Originally Posted by
Clarks
To me an aggressive driver is any driver who intentionally tries to intimidate another road user. For me this definition has been pretty handy in determining who is an aggressive driver, the one problem is that it's not always possible to know if a drivers actions are intentional.
How do you define aggressive driving?
I'm pretty spot on with your description. But I also think that if it walks like one, quacks line one then it is one.
I actually had one that took the cake (and we suspect this woman hit our car but we realized too late). I went to a funeral for my wifes cousin. I parked facing out. After the service, the cars were to drive to the cemetery. The funeral workers put flags on everyone's car and we all lined up dutifully. This woman driving this SUV (she was parked next to me) decides not to wait and rushes out and cuts people off to get closer to the head of the line. All the way to the cemetery, she was tailgating the car ahead of her, at a light, she decided to jump ahead again and almost caused an accident!!! After the burial, she pulled the same stunt again, cars are nicely lined up, she pulls out, guns it and almost runs over one of the funeral home workers. Everyone was pretty stunned! Later, we found a pretty bad scrape on our car and based on where we were parked and where she was parked it was pretty obvious that she slammed/scraped into our car while parking.
Now, you have to be a special kind of stupid to do the above which makes me think it was an unconscious act.
I've seen drivers do such stuff unconsciously with no malice intended (but when an accident does happen intent is irrelevant).
Just yesterday, I was driving to work and some idiot (an SUV yet again) was one foot off my bumper. I am on a one lane road going the speed limit. When the road becomes 2 lanes, I pull into the right lane intending for them to pass me on the left. They pull right behind me and continually tailgate. I get frustrated and tap my brakes lightly. Nothing. I finally slow down and they almost run into me and have to swerve into the empty left lane to avoid me. I look over, and the woman has a zombie like startled expression on her face. Some people just have no clue and pay no attention when driving.
So I guess I would refine the description to be driving that is intended to intimidate or consciously or unconsciously puts others at risk.