Maryland Car Accident Attorney Blog
Fully 56 percent of all deadly vehicle crashes in Maryland and across the entire U.S., which result in numerous personal injury claims annually, are the consequence of aggressive driving behavior, according to a report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
As experts in the area of automobile accident law, we at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have seen the unfortunate aftermath caused by aggressive drivers, such as traumatic brain injuries and even death. The AAA Foundation’s analysis of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows that one in three deadly car crashes can be attributed to speeding alone. This coincides with a nationwide telephone survey conducted last year by the foundation. In that survey, the AAA Foundation Traffic Safety Culture Index, almost eight out of 10 people rated aggressive driving as a serious, or extremely serious, traffic safety issue.
Curiously, the survey also found that many of those same people polled believed that their own driving habits could from time to time be termed aggressive in nature. Half said they exceeded the posted highway speed limit by 15 mph within the last 30 days, while a startling 15 percent admitted speeding on neighborhood streets by upward of 15 mph over the limit.
The foundation’s report listed a number of examples of aggressive driving, such as ignoring red lights or stop signs, preventing others from passing, driving illegally on the shoulder, failure to yield the right of way, and speeding. Even those who try to counter the actions of aggressive drivers, by traveling slowly in the passing lane, for instance, can many times increase the tensions between drivers that may even lead to a confrontation.
Unfortunately, this only confirms that there is a great deal of aggressive driving on our public roads, much of which could be avoided but will likely continue to be with us for some time to come.