Maryland Program Aims to Reduce Aggressive Driving

Aggressive driving accounts for a large number of automobile accidents in Maryland each year.

The state’s Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration estimates that, between 2006 and 2010, an average of 6,000 aggressive driving crashes occurred annually. During the same time period, nearly 11 percent of the state’s traffic fatalities resulted from aggressive driver-related accidents.

The state’s “Smooth Operator” program is working to reduce Maryland’s aggressive driving rate:

• The program, implemented in 1997, is designed to provide information, education and effective solutions for aggressive driving.
• Within the last 10 years, the state has also partnered with Washington, D.C., Virginia and Pennsylvania to produce a regional campaign. The program utilizes a combination of media campaigns and enforcement efforts to prevent aggressive driving and is sponsored by the Maryland State Highway Administration’s Highway Safety Office and Motor Carrier Division and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, along with several other organizations.

While there is no universally agreed-upon definition for aggressive driving, it is generally thought to include behaviors like tailgating, weaving through traffic, unsafe lane changes, speeding and running stop signs or red lights. These behaviors can be prompted or exacerbated by frustration due to traffic jams or other road conditions.

Aggressive driving habits can cause drivers to make careless or reckless decisions, sometimes resulting in car accidents. If you have recently been injured in a collision due to another driver’s negligence, you may be able to seek compensation. Contact the Maryland car accident lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton, P.A. to learn more about your options.