Modesto Auto Accidents - Road Rage & Aggressive Driving a Growing Problem

 

You might think you're calm behind the wheel, but far too many drivers aren't.

U.S. News reports that, of a survey of more than 500 drivers, about 90 percent of them said that they had either seen a road rage incident in the last year or they've been a victim of one. The issue came to prominence in the '90s, when several studies found there were nearly 220 people murdered and another 12,000 people injured because of these kinds of incidents. Vehicles and firearms were the most common weapons used in such cases. Lawyer firm in Pennsylvania. Most are sparked by trivial matters, including parking spots, slow drivers and even horn honking.

Our Modesto car accident lawyers understand that many cases do not rise to the level of road rage, which is generally defined as a criminal offense like assault. However, aggressive driving is present in a large number of accident cases. These habits include tailgating, horn honking, making gestures to other drivers, changing lanes erratically and even shouting.

"Road rage is driving under the influence of impaired emotions," says Leon James with the University of Hawaii.

Road rage and aggressive driving behaviors are typically triggered by the assumptions that we are making about other drivers -- often drivers think another motorist is doing something intentionally to be bothersome and inconsiderate.

Recent studies have concluded that drivers of all kinds can succumb to road rage or aggressive driving behavior. For some drivers, it happens virtually every time they get behind the wheel. These are the drivers that are increasing the risks of accidents for everyone.

Aside from the accident risks, such aggression is just generally unhealthy. When you experience road rage, you're producing stress hormones that have the ability to raise your blood pressure and your heart rate. If you're engaging in this behavior every day, then you're increasing your risks of suppressing your immune system, giving yourself stress-related back pain, tension headaches, infertility, menstrual problems or rapid heartbeat.