Washington is filled with busy, productive residents, leading to roadways that are crowded and bustling with the state’s active residents. Frequent road construction and infrastructure improvements also lead to delays, hazardous road conditions, and frustrated drivers. Many people are injured in car accidents as well, and if this applies to you, please don’t hesitate to contact a Marysville car accident attorney. Regardless of the frustration associated with Washington traffic, driving aggressively for any reason can have dangerous or even deadly consequences, sometimes resulting in harm to other motorists sharing the roadway. Sadly, Washington ranks number 32 in a list of states with the most aggressive drivers.
What Is Aggressive Driving?
AAA describes aggressive driving as “Any unsafe driving behavior, performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety.”
Aggressive driving behaviors include:
- Excessive speeding
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Making erratic lane changes (weaving)
- Tailgating
- Illegal passing
- Passing on the road’s shoulders or in the emergency lane
- Cutting off other vehicles
- Improperly merging
- Brake-checking (cutting in front of other drivers and purposely braking)
- Repeated horn-honking
In the worst cases, aggressive driving can escalate into road rage behaviors. In a 2024 survey, 96% of respondents reported seeing aggressive drivers on the road, and 66% admitted to engaging in aggressive driving behaviors themselves.
What Types of Accidents Does Aggressive Driving Cause In Washington?
Aggressive drivers take unnecessary chances in traffic, endangering themselves and others. Speeding is the most dangerous aggressive driving behavior, causing 29% of traffic fatalities in a single recent year, or an average of 32 people a day.
The most common types of accidents resulting from aggressive driving include the following:
- Angle collisions or T-bone accidents
- Sideswipes
- Rear-end collisions
- Head-on collisions
- Collisions with obstacles
- Roadway departures
- Rollovers
Aggressive driving can also cause deadly pedestrian accidents or collisions involving motorcyclists or bicyclists.
What to Do If You Encounter an Aggressive Driver?
In most cases, an aggressive driver comes and goes quickly in traffic. Still, sometimes, a vulnerable motorist is trapped in traffic with an aggressive driver or becomes the subject of the driver’s aggression. When you encounter an aggressive driver, it’s crucial to remain calm and in control rather than responding with your own aggressive driving tactics. Instead, take steps to avoid engaging with the aggressive driver by increasing your following distance or allowing the driver to pass. Use free lanes to move as far away from the aggressive driver as possible, or take the next available exit and allow a few minutes to pass before merging back onto the highway.
Traffic experts recommend avoiding eye contact when encountering an aggressive driver.
Proving Liability In an Aggressive Driving Accident Claim In Washington
Washington’s fault-based insurance laws require a car accident victim to file a claim against the at-fault driver. A successful claim against an aggressive driver requires proving their liability. Driving aggressively shows reckless disregard for the safety of others. This negligence leaves the aggressive driver liable for injury damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering. Proving negligence requires evidence demonstrating the following:
- The at-fault driver owed a duty of care to others on the road, including the injury victim
- They violated this duty of care through negligence
- Their violation of the duty of care directly caused the injury
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
If an aggressive driving accident in Washington causes a fatality, the closest surviving family member may file a wrongful death claim against the aggressive driver to recover compensation and a sense of justice for their loss.
How Can a Washington Car Accident Attorney Help?
Encountering an aggressive driver is frightening. When the encounter ends in a serious accident, it’s painful and traumatic, sometimes with life-altering repercussions for injury victims. Contact the experienced, compassionate Marysville personal injury lawyers at Wells Trumbull today for legal representation and prompt action in your claim.