A woman and her 14-year-old son were killed recently after their car rear-ended a tractor-trailer on I-495. Initial reports said speed and aggressive driving may have been factors in the crash. Aggressive driving is a national problem, and it plays a large role in accidents, injuries and deaths on roads everywhere. More crowded roads, busier lives, constant roadwork, and increased stress and hurrying results in aggressive and erratic driving behavior and actions, and is generally leading to more accidents on the road.

According to Maryland law aggressive driving is when a person commits at least three moving traffic violations. Some of the moving traffic violations related to aggressive driving are:

  • Speeding — Speeding is a primary factor in aggressive behavior on the road and a factor in about one-third of all traffic fatalities. The likelihood of a crash resulting in death or serious injury doubles every 10 mph over 50 mph a vehicle travels, and 70 percent of motorists speed
  • Running red lights or stop signs — Running red lights, stop signs or other traffic controls is the most commonly reported cause of crashes. Drivers who run red lights are three times as likely to have previous speeding convictions on their record
  • Other aggressive behavior — Tailgating, weaving in and out of lanes, passing other vehicles too closely and abruptly changing lanes without using signals are all types of behavior that are considered aggressive driving

From 2006-2010, there were, on average, 6,000 crashes involving an aggressive driver in Maryland each year. Those crashes resulted in an average of 65 deaths and 4,100 injuries per year.

If you or a loved one was injured in an auto accident that was caused by an aggressive driver, you may need to prove their negligence to receive full compensation for your losses. An auto accident attorney in La Plata can make sure you bring justice to those who wrong you.