Aggressive driving has increased in Michigan in recent years. While that fact shouldn’t surprise you, the statistics surrounding road rage may. Identifying road rage and the resulting incidents it can produce may help you from escalating a bad situation and turning it into a worse one.
Aggressive driving characterizes road rage
The National Highway Transportation Administration defines aggressive driving as a combination of moving traffic offenses that endanger other people or property, often resulting in car accidents. Examples of aggressive driving behaviors are following too closely, suddenly changing speeds without warning, not yielding the right of way, failing to obey traffic laws, racing other vehicles, etc. In 2019, 80% of drivers admitted to having road rage. Drivers can experience road rage when they feel upset or emotional, run late for an event, or experience aggressive driving behavior exhibited by another motorist.
Road rage can escalate into dangerous events. Consider these scenarios:
- Speeding contributed to 20% of traffic fatalities in 2020
- Road rage was involved in 56% of fatal crashes
- Stress contributed to a 12% jump in vehicle fatalities in 2021
- Half of drivers respond aggressively to road rage
- People are frequently shot in road rage incidents
- Aggressive drivers cause 66% of road fatalities
- In 2021, 131 people were killed due to road rage
Who is responsible for road rage accidents?
If a road rage incident results in severe injuries, often the driver deemed responsible for the accident would also be liable for those injuries. Victims can file an injury claim and pursue a possible criminal complaint for the incident.
Collect as much information about the incident if you feel that road rage is responsible for your injuries. Any compensation from a successful claim can be used for medical bills and living expenses.
