Released April 21, 2009

AAA Foundation Established in (c)(3) Not-For-Profit Research affiliate of AAA/CAA North American Focus

Mission Identify traffic safety problems Foster research that seeks solutions Disseminate information and educational resources

Funded through the generosity of and its members

The Situation Americans are concerned about aggressive driving and its impact on traffic safety A 2005 telephone survey by ABC News and The Washington Post found that out of a list of threats which “most endanger your own safety on the road,” 32% of respondents said aggressive drivers. This was the same number of responses as for drunk drivers.

The Situation (cont.) 2008 AAAFTS Traffic Safety Culture Index found 78% of those surveyed rated aggressive drivers as a serious or extremely serious traffic safety problem Despite those concerns, nearly half of people admitted to speeding more than 15mph over the limit on major highways in the previous 30 days reflecting a “Do As I say, Not As I Do” attitude.

Defining Aggressive Driving Tasca (2000) – “A driving behavior is aggressive if it is deliberate, likley to increase the risk of collision and is motivated by impatience, annoyance, hostility, and/or an attempt to save time.” NHTSA – “When individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons property”

AAAFTS Definition of Aggressive Driving “Any unsafe driving behavior, performed deliberately and with ill–intention or disregard for safety, can constitute aggressive driving.”

Our Analysis Analyzed NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) database FARS provides detailed information from police reports on all fatal crashes Analyzed the role of aggression by looking at each crash’s contributing factors related to driver behavior and performance Existing sources of data on crashes do not include information about the intentions or motivations of the driver so our estimate of the prevalence of aggressive driving relied on drivers’ actions

Potential Aggressive Driving Acts (FARS List) Following improperly Illegal Lane Changes Illegal driving on road shoulder, ditch, sidewalk..etc Passing regardless of posted traffic signs and road markings Operating vehicle in reckless manner Failure to yield or obey traffic signs, devices, or zone laws Failure to signal Driving too fast for conditions or above posted speed limit Racing

Percent of fatal crashes involving possibly- aggressive driver-level contributing factors, FARS

Key Points Surveys show people are concerned about aggressive driving 2008 AAAFTS study found 78% rated aggressive driving as a serious or extremely serious problem As many as 56% of the fatal crashes involve one or more unsafe driving behavior typically associated with aggressive driving Speeding was a contributing factor in over 13,500 deaths in 2006 AAAFTS 2008 Traffic Safety Culture Index found nearly half of drivers reporting exceeding the speed limit by 15mph on major highways in the previous 30 days

To view the full aggressive driving report or press release, please visit