On the Road to Ruin?

774 Words4 Pages
Sarina Mason English 1301 9 October 2012 On the Road to Ruin? Aggressive driving is a major problem on our roads today. While most drivers are not aggressive, those that are account for most of the accidents. According to the website Agent insure, “Statistics say that 56% of destructive accidents and car crashes are caused majorly by driving aggressively”. (www.agentinsure.com) To counterbalance this dangerous activity, drivers need to become more conscious of their personal responsibility to be a defensive driver. Martin Gottfried, in his essay “Rambos of the Road,” states that “there has recently been an epidemic of auto macho – a competition perceived and expressed in driving.” (500) There are many types of aggressive driving, such as, speeding, racing, frequently changing lanes, cutting off other drivers, failing to signal, running red lights, failing to yield, tailgating, slowing rapidly to discourage a tailgater, etc…The list is long. Many people probably drive aggressively and are not even aware of it. Aggressive driving can be caused by multiple things such as, weather conditions, wet roads, impatience, traffic, or trying to save time. All of these things can irritate even the best of drivers, and cause them to make poor decisions on the road. Aggressive drivers will always be on the highways. Rather than ignore the problem, though, we need to drive defensively for our own protection. One example of encountering a driver in a hurry would be the time I was waiting in the mall parking lot for a space to empty. Sitting there behind the car that was reversing out, I had my blinker on, signaling my intention of filling the spot. When the person reversing had cleared, I stepped on the gas to pull in. As I did, a car coming towards me stepped on the gas, cut me off, and pulled into the parking space. I sat there wondering how the driver could have

More about On the Road to Ruin?

Open Document