Aggressive driving is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as the behavior of an individual who "Commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property."
In the UK, Road Drivers offers a basic definition of aggressive driving:
There are other alternative definitions:
By definition, aggressive driving is 'committing unprovoked attacks on other drivers', attacks such as not yielding to vehicles wishing to pass. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has implemented the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which identifies actions that would fall under the category of aggressive driving, including:
Aggressive driving and bumper stickers have been found to correlate as cars which commit traffic violations while having divisive bumper stickers connecting to their political views or party of choice have resulted in increased aggressive behavior such as honking from those around them.
ItâÂÂs also been theorized that a lack of respect for authority has also led to an increase in aggressive driving. Romania which in 2013 had 9.3 road deaths per 100,000 people which was significantly higher than other nations such as the United Kingdom with 2.8 road deaths per 100,000 people. The increase in deaths for Romania correlated with its poor ranking in the World Justice Project from that year.
According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, aggressive driving played a role in 56% of fatal crashes between 2003 and 2007, most of which were attributed to excessive speed. Aggressive driving also negatively impacts the environment as it burns 37% more fuel and produces more toxic fumes.
Aggressive driving also emits more CO<sub>2</sub> than a calmer approach with increased CO<sub>2</sub> emissions of 37% and CO emissions of 88%. The increases are a result of constant shifting from accelerating to decelerating, which uses up more of the cars fuel and overall, more exhaust emissions. Calm driving alone would save nearly half a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050 in China.
Prevention of aggressive driving is possible through attainable goals such as increased legal penalties against offenders, proper education for new and veteran drivers about aggressive driving, and changes in driving structures to combat road congestion.
Adjustments to road infrastructure have also shown to significantly decrease aggressive driving. Curved roads and transition curves show significant decreases in aggressive behavior as drivers are forced to adapt and slow down to avoid crashing.