R I G H T    L A N E

Is there a monster in your car? Look carefully in your rearview mirror, because the monster just might be you.  What transforms normally attentive, courteous motorists into dangerous, aggressive drivers?  Can we do anything to stop this from happening?

First, let us define aggressive driving. 

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines aggressive driving as, "when individuals commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property."  A Global Web Conference on Aggressive Driving Issues organized in Canada in October 2000 offered the following definition: “A driving behavior is aggressive if it is deliberate, likely to increase the risk of collision and is motivated by impatience, annoyance, hostility and/or an attempt to save time.”

Aggressive driving is distinct from road rage, which is the actual perpetration of violence on a person on property because of a driving incident.  They are, however, closely related.  Aggressive driving, if unchecked, can lead quite easily to deadly road rage.

Based on our observations of Philippine traffic, aggressive driving is quite prevalent on our roads.  A daily occurrence here is refusal to let another driver change into one's lane, even if the other driver signals and enter properly.   This has prompted some drivers to forego signaling altogether, in the expectation that signaling will only make other drivers react aggressively.

Even worse behavior that is almost considered normal here include: Blocking the intersection even if the way forward is already clogged.  Perhaps worst of all is: driving into oncoming traffic (i.e., the left side of the road) just to get ahead of the crowd.  Once one driver does it, at least several others will follow suit.  One proof that this can happen almost any day are signs proclaiming: COUNTERFLOW NOT ALLOWED.  

Why does aggressive driving take place?

There is the notion of perceived risk, where one thinks that he is in control so therefore risks such as speeding or changing lanes suddenly are acceptable.  Human beings tend to be territorial and thus want to consider not just the vehicle but the road as part of their personal domain.  We thus feel threatened by other vehicles and respond aggressively. 

Another factor is the relative anonymity afforded by being in a closed metal capsule, usually behind tinted windows.  After all, you'll probably never encounter this particular motorist again, so we don't bother being courteous to him.  Man's competitive instinct can lead a driver to respond by being overtaken or cut off by another vehicle as a challenge, and thus an impromptu drag race starts off.

Driving may also lead some to feel a sense of power behind the wheel which they do not have in their jobs or families, for example, and in some cases may even manifest itself in a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” effect, where someone normally courteous and polite becomes aggressive when driving.

Another serious problem is drivers who try to punish others for a particular driving behavior which displeases them. "Vigilante" behavior includes driving too close to the vehicle in front, braking suddenly as a warning to the vehicle behind, deliberately blocking the passing lane, using headlights on full beam to punish other drivers, and shouting or making obscene gestures to other drivers.

All these behaviors are exacerbated by the stress and time pressures of modern life. Increasingly crowded and congested roads also lead to feelings of frustration and are responsible for cases of aggressive driving and lack of respect for other drivers.

On top of all this, we are bombarded by media portrayals of aggressive driving shown in a fun context such as car chases in films and in children’s video games. Aggressive driving is a learned behavior. Children learn about aggressive driving from their parents

What can we do?

The most important ways to reduce incidents of aggressive driving are enforcement and education.

Certainly organizations such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority are exerting quite a lot of effort, but traffic enforcers have to be continually trained so that they don't reward the law breakers and they don't aggravate traffic further.  We have noticed that those who drive on the wrong side of the road, instead of being apprehended, are often given priority by law enforcers over the drivers who are in the correct lanes.  Another example is threatening to punish a motorist who has stopped properly to avoid blocking an intersection, but has the slightest part of his car within the intersection's yellow box.

We have observed drivers in other countries, none of whom will drive on the wrong side even if the queue is already several kilometers long.

This technology may be some years away from us yet, but red light cameras have been shown to reduce accidents at junctions. Drivers are more likely not to risk crossing on a red light if they know there is a camera.

Driver education is also important, particularly if it is imparted before students get their licenses.  Hardened road veterans are hardly likely to change their ways, but teaching upcoming drivers to behave properly on the road.   Courteous, non-aggressive driving should be stressed in initial driving tests.

All of these need much attention, effort and funding before they can be implemented.

Business and media

Big companies like those who own truck and bus fleets can help quite a lot by policing their own drivers.  They should impose the highest standards from their drivers and encourage this through schemes for reporting bad driving and offering incentives for good driving.

Insurance companies are uniquely placed to offer economic incentives for good driving and more could be done to discourage speeding and other forms of aggressive driving through the leverage of insurance premiums.

Also the media plays an important role. The media can enhance community awareness and understanding of the causal factors involved in aggressive driving. The media can also support campaigns through responsible, objective reporting and influence societal changes which may lead to a change in aggressive driving behavior and attitudes. In Italy, the Government allows the mass media to report road fatalities in a “no holds barred” approach with the aim of shocking and scaring.

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