Many drivers that share the road engage in aggressive driving, resulting in a high frequency of abruptly rude behavior. Aggressive driving is dangerous and distracting; their behavior often results in serious accidents that can leave you with difficult and expensive damages to recover from. Also known as road rage, aggressive driving has caused around 54% of fatal car accidents. If you’ve experienced an aggressive driving accident, you should reach out to a car accident attorney immediately. An aggressive driving accident lawyer can help fight for your right to receive maximum compensation for all the damages you received due to another’s reckless behavior. Call The Law Offices of Rosenstock and Azran today for a free consultation in Reseda, CA.
What Is Aggressive Driving?
Aggressive driving is any kind of abnormal behavior exhibited by an angry driver while on the road. Typically, it happens because they are impatient, stressed, or upset due to the road conditions or another driver’s activity. Road rage can happen because of heavy traffic and congested streets, poor emotional control, and egotistical behavior. It can also occur when another driver cuts someone off and upsets them, triggering a negative and emotional reaction.
Here are some of the numerous ways that aggressive driving can occur:
Confrontational Communication
Aggressive drivers often signal to others how upset they are and are confrontational. They may yell, shout obscenities, and make offensive hand gestures.
Weaving Through Traffic
When angry, an aggressive driver may start weaving through traffic to get through the congestion out of impatience. This dangerous behavior can cause an accident.
Not Yielding
When a driver is upset, they may not even notice some of the signs around them or may deliberately ignore them out of irritation. They don’t give others their right to drive and instead bulldoze ahead.
Horn Honking
Aggressive drivers often honk their horns excessively to intimidate the other driver.
Brake Checking
When a driver with malicious intent applies their brakes rapidly, it forces the driver behind them to evade crashing into them. This is another form of aggressive driving that could lead to a serious car crash.
Illegal Lane Passing
When stuck in traffic, aggressive drivers may suddenly take off by driving on the shoulder or side of the road. This is illegal in most states.
Cutting Drivers Off
Aggressive drivers are notorious for cutting off the driver that made them upset or cutting off unsuspecting drivers to get around heavy traffic. However, cutting people off heightens the risk of a bad accident.
What Is The Difference Between Punitive Damages and Settlement Damages?
When an aggressive driver is caught being grossly negligent and gets punished, they have to pay punitive damages to compensate for their harmful behavior. Punitive damages are awarded by the court alone and don’t come as a lump sum settlement through negotiation. Some of the damages you experienced may overlap with punitive damages, and there is no cap on the damages you can receive. When you seek a settlement outside of court to cover all of your damages, they can include economic and non-economic settlement damages.
What Can I Claim In My Settlement Case?
Whether you are owed a settlement is entirely based on whether or not you are at fault. Your lawyer has to review your case and investigate how the aggressive driving accident occurred. If not at fault, you can claim economic damages such as medical bills, wage loss, and property damage. You can also claim non-economic damages, which include pain and suffering. Pain and suffering, unlike economic damages, are based upon the emotional turmoil you experienced because of your injuries. If you are a surviving family member of a wrongful death victim, you can claim additional damages such as funeral and burial fees, loss of consortium, loss of earning capacity, and many other expenses unique to your case.
Find Out More Information From Proven Aggressive Driving Accident Attorneys
If you are confused about how to handle your case and where to begin, speak to an aggressive driving accident attorney experienced in this area of law. They can guide you through the process and calculate how much you are owed in compensation. Call The Law Offices of Rosenstock and Azran for a free consultation in Reseda, CA.