Avoid those aggressive drivers with these basic tips

Although it’s difficult to determine how many auto accidents involve road rage or aggressive drivers, there’s no doubt that a portion of crashes in Illinois involve aggressive driving. While you can’t control other drivers, you can take several measures to protect yourself.

How to react to and accommodate aggressive drivers

If you come across other drivers who are driving substantially faster than the speed limit, don’t compete with them. Even if you’re stressed for time yourself, go into full defensive mode upon identifying potentially aggressive drivers.

It’s normal to feel like somebody should put that aggressive driver in their place. However, you can use stress management techniques if you struggle with letting those aggressive drivers take the reins.

Set aside plenty of space

The state of Illinois doesn’t have any laws regarding how much space you must leave between your car and the vehicle directly in front of you. Many agree that every driver should leave a three-second distance between themselves and the vehicles in front of them.

For example, if the vehicle in front of you hits the emergency brake out of nowhere, you should be able to maintain your current speed for three seconds without colliding with the vehicle.

Don’t bottle up your road-related stressors

Admittedly, this strategy isn’t directly related to driving. However, it can definitely help you better adapt to aggressive drivers in the future.

Share stories of your bad driving experiences with friends, family members, coworkers or peers. Even if you can only talk about them for a few minutes, doing so will give you at least one independent party’s input, in turn helping you make better decisions.

Have you recently got into a car accident caused by an aggressive driver? Look to a personal injury attorney for help with filing a lawsuit.