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Honk if You're an Aggressive Driver
By JOSEPH B. WHITE

If heavy traffic, like on the I-495 beltway in Maryland (above), leads you to drive aggressively, you could get snared by this summer's crackdowns.

You've seen that driver. Maybe you've been that driver. The one who zooms past the speed limit, weaves from lane to lane, tailgates, and even runs a stop sign or two.

Maryland and several other states—Pennsylvania, Virginia and Georgia among them—are out to get these aggressive drivers, particularly during the summer.

Under a program called "Smooth Operator," police in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will conduct week-long blitzes this summer, ticketing motorists who indulge in "aggressive driving." In Maryland, for example, getting written up can cost a driver up to $500.

Last year, police officers in the state wrote 207,000 tickets for aggressive driving, says Vernon Betkey, head of the state's highway safety agency. The most recent crackdown started earlier this month.

So do drivers become less aggressive when they know the law is watching? Data from Maryland suggest that stepped up enforcement hasn't turned the tide.

In 1999, the state attributed 3,113 crashes to aggressive driving, or about 3.2% of all crashes. In 2008, Maryland linked 6,111 crashes, or about 6.4% of all crashes to aggressive driving.

Other studies show mixed results. A 2004 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study of two separate "aggressive driving" enforcement campaigns—one in Tucson, Ariz., and the other in Indianapolis. Crashes linked to aggressive driving in Indianapolis actually increased by 6% during a six-month, federally subsidized program during 2000 called "Rub Out Aggressive Driving." But in Tucson, aggressive driving offenses decreased by 8% during a similar six-month program.

The NHTSA study's authors expressed bewilderment over the results, which measured speed and crashes attributable to aggressive driving.

"Why didn't the considerable efforts of both programs have greater inhibiting effects on driving behavior?" the study's authors asked. "It is possible that the programs were more effective than indicated by the data presented here, but our measures are insensitive to the change in driving behavior. Or, perhaps we expect too much."

Perhaps we do. As a transplanted Detroiter who drives occasionally on the highways and byways of the Washington metro area, I frequently find myself thinking about some "aggressive" behavior to speed my trip. Highways in the Washington-Baltimore corridor are among the nation's most congested. It is a local custom to drive the speed limit—or even a bit slower—while in the passing lane.

Of course, those people are obeying the law. But they are also obstructing people who choose to drive a little faster—maybe they're late, or maybe they have adopted the "limit plus 5 mph" approach to obeying the posted speed signs.

Aggressive driving isn't the same thing as road rage. The distinction: Aggressive driving is tailgating a slowpoke, then accelerating abruptly, exceeding the speed limit and weaving through traffic to get past him. "Road rage" would be a criminal act—such as bumping the offending car, or brandishing a weapon.

Road rage got a lot of publicity a few years back. But it's a tiny problem, according to NHTSA research. Just less than half of one percent of the total number of people injured or killed on the highway in the year 2000 were listed as victims of a road rage incident.

"Aggressive driving" is a more difficult matter. What one person views as rude, risky, anti-social behavior is for another a sensible response to fellow motorists who are clogging up an already overloaded system. During the 1990s, the number of miles traveled by U.S. motorists increased by 27%, but the number of miles of roadway increased by only 1%. If you find yourself complaining that the highways are more crowded than they were in the good old days, you are a curmudgeon. You are also right.

Of course, there are peaceful (or at least less rude) ways to deal with people who squat in the passing lane. Anyone who's ever been on a German autobahn knows how drivers from the land of Porsches and AMG Mercedes handle people who commit the left-lane faux pas: They flash their halogen headlights. You move over.

More Americans could take a forgiving approach to driving, instead of approaching it as blood sport. The next time someone misjudges a freeway merger and gets in your path, try just letting them in. You might get a break the next time.

While we wait for the U.S. to be transformed into a nation of motoring Gandhis, beware: There will be five aggressive driving ticket blitzes between now and September, Mr. Betkey says.

So if you are driving in Maryland or Virginia this summer and want to hot dog it on the road, you may make an involuntary $500 contribution to a needy state treasury.

Militia

You know what I find annoying... when people push the pedal full-force from light to light! Light turns green, they accelerate insanely even though the approaching red light is visible, and then they stomp on their brakes frantically. I just push it a little and just let it roll through; the light is mostly green by the time I get there. I've learned that unless you are doing insane speeds, you will most likely end up with the same group of cars at the next signal. Though this is common sense, it's not commonly practiced!

Funny article though, I'm not an aggressive driver.. but I do love to speed when the circumstances are in my favor

220S

Most cities sync their green lights for that purpose; keep to a specific speed and all lights will be green. Usually the speed limit or on a sign that tells you of the sync speed. Saves dramatically on emissions output and fuel.

Most of the "new" traffic regs aren't necessarily new, but stronger enforcement with much higher fines are now more obvious. Otherwise known as revenue collecting during hard times.

gravedgr

Figures.

iatacs19

Sounds like an excuse to collect revenue to me.

Xander Crews

If they'd encourage slow pokes to get out of the passing lane, that would cut down on aggressive driving immensely.

Like many, I simply view the speed limit to be a suggested posted speed. I've only received one ticket in the past seven years, so I'm apparently nowhere near the worst offender.

ZephyrAMG

I thought I heard that we were going to a GPS form of tracking speeders and ticketing them from satellite above. Then just getting ticket in the mail. Anyone else know about this?

bhamg

I think OBD-3 will be capable of tracking your speed on the ground and generating a ticket...or analyzing your exhaust emissions and automatically sending you a notice.

sechsgang

oh f that...not cool. Older cars values will skyrocket lol. Wait, the porsche 996 has a chance!!!

propain

Having a budget crisis due to a slumping economy? Not enough money in the state coffers due to people being out of work? Here is the solution!! Ticket those people!

Honestly, since NYS has been in a budget crisis I have never seen so many police on the road. Its so obvious they are being told to ticket the hell out of everyone to add more money. It also justifies the police salary and jobs by increasing the amount of violations thus making their jobs seem "needed" by keeping those statistics up.

With every crisis we lose more and more freedoms. You cant leave your house anymore without being punished by the man. Amazing. We will soon be communist government.

MEH!

Unbreakable1

problem comes when u end up sync'ed w/ a yellow-red situation every time...so unless you want to stop at every sync'ed light, you have to gun it to make the light

jvanbrecht

I live in MD... I fear the brownish cars with red and blue lights... And now they are using very hard to spot Explorers as state and local police vehicles... The only hint I can tell, is that they also have blacked out front windows (which is illegal in MD), you won't know what it really is till those emergency lights come on, then its too late.

NickZag

"cutting down on aggressive driving" = pathetic attempt to balance a budget on traffic fines