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Aggressive driving is extremely common among U.S. drivers. According to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety's 2019 data, nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression, or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the previous 30 days. Aggressive driving has increasingly become a major cause of concern for many road users. Learn more about aggressive driving risks and tips to avoid aggressive driving behaviors here. What is aggressive driving? Any unsafe driving behavior, performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety, can constitute aggressive driving. Examples of aggressive driving behaviors include: • Speeding in heavy traffic • Tailgating • Cutting in front of another driver and then slowing down • Running red lights • Weaving in and out of traffic • Changing lanes without signaling • Blocking cars attempting to pass or change lanes • Using headlights or brakes to "punish" other drivers What is Road Rage? Extreme cases of aggressive driving can escalate to road rage. Examples of road rage are: • Cursing and rude or obscene gestures • Throwing objects • Ramming • Sideswiping • Forcing a driver off the road How commonly do U.S. drivers exhibit aggressive behaviors? According to estimates by the AAA Foundation's Annual Traffic Safety Culture Index, millions of drivers engaged in the following angry and aggressive behaviors in the 30 days before the survey, including: • Aggressive driving by switching lanes quickly/or very close behind another car: 26 percent (57 million drivers) • Made rude gestures or honked at other drivers: 32 percent (71 million drivers) • Driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway: 48 percent (106 million drivers) • Driven through a red light: 31 percent (68 million drivers) • Passed in front of a vehicle at less than a car length: 22 percent (49 million drivers) • Sped up when another vehicle tried to overtake you: 25 percent (55 million drivers) • Followed vehicle in front of you closely to prevent another vehicle from merging in front of you: 34 percent (75 million drivers) • Merged into traffic even when another driver tries to close the gap between vehicles: 28 percent (62 million drivers) | LIFE IN SOLERA | NOVEMBER 2022 | 3 FROM THE BOARD By Marcia Casem 'Tis the season of holidays. We just had Halloween, and now to get ready for Thanksgiving. We would like to wish everyone a joyful and safe holiday season. When you receive your statement from Keystone this month, you will find a copy of the Traffic Calming Survey. We have received surveys from around half of the households during October. However, most of our households have at least two residents. The intent of the survey is to hear from every resident, whether you drive or are strictly a pedestrian. Therefore, if you have not personally completed a survey, now is your opportunity to be heard on this issue. The deadline for submitting a survey by placing it in the Ballot Box, located in the mailroom, is Nov. 15. Thank you to all those who completed the Survey, and especially to those who made comments. There has always been an issue with drivers not stopping completely at our stop signs, or exceeding our posted speed limits. When you drive on our streets, please remember to follow the California Department of Motor Vehicles Rules and Regulations. They are meant to keep us safe on our streets. There may not be lines of cars waiting to cross an intersection or turn a corner, however, there are pedestrians, bicycle riders, and golf cart riders that also have rights to use our streets. I remember when traveling through Utah, going through the hills and valleys, seeing posted speed limit signs of 80 mph. The normal speed was 70 mph. After the 80 mph sign, there was a sign that stated, "You only saved 15 seconds by driving 80 mph." Was 15 seconds worth the chance that an animal might jump out in front of you and cause an accident? Perhaps you were unable to slow down fast enough to protect highway workers on the side of the road? Think about how many seconds you are saving by driving over our speed limits; not enough to be worth the chance of running a stop sign or causing injury to a pedestrian. Please remember, whether you are driving a golf cart, riding a bicycle, or walking, to be careful and wait at the intersections to make sure there is not a car coming in either direction before you step off the curb. You have a responsibility to follow California DMV Rules and Regulations also. If you are riding a bicycle, you are to follow the same laws as if driving a car. The same goes for golf cart drivers. Pedestrians, you are supposed to stop at intersections, look both ways, and make sure there is no vehicle coming toward you. If a vehicle is 100 feet or less from you, stop and wait to make sure they are going to stop and let you cross the street. If there is no oncoming vehicle, you may step into the crosswalk and you will have the right of way. You do not have the right of way if you step into a crosswalk and the oncoming car is too close to make a safe stop. Granted, we have stop signs on every corner; however, if a car is coming, wait and be safe. Keeping our streets safe for everyone is everyone's responsibility. AGGRESSIVE DRIVING The above is an article from AAA Aggressive Driving – AAA Exchange: https://exchange.aaa.com/safety/driving-advice/aggressive-driving/

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