| Let’s face it – for most people and teens, work and school involves stress and some days are just worse than others. One of my favorite posters, which hung beside me at my job as a police desk officer, was a picture of person with their hair all frizzed out, their eyes bulging, and their hands pulling at that all wild hair standing on end. The caption read, “I have one nerve left and you are getting on it.” I think this is the way a lot of people feel traveling to and from work on our roadways --- and the City of Newark is no exception.
Our daily commute has become an exercise in highway survival, partly because the stress of everyday life is acted out through driving aggressively. And traveling anywhere these days during rush hour usually means traffic congestion, which only adds fuel to the already smoldering fire of stress and fatigue. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reports that the major reason for the traffic congestion is that our highway system has not kept pace with growth. Since 1970, vehicle miles driven increased by 125%, the number of drivers increased 64%, and the number of registered vehicles increased by 87%, while vehicle road miles only grew by 6%.
People are tired after work and become frustrated when they are trying to get home in a timely manner, but are stymied by backed up traffic in every direction. People become agitated and angry and begin to drive dangerously. We all see how less than courteous many drivers can be and so do our children and new teen drivers. The problem is that these acts of aggressive driving cause the exact problem we are trying to avoid ---traffic delays --- created by a motor vehicle crash. You can hear the tires screeching, metal smashing and bumpers colliding and feel the drivers tense up as they sense the impending result of their own unsafe behavior. I know this all too well as I was involved in my own crash a few weeks ago. According to NHTSA there are approximately 6,800,000 crashes that occur in the United States each and every year. In 2004 in Delaware, there were 18,550 traffic crashes, which killed 140 people and injured 7,610. That is one person killed every 63 hours. In New Castle County alone, there were 55 fatal crashes which caused 59 deaths.
The National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) compiled some statistics in 1997 with the American Automobile Association (AAA) which showed that 13,000 people have been injured or killed since 1990 in crashes caused by aggressive driving. As of April 26, 2005, there have been 42 fatal traffic deaths sin Delaware. Approximately 58% of those deaths are attributed to acts of aggressive driving. A NHTSA survey states that more than 60% of drivers consider unsafe driving by others, including speeding, tailgating, improper passing, failure to obey stop signs and signals, and failure to yield right of way, as a major personal threat to themselves and their families. Other behaviors that indicate aggressive driving are: weaving in and out traffic, passing cars on the right, overuse of the car horn, making obscene gestures, yelling at people out your car window, flashing headlights, and racing for a position on the highway. A poll taken by AAA Mid-Atlantic of Delaware Drivers reported that 44% believe that aggressive drivers are the most dangerous on the road.
Law enforcement is taking a stand on aggressive driving by not excusing this kind of deadly behavior on the road and making arrests of those who engage in it. In 2004 in Delaware, there were 50,356 aggressive driving arrests. The Delaware State Police Troops in New Castle County reported making 21, 790 aggressive driving arrests.
So what can each of us do to make a difference to stop the entirely preventable insanity of aggressive driving that causes so many deaths every year? The following tips are offered by the “Smooth Operator” public safety initiative.
- Allow more time to travel to your destination. It reduces stress
dramatically.
- Come to a full stop at red lights and top signs. Never run yellow lights.
- Let other drivers merge with you.
- Obey posted speed limits – it’s the law.
- Don’t ever follow too closely.
- Resist temptation to teach someone “a lesson.”
- Concentrate on driving --- not on your cell phone, stereo, passengers or other distractions.
- Remember you can’t control traffic --- but you can control yourself, your driving, and your emotions.
- Get out of their way and steer clear of them on the road
Stay relaxed. Remember that reaching your destination safely and
calmly is your goal.
- Don’t challenge them. Avoid eye contact. Ignore rude gestures and
refuse to return them. (It’s time our roads went back to being rated PG!)
Give people the benefit of the doubt, not all aggressive driving is
intentional, sometimes drivers just don’t see the other car.
- Don’t block the passing lane, especially if you are driving slower
than most of traffic. Move over to the right lane. (people were more courteous in the 1970s and this was considered just poor driving)
- Report aggressive drivers.
- Be a good role model for other drivers, and your children, especially
new teen drivers who are ten times more likely to be involved in crashes. Change your behavior on the roadway by being attentive, courteous, follow the speed limit, and do not drink and drive. Remember your best defense against aggressive drivers and injury or death in any crash is a seat belt. Buckling up is the single most effective action you can take against driving on America’s roadways.
|
