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Idaho Transportation
Department
Public Affairs Office
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563
Email


Are you an aggressive driver? Take this test

1. When you’re late for an appointment, do you do any of the following: speed, drive too fast for the conditions, tailgate, run or push red lights, run or roll through stop signs trying to beat oncoming traffic?

2. Do you ever drive five or more miles per hour (mph) faster than the posted speed limit?

3. For every 10 mph you’re traveling, do you leave less than one car length between your car and the one in front of you?

4. If you’re in a hurry, will speeding save a significant amount of time in getting to your
destination?

5. If the roads are rain-, snow- or ice-covered, do you drive the speed limit?

6. On slick roads, are you able to stop faster when driving a four-wheel-drive vehicle?

7. As you approach a traffic signal and it turns yellow, do you speed up to beat the light?

8. Do you ever continue to roll through a stop sign even at a slow rate of speed?

9. Do you ever fail to make a complete stop in a effort to beat oncoming traffic?

How did you do?

1. If you’re speeding, you’re also likely to be tailgating, pushing yellow lights, or failing to yield – compounding the risk of being involved in a crash. One aggressive driving behavior leads to another.

  • You are driving aggressively whenever you:
  • Fail to yield right of way
  • Drive too fast for conditions
  • Follow too close (tailgate)
  • Run or push a red light
  • Run or roll through a stop sign
  • Speed

2. Speed kills. It’s true. Crashes where speed is a contributing factor are the most severe aggressive driving crashes. More than 50 percent of crashes involving speed result in injury or death.

3. If you have to stop, six car lengths is not enough distance if you’re traveling at 60 mph. Use the three second rule to determine the minimum, safe following distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. It works like this: choose a fixed object ahead of the car in front of you. As the car ahead passes the object, begin counting off the seconds it takes for you to pass the same object. If it takes at least three seconds to pass the object, you have enough distance for a sudden stop.

4. Okay. You’re late. You went 45 mph instead of the posted 35 mph to work — a five-mile trip. What did you save? Less than two minutes. Think about the times someone has sped by only to be stopped beside you at the next light. Is the little time you saved worth taking the big risk?

5. The consequence of every aggressive driving behavior – failing to yield, tailgating, running red lights, rolling through stop signs, and speeding – is greatly increased when visibility is poor or roads are rain, ice or snow covered.

6. On rain, snow or ice-slick roads, a four-wheel drive requires the same stopping distance as a two wheel-drive vehicle.

7. Some of the most serious vehicle crashes result from running or pushing the red light. In an urban setting, nearly 50 percent of the crashes in this category of aggressive driving result in injury or death. Remain alert as you approach every intersection. Remember you won’t sit at a stoplight for long. The cycle of a typical traffic signal is one minute.

8. Running or rolling through a stop sign can result in a very serious type of aggressive driving crash — the side-impact crash. Remember, it’s harder to see oncoming traffic when you don’t come to a complete stop. Make a full stop at all stop signs.

9. Failure to yield the right of way causes more aggressive driving crashes than any other behavior. Always remember to yield – whether you’re leaving a driveway or alley or exiting from a parking lot. At uncontrolled intersection, slow down, look both ways and be prepared to stop. If you and another driver arrive at an intersection at the same time, yield to the driver on your right.

If you answered YES to any of the questions, you are driving aggressively
at least some of the time. Did you know that aggressive driving significantly increases the risk of being involved in a crash and makes the road more dangerous for everyone?

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