Aggressive driving

Aggressive driving is a way of driving any type of vehicle or affecting any type of maneuver on a vehicle in which the driver deliberately behaves in such a manner as to increase the risk of a road accident. An aggressive driver may in some instances drive so recklessly and imprudently as to injure or kill a person or an animal or cause material harm to the property of another person/s. He/she is also subject to cause bodily harm to himself/herself.

Aggressive driving has been associated to serious crimes, such as involuntary homicide by imprudence.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as a progression of unlawful driving actions such as:

• Speeding – exceeding the posted limit or driving too fast for conditions
• Improper signalling and lane changing – failing to signal intent, using an emergency lane to pass, or passing on the shoulder, cutting into another car's path
• Tailgating – driving near the back of another's car at too close of a range
• Driving in improper lane - travelling too slow in passing lane (typically the left lane of 'every' road) and ignoring 'keep right except to pass' rule causing other drivers to perform more frequent lane changes

References and links

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Smooth Operator – a public safety initiative