Everyone has that one friend or family member that’s an aggressive driver. We often refer to it as road rage, but The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes a clear distinction between the two.

Road rage is a criminal charge, where aggressive driving is a traffic offense. According to Safe Motorist, 66% of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving. So, can you sue if you are involved in an auto collision involving road rage or aggressive driving? The answer is yes. But like any personal injury case, you must prove negligence at the fault of the opposing party. If road rage was a factor, criminal charges may also take place. However, you do not need a guilty verdict or criminal charges to file a personal injury lawsuit (although it would help to prove liability).

More on Road Rage

Road rage is an increasing offense amongst drivers and can lead to criminal charges. Road rage charges can be considered assault and battery because road rage involves intentional acts and are not accidental. Examples of road rage include:

  • Striking another vehicle on purpose
  • Driving another vehicle off the road
  • Threatening another driver

More on Aggressive Driving

As stated before, aggressive driving is considered a traffic offense in comparison to road rage, which is a criminal offense. It’s essentially a minor form of road rage. Nevertheless, it results in numerous auto collisions every day. Over a seven year period, more than 12,000 injuries were attributed to aggressive driving. Examples of aggressive driving include:

  • Tailgating
  • Speeding
  • Erratic Lane Changes

The experienced auto accident lawyers at the Cochran Firm have a proven record of helping victims of injury get maximum compensation. If you are in need of an auto accident attorney, contact us today at (800) 843-3476.