AgGressive driving and road rage – causes and solution

Accidents on the road are often a result of dangerous driving, which is usually caused by an unstable psychic or physical state of the driver. This includes anger, sadness, drowsiness, intolerance, arrogance, etc. Geotab is a tracking utility that helps identify aggressive driving and eliminates risky behavior. If, in this case, you are the owner of a fleet company, you can use Geotab to improve employee safety while reducing the cost and level of risk in the company at the same time. Parameter tracking, such as speed measurement and harsh cornering helps identify dangerous behaviors that can lead to problems with safety and regulatory compliance.

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING VS. ROAD RAGE
 
Aggressive driving is not the same as road rage. While road rage can lead to aggressive driving, it is not necessary that the driver who experiences road rage also drives dangerously. Aggressive driving is when someone deliberately endangers the safety and well-being of other drivers or by-passers with his or her style of driving.
Some examples of aggressive driving are:

• running over the red light,
  
• running over the stop sign without stopping,
• tailing,
• not yeilding to other drivers when they have the right-of-way,
• excessive shifting from the left and right traffic lane,
• overtaking by the wrong lane,
• etc.
  

Road rage, on the other hand, marks angry gestures of the driver like yelling, flashing lights, gesturing other drivers to show disapproval or annoyance and inappropriate honking.
 
 WHAT CAUSES AGGRESSIVE DRIVING?
 
Research has revealed a number of reasons that can cause aggressive driving. One of the most interesting social factors contributing to aggressive driving is the theory of anonymity. One study of the NHTSA, the American Psychological Association (APA) pointed out that people were more likely to perform aggressive acts in an environment that concealed the identity of the perpetrator, such as driving at night or with darkened windows.

The article also presents other social factors that influence aggressive driving. This includes learning of such behavior from parents, peers, and various forms of media such as television and movies.
 
HOW CAN FLEET MANAGERS DEAL WITH AGGRESSIVE DRIVING?
 
For efficiant fleet management there a number of telematic devices that can help limit aggressive drivers and prevent accidents. For example:

- Driver scorecards: Combining behavioral data among all fleet drivers. Driver scorecards classify drivers according to how safe they drive by calculating the number of risky maneuvers that they have caused on the road.

- Rewarding safe driving: Using driver’s scorecard infomation, fleet managers can use rewarding approaches that encourage drivers to drive safely and show positive effects that safe driving brings to them and others. They can do this through education and practice, which gives drivers a special recognition and renome.

- Direct driver feedback: Using the Geotab Go TALK device that delivers audible warnings and communicates feedback to drivers about their behavior. Circulation of information improves cooperation and helps to improve the driver’s behavior when the supervisor senses changes in the driver's actions.

- Training and safety education: On the basis of individual driver behavior, personalized training and general driver training can be provided to enable drivers to improve their specific habits.

Regardless of whether the reasons for aggressive driving result from psychological or social factors, drivers must take control and remain calm while driving. The results of the APA study showed that relaxation techniques and psychological counseling contributes to improving driving among problematic drivers.  The study is also a sign for the fleet managers to pay attention to the level of stress among employees and not to impose impossible timeframes on routes that can cause drivers to drive too fast due to fear of late arrival.