In 2016, one out of every ten fatal car accidents in Colorado involved aggressive driving and road rage.

Aggressive Driving Is Placing Colorado Citizens at Increased Risk

A popular website that highlights information on motorists and their behavior aptly describes a driver experiencing “road rage” as having the mentality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The reference refers to someone who is typically a good person but does evil, sometimes shockingly, evil things. In the case of road rage, someone who appears to be a typical driver suddenly becomes enraged and acts out, turning to aggressive and sometimes deadly roadway behavior. Recently, a news report highlighted the topic of road rage, and Colorado citizens may find it alarming.

Aggressive Driving Can Lead to Road Rage Instances

A leading defensive driving website, SafeMotorists.com, has some interesting statistics when it comes to road rage, which can often occur after someone is involved in some form of aggressive driving, like tailgating, honking the horn, speeding, or someone in another car making rude or threatening gestures to other motorists. It noted that:

  • 66% of vehicle accidents involving death were caused by aggressive driving.
  • When it comes to who is most involved in road rage incidents, males are the predominate offender.

Another research site had even more interesting statistics:

  • Half of the drivers who were impacted by an aggressive driver subsequently became the aggressor in later altercations.
  • 30 murders a year are attributed to road rage; such incidents get so out of control, a gun is pulled, and someone is shot and killed.

Happy Residents Don’t Always Equal Happy Drivers

Every year, statistics are gathered on all kinds of information, including where people live who seem the be the happiest. Happiness statistics may not seem significant, but as stated, mood has an effect on a person’s driving; road rage is caused by negative emotions, such as anger or fear, so positive emotions, such as happiness, should have the opposite effect. In 2017, Colorado ranked as the 15th Happiest State in the country, but a recent article shows Colorado is the second most deadly state when it comes to road rage and aggressive driving.

According to the article, in 2016, one out of every ten fatal auto accidents in Colorado involved aggressive driving and road rage. The news report was based on an analysis of government data by the Auto Insurance Center, which noted that 53 deaths were linked to aggressive behavior on our state roads. When it comes to road rage fatalities nationwide, the report noted, “Although these crashes represent only a small portion of fatal accidents in total, they’re all the more tragic for being entirely preventable.”

Aggressive driving and road rage are completely preventable, but avoiding such an incident begins with each individual driver; no matter how another driver may act, do not escalate the situation if you are the victim of aggressive driving. The first impulse is to react in the same manner if you are near an aggressive driver, but authorities stress the best thing you can do is take the high road and don’t react in kind. If you find yourself as the aggressor, for whatever reason, pull over to a safe place and calm down. A few seconds of anger is not worth the potential consequences.

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