Most drivers will encounter an aggressive driver at one time or another. They’re in the car that is riding your bumper and laying on the horn, slamming on their brakes in front of you or trying to run you off the road. Each year, aggressive drivers cause approximately 54% of all fatal motor vehicle accidents, according to the AAA Foundation For Traffic Safety.
Aggressive driving, also known as road rage, has been known to cause many serious and fatal accidents, so knowing how to handle this kind of situation really is a matter of safety.
Protecting yourself from aggressive drivers
You can spot an aggressive driver fairly easily. They may be driving erratically, weaving in and out of traffic, forcing a merge when there isn’t any space for them or cutting you off without any warning.
Aggressive drivers tend to view the vehicles around them as objects in their way. They forget that there is a human being behind the wheel. Some ways to protect yourself from them include:
- Using your turn signal
- Staying out of the far left lane (unless you are passing another car)
- Allowing the aggressive driver to pass you
- Avoiding eye contact with the driver
- Ignoring inappropriate gestures the driver directs toward you
Should an aggressive driver try to get you to pull over and get out of your car, do not engage with them. Remain in your car with the windows up. Call 911 and alert them to the situation and wait for them to arrive. Make a note of their license plate number by snapping a picture of it with your phone while you are waiting.
If you are injured in an accident due to an aggressive driver you need experienced legal guidance to get the compensation that’s fair.