TAMING THE ROAD WARRIOR: CAN AGGRESSIVE DRIVING BE CURBED?

Dangerous driving behaviors are becoming more common on crowded roads and causing concern for citizens, safety advocates, law enforcement, and policymakers. This phenomenon, known as aggressive driving or road rage, presents a challenge to state legislators worried about traffic safety. Recent surveys show that drivers in some areas fear aggressive drivers more than drunk drivers. And the number of incidents of aggressive driving continues to increase every year. This report presents an overview of aggresive driving; the ways it can be defined and several approaches to the problem. Psychologists and mental health professionals suggest a number of causes of the behavior as well as solutions. Law enforcement efforts seek to target aggressive drivers and strictly enforce traffic violations with positive results. Citizen groups are forming to call for education, awareness, and answers to the issue. State legislators in Maryland and Virginia in 1997 grappled with bills aimed at curbing aggressive drivers. These states considered the creation of a specific offense of aggressive driving to supplement careless driving and reckless driving charges. Several options for state legislators to consider in dealing with dangerous driving are discussed, including the application of advanced technologies to heighten enforcement, driver education, and graduated licensing for teenagers. The report is intended to assist state legislators in developing policy solutions to this vexing traffic safety issue.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/10868658
• Corporate Authors:

  National Conference of State Legislatures

  1560 Broadway, Suite 700
  Denver, CO  United States  80202
• Authors:
  • Goehring, J B
• Publication Date: 1997-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19 p.
• Serial:
  • NCSL Transportation Series
  • Issue Number: 7
  • Publisher: National Conference of State Legislatures
  • ISSN: 1086-8658

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggression; Automobile driving; Behavior; Human factors; Legislation; Problem drivers; Reckless drivers; Road rage; State government; Traffic safety
• Geographic Terms: Maryland; United States; Virginia
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00789436
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 6 2000 12:00AM