Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

• Stressed Commuters
• Teens showing off
• Parents rushing to avoid daycare late fees/penalties
• Executives late for a meeting
• Careless drivers who don't use turn signals
• Drivers whose personal agendas put everyone at risk

Whether they're you, those close to you, or drivers around you-this problem is closer than you think.

Aggressive drivers speed, run red lights, barely pause for stop signs, weave through traffic, hang on your bumper and lean on their horns.  They endanger people and property.  They're angry and on a mission.  They think they're entitled to the road and everyone else is in their way.  Aggressive drivers are everywhere.  No wonder:

• Our region has the third-worst traffic congestion in the country, after Los Angeles and San Francisco.
• Over the past 20 years, the number of roads has increased, and traffic on them has nearly doubled.
• By 2020, the demands on our roads and highways are expected to increase by 40 percent but road capacity will increase only nine percent.
• Every year, Americans collectively waste more than 4.6 billion hours stuck in traffic.
• Motorists in the Washington area lose more hours to traffic delays-82 hours per year on average-than any other city in the country.
• Parents spend twice as much time behind the wheel as they do with their kids.

• Red light running and failure to obey traffic signals cause more crashes than anything-and more red lights are being run every year.
• Half of all crashes happen at intersections.  More fatalities happen when stop signs are run.
• Over half of drivers who run red lights are also driving too fast-with even more lethal results when they crash.

The Way You Drive Is Contagious!
Aggressive drivers can actually cause bad behavior in other drivers.  When you drive aggressively, others do, too.  And if you respond to an aggressive driver, you become part of the problem.

Aggressive drivers make everyone around them mad, and no one drives well when they're angry.  Adrenaline flow makes it difficult to drive safely.  Anger causes physical changes in vision, and this leads to misjudging distances.  Drivers begin tailgating and changing lanes unsafely.  This kind of behavior passes from car to car down the road.

When you drive aggressively with children in the vehicle, you teach them to drive like you do, even before they have a driver's license.  Kids learn by example.  They inherit aggressive behavior from their parents, and they're always watching and learning.

So Where Are the Police When You Need Them?
You probably resent aggressive drivers for getting away with speeding, running red lights or stop signs, tailgating and other aggressive behavior.  You feel powerless and angry.  You can't control traffic-no one can-and you get angrier.  That's one reason why many normally law-abiding people become aggressive drivers.

The truth is, aggressive drivers are not getting away with it.  Not at all.

They're being caught pulled over, and issued citations, fines, and points.

• High-tech tools such as radar, lasers, and aerial surveillance in heavy traffic are catching them.
• Law enforcement innovations like cameras ticket red light runners automatically.
• Concentrated, high-profile waves of law enforcement are targeting specific aggressive driving behavior.

• Parents can set an example and teach their young drivers to be courteous and careful behind the wheel.
• Families and friends can recognize anger and frustration in those they care about and make sure they allow enough time for commuting, errands and trips.
• Employers can allow flex time, telecommuting and compressed work weeks whenever possible.
• To reduce highway congestion, everyone can use other transportation whenever possible, like buses, taxis, and car and vanpools.
• The media can publicize the aggressive driving problem, calling attention to this behavior and offering solutions.
• Drivers can enjoy the ride, listening to music or books on tape, reducing stress, and being more patient.

The smooth operator program of Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC is a unique public safety initiative formed by a partnership of area law enforcement agencies, trauma experts, and government officials, smooth operator is finding solutions for the problem of aggressive driving.

• People who are courteous and polite at home and in the office often totally change when they get behind the wheel.
• Some people drive aggressively simply for the thrill and power of it.
• Many people feel they can get away with acting out anger behind the wheel because they are anonymous in their cars.
• A powerful predictor of a young driver's behavior is the parent's driving behavior.
• Surveys indicate almost everyone believes that he or she is an above-average driver-making it very difficult to change behavior.

You may not be aware of the Road Shark program through which various law enforcement agencies in this area are focusing on aggressive driving behavior.  The Fairfax County program includes an initiative that permits citizens to participate.  Any citizen who witnesses aggressive driving is asked to report it to the police non-emergency telephone (691-2131).  Include the driving behavior, where and when it occurred, the make of the vehicle, and the license plate number if it is known.

The police enter the information into a database to identify where offenses most often occur.  If the vehicle matches the state registration records, the registered owner receives a letter reporting the driver's behavior.  If you witness an aggressive driver-call it in.  Don't become an aggressive driver by chasing a vehicle while trying to read its license number.  You might be the one to get a letter!

The five most frequently reported behaviors from September 1998 to June 1999 were reckless driving, speeding, following too closely, improper passing, and failing to obey a traffic signal.  During this period, 2,922 reports were made in Fairfax County at 261 different locations.

Keep this program in mind-it's a great stress reliever to know you can do something about an aggressive driver without getting directly involved in the situation.

Aggressive driving is the operation of a motor vehicle in an unsafe and hostile manner without regard for others. It often occurs when a driver is frustrated, impatient, or irritable.

Speeding can lead drivers to follow too closely, change lanes frequently or abruptly without signaling, pass on the shoulder or unpaved portions of the roadway, and even harass motorist who just happen to be in front of them. Aggressive driving also may include running stop signs and red lights, passing stopped school buses, failing to keep right, driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, and reckless driving.

Ways to avoid becoming an aggressive driver:

• Make your vehicle comfortable. Listen to relaxing music and avoid situations that raise your anxiety.
• When driving, relax and remain aware of your posture. Sit back in your seat, loosen your grip on the steering wheel, and don't clench your teeth.
• Give others the benefit of the doubt; be polite, courteous, and forgiving.