Aggressive Driving Enforcement
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Suggested Aggressive Driving
Performance Measures

Crashes

  • Proportion of fatal crashes where speed was cited
  • Proportion of fatal crashes where contributing factors typically associated with aggressive driving were cited
  • Proportion of fatal crashes where a moving hazardous violation was cited
  • Proportion of fatal crashes where a combination of moving traffic offenses likely to endanger other persons or property were cited
  • Proportion of fatal crashes where reckless driving was cited
  • Proportion of all reported crashes where speeding and/or aggressive driving was cited

Observational Surveys

  • Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 20+ mph on interstates, arterial and local roads
  • Proportion of vehicles in which drivers commit a moving hazardous violation
  • Proportion of vehicles in which drivers commit a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property

Other Measures

  • Annual number of speeding citations per 100,000 licensed drivers
  • Annual number of other moving violations typically associated with aggressive driving per 100,000 licensed drivers
  • Annual number of reckless driving citations per 100,000 licensed drivers
  • Proportion of drivers (from surveys) who say they exceeded the speed limit by 20+ mph in the last month
  • Proportion of drivers (from surveys) who say they at least occasionally exceed what they consider to be the maximum safe speed on roads they regularly travel
  • Proportion of drivers (from surveys) who say they drove in a manner that would be considered unsafe in the last year, month, week
  • Proportion of drivers by gender (from surveys) who report other (than speeding) unsafe driving behaviors in the past year
  • Proportion of drivers by age (from surveys) who report other (than speeding) unsafe driving behaviors in the past year
  • Measurement of the most frequent unsafe driving behaviors (other than speed) committed in the last year, month, week
Law enforcement agencies need to establish baseline numbers for the incidence of aggressive driving before the start of the enforcement program and then after the enforcement period has been completed. It is particularly important to conduct pre and post data collections of the number of crashes caused by aggressive driving.

Law enforcement agencies may wish to consider adding a box or space on the citation to allow the officer to note aggressive driving involvement such as multiple offenses and other reckless and dangerous driving behaviors. A box or notation on the citation will allow the agency to track the number of aggressive driving occurrences and it lets the courts know that the traffic stop was because of aggressive driving.