It may seem obvious why road rage causes accidents, but to stop aggressive driving, and prevent injuries, we have to understand why and learn more about aggressive driving habits themselves.
Road rage incidents are on the rise, and every year, road rage incidents get worse. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatal car crashes linked to aggressive driving rose almost 500%, from 80 in 2006 to 467 in 2015.
More than half of drivers become aggressors and this often results in violence, injuries, and even death. But why exactly does road rage cause accidents?
Speeding is a Common Cause of Road Rage Accidents
Speeding is a result of road rage in some, and a trigger of road rage in others. Just over 50% of drivers who have been the victim of road rage and speeding offenses, will then become enraged and continue the rage themselves. Creating a ripple effect.
As many as 53% of all drivers in the United States think that it’s normal to drive 10mph more than the speed limit. Speeding killed at least 25 people a day in 2018 and that number keeps on increasing because of drivers who think that it’s okay to make the road their racetrack. Some aggressive drivers also tailgate other cars, which often causes speeding.
Speak to any car accident lawyer that deals with personal injury or a traumatic brain injury that resulted from an auto collision, and they will all tell you that speeding is not just the case of accidents, but what often makes the crashes even more deadly is speeding. And speeding is just one reason why road rage causes accidents.
Altercations Often Lead to Violence
Rude and aggressive drivers are everywhere. They either cut you off, blow their horns continuously or just yell at you because you’re driving slow.
These situations can easily lead to an altercation on the road where a driver pulls off on the side of the road and confronts the offender. In this situation, not only does why road rage causes accidents, it can be the cause of vehicle or personal assault.
Unfortunately, 37% of all road rage incidents involved firearms, which can easily escalate the situation and put the driver, the offender, and other pedestrians in danger. As we’ve mentioned before, your life is never worth a road rage incident.
Road Rage Can Result in Revenge
Around 2% of all drivers who have encountered a road rage offender admitted to seeking revenge by going after the driver, tailgating, brake-checking and even bumping the car. When this happens, other pedestrians could get involved and result in an accident.
And remember, these are the drivers that admitted that they took revenge. The real number could be and is likely higher.
Road rage causes accidents directly or indirectly. In this case, it’s a little of both. One driver’s poor driving or road rage may lead to another driver letting their rage getting the better of them and seeking to cause an accident as retaliation.
Bad Driving Behaviors Cause Car Crashes
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at least 94% of all car collisions are caused by human error with a third of these linked to road rage offenses like changing lanes with signaling, tailgating and speeding.
That is why it’s important to always be vigilant when driving so that you can respond properly to aggressive drivers on the road to keep yourself from getting into an accident.
Road rage causes bad driving which is why road rage causes accidents. Keeping a level head while you’re behind the wheel is the best way to avoid car accidents in the first place.
Road Rage Usually Happens on Highways and Freeways
You’ll encounter most aggressive drivers on highways and freeways where there are more cars or the traffic is bad during rush hour. When this happens, even the smallest offenses can already turn into a huge accident involving a lot of cars. Since there’s a huge concentration of traffic in these areas and drivers often feel under pressure to maneuver their way in the middle of a huge traffic jam.
People die every day because of road rage incidents that could be prevented if drivers acted properly on the road or responded appropriately to offenders.
At the end of the day, we should all be responsible not only for our safety but for other people on the road. No matter how tempting it is to confront an offender, go after him or seek revenge, it’s always smarter to err on the side of caution by ignoring the offender and letting the authorities handle the situation.
So if you’re a victim of road rage, dial 911 right away. And remember why road rage causes accidents so you can avoid rage and avoid an accident.
Sources:
https://one.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/aggdrivingenf/pages/introduction.html
