Recently, there has been growing concern among ordinary drivers that Aggressive Driving is increasing on our roads. Aggressive drivers are more likely to:
- be involved in crashes;
- be young men;
- have high frustration levels and a low regard for others;
- be competitive in nature; and
- tend to speed, drive impaired by alcohol and/or drugs and engage in other unsafe practices such as unlicensed driving and driving without a seatbelt.
What is Aggressive Driving?
While not everyone agrees about how Aggressive Driving should be defined, it is normally taken to include such behaviours as:
Minor Aggressive Driving:
- Shouting abuse
- Making obscene gestures
- Flicking lights on and off to get other drivers to move out of the way
- Deliberately braking or slowing suddenly to irritate others
- Giving a prolonged blast of the horn deliberately
- Driving too close behind another vehicle Severe:
- Pursuing another vehicle
- Swerving in front of another vehicle
- Trying to run another vehicle off the road
- Attempting to stop another vehicle
- Deliberately bumping another vehicle
- Getting out and approaching another road user
- Damaging or attempting to damage a vehicle
- Assaulting or attempting to assault another road user (ie. pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers).