S. Florida’s Aggressive Drivers On The Rise

October 17, 2011 10:29 AM

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper issues a ticket to a driver. (Source: AP)

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For anyone who drives on South Florida roads, you know they can be filled with aggressive drivers but now it’s getting worse.

New statewide figures show the amount of aggressive drivers is increasing each year.

Last year, law enforcement officials statewide wrote more than 23,000 tickets for aggressive driving, up by nearly 20,000 when compared to eight years ago, according to The Sun Sentinel.

The figures show the growth in aggressive driving was most noticeable between 2008 and 2010 when aggressive driving tickets shot up 88-percent.

In Florida, a driver is considered aggressive when he or she commits two or more specific violations at the same time. The infractions are speeding, tailgating, running red lights or stop signs, improperly changing lanes, improperly passing and failing to yield the right of way.

Drivers committing those infractions get tagged as aggressive drivers and could receive more points on their driving records.

S. Floridas Aggressive Drivers On The Rise

Paul

This article is misleading and/or incomplete. No mention is given of any kind of investigation into whether the increase is party or mostly due to increased ticketing by law enforcement. Our population doesn’t increase by 88%, so all of a sudden everyone became more aggressive, just like that? I would estimate that a majority of the increase is due to officers writing more tickets for “aggressive” driving. According to the article, all a driver has to do is commit 2 of the infractions mentioned, to get ticketed as an aggressive driver. Well, many of the listed infractions are tied together, for example running a red light and speeding. One usually occurs as a result of the other. I would much rather see law enforcement target people who text while driving, as they are much more prevalent, and therefore much more dangerous.