Why do so many people drive aggressively when you are taught in school to drive defensively?

Question

So many people tailgate, cut people off, change lanes unexpectedly...In school we were taught to maintain at least 2 car length following distance, wait at least 10 seconds at stop signs and check both ways twice, use turn signals at all time and hand signals if necessay...if you miss a exit, you can exit the next time instead of cutting someone off with an unsafe lane change...did people forget these lessons?

Answer 1

We are also taught not to lie, steal, murder, cheat, etc, yet adults do those things all the time. It's in many peoples natures to take unnecessary risks and try to get away with things when they can.

Answer 2

I hear that. I think part of the problem is with inadequate license testing. It seems like any idiot that can turn a car on can get a license. My only advice to you is to be even more cautious to account for their lack of driving ability.

Answer 3

Yes, people forget - or just don't think - but more importantly, it's human nature to do these things.  To struggle - not just to survive but to do better than the others around you - is ingrained into our nature.  Humans are the most creative and inventive creature on this planet - this is the whole reason that we are the dominant species.  We are not the only animals to develop primitive tools, but we are the only one to go beyond that to more and more complex machinery.  Competetive aggression, the drive to beat the other guy, is our key to succeeding in this struggle to outdo those around us.  Unfortunately, this manifests itself in ways that can be detrimental to ourselves.  We all know that passing one car while in traffic is not really going to make any significant difference, but instinct makes us want us to try, anyway.  And we feel better when we are out in front - on the road, as well as in business and personal relationships, and sporting events.  A further reason sometimes is distrust of others on the road who are (presumably) also competetive - a case of "don't let the guy next to you know you're going to change lanes, or he may prevent you" (unfortunate, but it happens often.)  This would put you further back in the line - something our nature is against, whether it has any real impact on our lives or not.

Another common problem these days is the fast-paced life we live.  If the guy driving slowly in the left lane (very common) is slow, we interpret it as though they were deliberately trying to make us late - and sometimes they are.  Either way, they make the roads that much more dangerous for everyone, causing tempers to flare and aggression levels to rise.  And once people have managed to get past, they ermain aggressive in order to make up for the delay.  Drivers who deliberately slow others down may not always be involved in accidents, but they are the root cause of many of them.  They're driving style and habits actually incite aggression, although they often proclaim "They were in the wrong, not me!"  Actually, both are at fault - the slow person for deliberately causing a situation likely to bring on resentment and aggression, and the guy behind for allowing himself to act on those feelings.

Incidentally, it takes about 2 seconds to check both ways twice at a stop sign.  Ten seconds is simply delaying for no reason - if you have checked and nothing is coming, you should be moving again.  Time limits are irrelevant - it's not about time, it's about if something else is coming towards you.  I could check both sides twice carefully, wait six full seconds, then check again - and still have taken less than ten seconds.

Probably the biggest problem is that many slow drivers don't follow the laws, either.  When was the last time you had someone slow in the left lane?  Or someone remaining in the left lane after passing another vehicle, forcing all who wish to pass either wait indefinitely (often until that person's exit, at which time they will abruptly cut across all lanes of traffic), or do so in the right lane?  Or deliberately blocking traffic from passing and thus causing a jam behind them?  

Of course, none of this justifies doing this aggression.  We are supposedly advanced enough to make rational decisions without succumbing to instinct, but nature will always take over if we let it, or aren't sufficiently on guard to recognise when it happens and stop it.  And, of course, the biggest problem here is that these rules and laws are not enforced.  In Sydney, Australia (where I learned to drive), if you didn't use your turn signal before lane changes and turns, you got a ticket.  Forget you seatbelt?  Ticket.  They don't need some other reason to pull you over first.  In the US, even the police don't use turn signals very often - not a good example to other drivers!  Nor do they usually ticket prople driving in the left lane when not passing, driving too slow in the wrong lane, or those deliberately holding up traffic - which are also illegal, just like speeding and aggressive driving.  I suspect that there would be much less aggressive driving if the need for aggression wasn't there.  Let those in a hurry get past, and they have no need to be aggressive, and remember that aggression is an emotional response.  Give them no reason to be emotional, and much of the problem goes away.  And losing the overly self-righteous attitude that leads people to take the law into their own hands is the way to let them past in the first place - that, combined with an awareness of the other vehicles on the road around you (including behind) and a little courtesy.

PS: Sydney traffic is much heavier than in Philadelphia (where I live now), but it also moves better and aggression is much lower.  The expressways may slow down a bit, but I never saw them stop (except for the odd toll booth, and even there it isn't for long.)  If I'm in traffic and the truck ahead of me is moving slowly, I can simply put my turn signal on and the person in the next lane will let me in - without fail.  In return, I will get back in the other lane after passing said slow vehicle.  Everyone drives away happy, and the traffic keeps moving.

Answer 4

Every one is in such a big hurry any more and they think once they get a LITTLE experience they think they can drive like Mario Andrette and they are invincible. They do OK as long as things are going right then when they start to loose control they are lost. I have investigated a lot of traffic crashes and several times when I asked them what they did when they started to loose control they said they closed their eyes and held on. Most people seem to like to speed and they don't pay attention to what is going on.

Answer 5

Trer, you are absolutely right. One thing they don't teach in school is patience, another is common sense. They just teach you the rules. Breaking them is human nature. Patience and common sense are skills that you acquire as a result of experience. Some people never get either one. These are the people you will encounter in just a couple of more hours as you drive home. Watch out for them. Your attitude is refreshing. And commendable.

Answer 6

yes....its true we r taught to "drive defensively", but it is quite difficult to follow everything we r taught in school...i mean we dont always "follow the rules" do we?...while driving specially in busy and congested areas is not really possibe to maintain a distance of two cars or anything like that...

and there is always the "stress" of reaching in time and tings like that, which make people forget the rules!

well tats why i think drive aggressively!...

:D

Answer 7

First, most people AREN'T taught driving in schools these days, unless they are under the age of 18 in which case it is required in most jurisdictions. And for those who aren't taught in schools, many do not shell out the dollars to at least take one-on-one PROFESSIONAL lessons, as opposed to learning from a parents, sibling, other relative or friend.

Second, driving has some of the most complex sets of regulations of any adult activity, and yet some of the least enforced--quite simply the police can't be everywhere and even when they are present, they have to look out for the most dangerous offenses being committed at the time. For example, if the most dangerous offense is someone driving 30 mph over the speed limit, then that person may get pulled over. However, if someone is going 30 mphh over the speed limit while someone else nearby is going 5 mph under the speed limit, but constantly weaving back and forth, possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the latter driver is more likely to get pulled over.

As a person get more experience behind the wheel he/she comes to realize how policing works and may start to pull off potentially dangerous maneuvers, such as those you mentioned, gambling on A. whether anybody of authority sees his/her actions in the first place and B. whether or not that action is the worst thing going on at the time. And for those more-not-than-often times that a person's action is actually seen by somone of authority and is the worst thing going on at the time and the person is pulled over, most people are willing to accept the citation, knowing the many more times that they got away with their misdeeds.

Answer 8

simple, they are not in school no more, they have a license, which is a privilege, not a right. people just don't give a rat *** about the next person only their needs and their selves, and getting to where they need to be.  this is all that matters to them until they get into a accident and then receive the next insurance premium.