Drive Aggressively in Tennessee And You Will Feel The Heat
As an experienced Tennessee Automobile accident attorney I often find myself discussing different aspects of highway safety and the problems that drivers face and cause as they cruise the highways and byways of our fair state. One of the most important problems of our time most often confuses people. Many times I hear people mix up aggressive driving with road rage when in fact they are two very different things although they have common elements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines road rage as “an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger of another motor vehicle precipitated by an incident that occurred on a roadway.”
Feel The Heat. One of the most important problems of our time most often confuses people. Many times I hear people mix up aggressive driving with road rage when in fact they are two very different things although they have common elements. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines road rage as “an assault with a motor vehicle or other dangerous weapon by the operator or passenger of another motor vehicle precipitated by an incident that occurred on a roadway.”
Aggressive driving on the other hand includes behavior such as speeding, tailgating, running red lights or stop signs, and weaving in and out of traffic. It is estimated that aggressive driving costs the economy more than $40.4 billion a year, not to mention thousands of fatalities. We have all seen them, these aggressive drivers, they ride on people’s bumpers to force them out of the way, they weave in and out of traffic, their sense of self-importance worn on their sleeves for the world to see.
Today I’ll address the problem of aggressive driving. Aggressive driving behavior typically increases during the summer months, and the only way to put the bakes on it is to use a multi-pronged approach. Three states have been using this multi-pronged approach for several years now and have shown significant results. Maryland alone issued 205,062 tickets during the 2008 campaign, and the number of fatalities for aggressive driving was reduced. In Virginia, 98,474 tickets were issued and in Pennsylvania, 88,302. These states used technology to identify those areas where aggressive driving was a particular problem and they then enlisted the cooperation of local and county law enforcement agencies and stepped up a concerted enforcement policy that followed a creative public education program.
This summer the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is intensified its enforcement efforts aimed at aggressive drivers with the launch of the “100 Days of Summer HEAT” enforcement campaign. All summer long Troopers and local police statewide were very aggressive with speeding motorists, impaired drivers and those not buckled up properly. ”100 Days of Summer HEAT” took place June 18-20, July 2-4 and August 5-7. The THP have been compiling the results of this effort and I’ll report the findings as they are published.
If you witness aggressive driving identify the vehicle (color, make and plate number if possible) and then pull over at the next safe place and call the THP or your local police and report them. Taking a minute to make the call might mean that someone down the line will live on the make it home to see their families. If you are injured, or know someone who is, call out experienced Tennessee accident lawyers and find out about your rights and remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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