June 26, 2006

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COLLEGE STATION – Now that summer travel season is here, experts from Texas Cooperative Extension urge drivers to watch out for a danger that's becoming more common every year.

Aggressive driving – sometimes called ‘road rage' in its more extreme forms – can be a killer, said Bev Kellner of Extension's Passenger Safety program.

The phenomenon isn't new. A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that between January 1990 and Sept. 1, 1996, 218 people were killed and 12,610 were injured because of aggressive driving, Kellner said. Of these victims, 94 were younger than 15.

Aggressive driving can affect any driver, any time, anywhere, Kellner said. Examples can include tailgating, passing on the wrong side, and weaving in and out of traffic.

Aggressive driving can cause collisions and personal attacks, as well as fines of up to $200, which can increase insurance rates, she said.

More severe cases can involve verbal abuse and even physical violence. A recent news report tells of a driver who allegedly was so enraged at being cut off in traffic that he chased the offending car into a cemetery, where he crashed into a mausoleum and died. ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13139663/ )

"Driving is not a contest," Kellner said. "It's not about winning. You can't control the drivers around you. You can control only the way you react to them."

The Texas Department of Transportation and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety offered some tips:

- Be cautious and considerate when driving. Follow the rules of the road, such as using the passing lane only when passing, signaling when changing lanes, pulling over and stopping to use your cell phone, and using only one space when parking.

- Don't tailgate.

- If you are traveling in the left lane and someone wants to pass you, move over and let the other vehicle through.

- Don't make inappropriate gestures or honk your horn unnecessarily.

- Avoid eye contact with other drivers.

- Give angry drivers plenty of room and put as much distance as possible between yourself and the angry driver.

- If you find yourself in a situation with an angry driver, try to keep things calm. Don't challenge angry drivers or react in any way. If necessary, get the other vehicle's license number and report the encounter to police.

Triggers for aggressive driving are often trivial and may include loud music, slow driving or failure to use a turn signal, said Terri Miller, director of Extension's Safe Communities project.

"These disputes are rarely the result of a single incident, but rather are the cumulative result of a series of stressors in the motorist's life," she said. "It's often just the last straw."

To help prevent reaching that ‘last straw' in the first place, Miller suggested stress-reducing driving practices such as listening to soothing music, adjusting your seat for maximum comfort and allowing plenty of travel time.

"Before reacting to another driver's mistake, ask yourself: How many times have I made the same mistake?" Miller said.

"Remember, your car is not a tank, it is not bulletproof and the truly aggressive driver may follow you home. And finally, is an impulsive action worth ruining the rest of your life?"

Kellner suggested taking the ‘Are You an Aggressive Driver' quiz at http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=aggresive .

For more information on this and other safety issues, visit Extension's Family and Consumer Sciences Web site at http://fcs.tamu.edu/ and click on the link to Safety.