 2014

Go Speed Racer… No!

Risky Business

In 2012 roughly 92 people died in motor vehicle crashes each day according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 30% of these deaths involved speed-related traffic crashes.

Speeding is generally viewed as dangerous driving behavior, but this doesn’t seem to keep 75% of drivers from speeding regularly. The most common forms of speeding are driving too fast for the conditions, driving above the posted speed limit and racing. For every 10 mph over 50 mph that a vehicle travels, the chance of death or serious injury doubles.Speeding Tickets

Most of the time, we are speeding to save time. The truth is we don’t save as much time as we would like to think. If you were traveling at 65 mph over 20 miles instead of 55 mph you would save only about three and a half minutes! And if speeding doesn’t lead to a collision, you may still end up with ticket which is a whole other set of problems to deal with.

So, next time you’re tempted to put the pedal to the medal, ask yourself… “Is it worth it?”

Dec 13 2013

Holi-Dazed

Don’t Lose Your Cool This Winter

aggressive-driver-webThe holiday season is a stressful time of year for many, and the roadways may get more congested than ever.  Frustration and anger can make for some nasty driving behavior, so if you’re feeling like steam is about to blow out your ears, TrafficSchool.com has 5 pointers for maintaining your calm to avoid becoming an aggressive driver (and to avoid a ticket!)

1) Relaaaaaxxx – taking slow, deep breaths and concentrating on your breath can help calm down angry feelings.  Listening to a calming CD can also curb agitation. Or put your favorite music on to make your car time more enjoyable.

2) Drive the speed limit – fewer accidents occur when vehicles are traveling at or about the same speed.

3) Find alternate routes – You may find a route that is less congested, more enjoyable, or at least a nice change from your usual everyday trips.

4) Take advantage of public transportation when you can and avoid dealing with traffic altogether!

5) Just be late.  If you are not going to make it to your destination in time, just accept that you will be late.  Simple as that.  Better to arrive late safely than to put yourself and other drivers at risk.

 

Jun 18 2013

Seeing Red

Road Rage: Do You Have It In You?

s1roadrage_web_2Road rage. We all have a little bit in us. No? Remember that time when the vehicle in front of you was driving so obnoxiously slow that if you got out of your car and walked, you’d probably make it to your destination a lot faster? Or how about the driver who continuously slammed on his breaks causing you to do the same, for absolutely no reason at all? Yes, I’m sure you remember moments like this. You may even remember how you felt, the choice of words you used, and the amount of frustration endured. However, some of us choose to take this anger and act upon it in ways that presents not only self-danger, but danger to other motorists on the road as well.

Road rage is defined as aggressive or angry behavior by a driver of an automobile or other motor vehicle. Such behavior might include rude gestures, verbal insults, deliberately driving in an unsafe or threatening manner, or making threats. Road rage can lead to altercations, assaults, and collisions which result in injuries and even deaths.

So, if you are ever confronted with an aggressive driver, what should you do?

1. Avoid direct eye contact with a driver who appears to be agitated. Many people associate eye contact with a challenge or threat. Even a friendly smile can be misinterpreted as a sarcastic threat.

2. Put Your Pride Aside. Do not challenge them by speeding up or attempting to hold-your-own in your travel lane.

3. Gestures. Ignore gestures and refuse to return them.

4. Report Serious Aggressive Driving. You or a passenger may call the police. But, if you use a cell phone, pull over to a safe location.

Aggressive driving contributes to 56 percent of all fatal car crashes, so next time think twice before you react!

(Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)