Rule of the road: avoid aggressive driving

Running yellow lights, speeding, tailgating, passing on the shoulder—most travelers can clearly recognize these as bad driving habits. Aggressive driving has been declared the No. 1 highway problem by the Federal Transportation Agency, yet many Americans admit to multiple bad driving offenses. According to a Global Strategy Group study, 62 percent of those surveyed said they had driven through yellow lights and 56 percent said they had driven 10 mph over the speed limit.

The American Automobile Association says violent driving incidents have increased 7 percent per year since 1990. Safety and driving experts recommend the following rules to ensure responsible driving:

1. concentrate on driving, not on passengers or other distractions such

    as talking on a cell phone;

2. obey speed limits;

3. don’t block or drive in the passing lane;

4. use your horn sparingly;

5. don’t make obscene gestures to other drivers;

6. don’t tailgate;

7. don’t block the right turn lane; and

8. allo extra travel time during bad weather.

            Don’t add to the statistics. Relax. It could save your life.