Aggressive Driving that We Face - Essay Example

Aggressive Driving Aggressive driving happens to almost all people who sit behind the wheel. Aggressive driving can be referred to as any form of aggression that is displayed by a driver. Mostly it is used in describing acts that are in extremes including physical assault resulting from the driver’s disagreements. Aggressive driving could also be further defined as any behavior behind the wheel that puts other people or property in grave danger through actions taken willfully with disregard to the road safety rules. It can further be defined as a deliberate driving behavior that is aggressive and most likely it could increase the risk of vehicles colliding and it is motivated by hostility, impatience, and annoyance in an effort to save time .Aggressive driving often involves angry or very impatient motorists, pedestrians or passengers who injure or kill one another intentionally or attempt to do so in response to a dispute that is traffic related, a grievance or an altercation. The main focus of the definitions above is exclusively based on the intended behavior to physically injure another road user or physically indeed injure the road users. (Deaux, 1971) It can range from behaviors that are very risky to those escalating to very serious violence.Researchers have clearly stated that road users that have aggressive behavior experience some sort of frustration and the inability to progress through traffic which provokes them easily in involving themselves in unruly acts. The media on the other hand seem to refer road rage as aggressive driving whereas there is a notable difference between the two. Aggressive driving is further referred to as a selfish act which disregards the rights and safety of other road users in the highways and the streets by a motor vehicle operator. All aggressive behaviors are seemingly triggered by situation events or even behaviors that are frustrating. The factors that influence the drivers frustrations prompting them to become aggressive includes the frustration level that a particular driver can handle in a given situation. Different drivers have differing thresholds on how much they can tolerate frustration in a given situation as some tend to respond more aggressively than others. Another factor that affects the aggressive response of drivers is the negative consequences for their aggression considering the personal, legal and also the social consequences. The third factor determining the level of aggression on motorists is the extent to which a frustration is viewed as inappropriate of unfair. (Connell, 1996) Aggressive driving however seem to be rapidly increasing as the problem could either be the roads or the motorists themselves. The congestion of the roads causes a lot of frustration since they are more crowded with an increasingly more number of vehicles and a stagnant number of roadway miles. There are frequent events that involve aggressive drivers especially on the public highways and the concerns from the motorists are growing. In a recent survey carried out by the American Automobile Association in determining the issues that concerned the drivers, the results indicated that the largest group of the drivers interviewed felt that aggressive driving was the main traffic safety threat. (Beirness, 1996) An aggressive driver could have the following characteristics which include: over speeding, unsafe or frequent lane changes, tailgating, honking and flashing headlights, yelling, and failure to signal other motorists, failure to yield the right way, impaired driving and disregarding the traffic controls. In the most extreme cases it can also include the ramming or bumping into other vehicles belonging to other motorists or flaunting weapons. In case of an encounter with an aggressive driver the best way in dealing with the issue is to keep your distance and remain calm. Once it is safe you can also change lanes and don’t pass unless you really have to. (Assum, 1997) Similarly you can maintain the recommended speed without responding with hostile gestures in case it is impossible to change the lanes and the aggressive driver is still behind you. It is also important to note that one can always consult and report to the concerned authorities in case you spot an aggressive driver or an impaired driver. The police do not issue tickets simply because you got a vehicles number plate and reported it for aggressive driving but they have to be witnesses in the violation of the rules. It is very important that the drivers reduce their chances of involving themselves in incidents pertaining aggressive driving .Initially it is crucial that common courtesy is observed as actions provoking other motorists are avoided consciously. Similarly motorists are less likely to experience aggression if only they would take the recommended measures to reduce their own personal stress. Drivers should also change and adjust their attitudes concerning the driving behaviors of other motorists. Drivers should also keep their emotions in check as they think about the consequences thereof when they behave in any aggressive manner while driving. Drivers are highly advised that they become very patient and considerate to other drivers. They should also correct any driving habits that are unsafe and could endanger or provoke other motorists. Majority of those involved in aggressive driving they have criminal records and histories of violence, they also are poorly educated and relatively young who might have suffered from either a professional or an emotional setback. (Arnett, 1997) This does not rule out the successful men and women with no criminal records since they also snap and commit violence and also become aggressive drivers. People from all walks of life are not exempted from the aggressive driving behavior including the celebrities. Aggressive driving on the other hand has very many consequences which include death and injury whereby the motorists involved could use weapons such as firearms, baseball bats, knives, and also defensive sprays. In aggressive driving domestic violence has played a very significant role not forgetting that racism and hate have similarly played a part in the same. Some aggressive drivers also use their motor vehicles as weapons as they vent their anger by crashing them into buildings and other public or private properties and they may at times plough their vehicles intentionally into crowds of people. Driving in aggression could also be notably be influenced by environmental factors such as noise, temperatures and overcrowding. Motorists could be involved in either of the two forms of aggressive behaviors which include the hostile and the instrumental aggression. When they are involved in hostile aggression there is a very strong emotional attachment involving individual behavior and they at times vent their anger at other people without giving so much thought to the consequences for their reactions. Instrumental aggression on the other hand seeks to overcome the frustrating situation and it immediately stopped when the source of the frustration is removed. (Argyle, 1983) Most drivers who behave aggressively are unlikely to be exclusively instrumental or hostile. However the clear distinction is very helpful to the researchers since there are driving behaviors that are aggressive and more hostile than the instrumental ones and the vice versa is also true. There is also a clear distinction between aggressive driving and the aggressive drivers since the aggressive drivers make up a small group of the population that drives and displays behavior that is aggressive whereas aggressive driving point out to the behaviors themselves that are displayed by the motorists less often. References Argyle, M. (1983): The Psychology of Interpersonal Behavior, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, pgs 335-360 Arnett, J (1997): Reckless driving in adolescence: state and trait factors, Accident Analysis and Prevention.Vol. 29, No. 1, pgs 50-63 Assum, T (1997): Attitudes and road accident risk, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 29, No. 2, pgs 150-160 Beirness, D (1996): The relationship between lifestyle factors and collisions involving young drivers, Regents of the University of California. Pgs 70-77 Connell, D., (1996): Driver aggression in Aggressive Driving: Three Studies. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Washington D.C. pgs 20-34 Deaux, K (1971): Honking at the intersection, a replication and extension, Journal of Social Psychology.pgs 159-160 Read More