The aggressiveness behind the wheel increases the risk of accidents

During the summer, there are many factors that increase aggressiveness behind the wheel of Spanish drivers. This is a real problem, since 3 million motorists admit to being highly aggressive when driving, which increases the probability of suffering accidents with victims or serious injuries.

In general, many drivers act aggressively when they go in the car. This is a phenomenon of great weight in Spain, where 2.6 million people have admitted that they have fought or would be willing to do so because of a traffic fight. This is a problem for road safety.

In addition, 3 million motorists, 10.9% of the national driver census, admits being highly aggressive at the wheel. This aggressiveness is usually expressed in the form of insults, shouts, offensive gestures or dangerous maneuvers to block or intimidate other cars.


Now in summer, when thousands of people travel by car to summer resorts, it is important to avoid this type of aggressive behavior that causes accidents. Maintaining provocative attitudes multiplies by 10 the risk of suffering an accident with victims and by 30 the risk of suffering a loss with serious injuries. These are some of the conclusions of a study carried out by the Línea Directa Foundation and carried out in collaboration with the University Institute of Traffic Research and Road Safety of the University of Valencia.

What motivates aggression?

What are the factors that promote aggressiveness behind the wheel? In this summer, it seems that it is necessary to have more patience when driving. Departure operation, holiday trips, intensive schedules in many companies, which means getting up early to get to work, jams ... all these situations favor an increase in aggressive behaviors, such as sudden overtaking, harassment of the driver ahead, bursts of lights, horn, insults , etc.


But beyond the specific reasons of the summer, the causes that encourage aggressiveness behind the wheel in Spain are the most varied. "20% of drivers in our country attribute the aggressiveness of the car to day-to-day stress, mainly for work and family, while 15% of motorists blame the behaviors and maneuvers that other motorists do , and 12% attributed it to traffic jams. "

The profile of the most aggressive

Generally, the most aggressive drivers tend to be young men, about 32 years old on average, with a partner, average studies, fewer points on their card and that circulate mainly through urban roads.

The study also concludes that there is a kind of road sexism in Spain, since aggressive drivers usually react with more violence against women and new drivers.

Recommendations to avoid aggressiveness

There are ways to avoid aggressive reactions when driving. Below, we will give you some tips on what you can do before, during and after driving.


Before:

- If you go on vacation, prepare the trip in advance, to anticipate possible traffic jams and incidents.

- If you are late and think that you do not arrive on time for an appointment, call and call to feel less the urge to arrive early.

- If you just had a strong argument, avoid taking the car.

During:

- If you notice that you are irritated, before reacting, breathe deeply several times.

- If the aggressiveness is due to a discussion you have while driving, postpone the dispute. If it has to do with the behavior of children, stop in a safe place to calm them down.

- If you feel provoked by a third driver, ignore it. Think that not paying attention to him is the best way to leave him "out of the game".

After:

- Avoid being stuck in a negative thought.

- Avoid aggression "deferred", that is, pay with others the previous frustration.

Isabel López Vasquez

Video: How to deal with Horn Honkers & Road Rage :: Strategies & Techniques | New Driver Smart


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