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It is a known fact that in the summertime Florida tends to be humid and hot. Sometimes, though, it is more than the weather that is hot.  According to state highway safety rankings listed in April 2014, Lee County ranks among the worst in the state for aggressive driving fatalities and injury crashes. Lee County ranked eighth for the most aggressive driving traffic crashes and fatalities from 2008 - 2012 among the twenty-three Florida counties with populations of 200 thousand or more people.  Collier County, with 33 deaths in traffic crashes as the result of aggressive driving, was ranked the ninth worst. 

Aggressive driving involves behaviors, such as speeding, running red lights, tailgating, cutting off other drivers, and weaving through traffic as aggressive driving.  If a driver moves beyond acting out aggression through these means and actually uses his/her vehicle to do harm, the aggressive driving become "road rage".

There have been several cases of road rage in the last couple of weeks in Florida.  Most recently on July 24, a Gainesville man who had been drinking, drove into the rear of a vehicle stopped at a red light.  The man, according to police reports in Gainesville, got out of his vehicle, and began hammering on the window of the other driver's vehicle.  Forgetting to put his vehicle in park, after the woman driver in the vehicle which was hit, drove away, the man was hit by his own truck.  In Miami three days earlier, an 83 year-old man pulled out a gun after being involved in a motor vehicle accident as reported by CBS Miami.

"Avoiding aggressive drivers will help prevent road rage behavior," says Collier County Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey. "Below are some tips from AAA (American Automobile Association) SeniorDriving.aaa.com.  We, at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. encourage drivers to follow these tips in staying safe and preventing vehicle crashes or other injuries when encountering aggressive drivers."

• Avoid conflict.  It is best to assume that the other driver's mistakes are not personal.
• Never attempt to take the right of way.  It must be given to you by other drivers.
• When using high-beam headlights, return them to low-beam headlights as soon as you detect an on-coming vehicle.
• Do not drive behind another vehicle with your high-beam headlights on.
• Be as polite on the road as you would be in any other social situation.  You cannot control traffic, but you can control your responses to it.

If you cannot avoid an aggressive driver and are confronted by a driver displaying aggressive driving behaviors, AAA recommends following these guidelines:

• Do not respond to the other driver.  Avoid any escalation of conflict.
• Avoid eye contact with the aggressive driver or occupants.
• Be tolerant and forgiving.  The aggressive driver may be having a really bad day and be looking for a way to vent anger.
• Be sure to allow enough room around your vehicle so that you can pull out or around if someone approaches your vehicle.
• Do not get out of your vehicle. It offers protection.
• If necessary, contact 911 for assistance. 
• If necessary, drive to a busy public place where there are witnesses, such as a hospital or fire station.  Once there, use your horn to attract others' attention.

Collier County Accident Attorney,  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  VisitSpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.