Aggressive driving

AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

Aggressive Driving is one of the major road problems encountered in the State of Massachusetts to the point that it has sounded the alarm for concern over a rising number of incidents related to it.

In 2003, an estimated number of 141,675 vehicle crashes were recorded. Over 5,300 people were injured and some 462 people dead in the same year in the state attributed to aggressive driving. To add to the problem, there has been a 1.9% increase in the occurrence of accidents in the state.

Aggressive driving can be a broad term. It is an umbrella of several other related traffic offenses both major and minor. Aggressive driving can include offenses such as failing to yield right of way, making unsafe lane changes, ignoring traffic lights, tailgating and speeding, among others. A citation for aggressive driving should include at least two from those violations.

Aggressive driving can also result from drunk driving or driving under the influence of prohibited substances.

Aggressive driving is formally defined as a traffic violation occurring when “an individual commits a combination of moving traffic offenses so as to endanger other persons or property.”

Penalties

There is currently no single law in the State of Massachusetts pertaining to the Aggressive Driving Offense. However, this offense should not be taken lightly as the offenses that are under this umbrella offense, such as unsafe lane changes, beating lights, tailgating, speeding, driving too close, failing to signal, among others each has their respective penalties and fines.

Furthermore, suspensions, as well as possible imprisonment, can be implemented. Separate penalties and fines also exist for drunk driving and those under the influence of prohibited substances.

Given the fact that “aggressive driving” involves two or more offenses, the gravity of the penalties and fines are also tremendously increased. Having to pay or suffer two offenses at the same time is not as easy as it may seem.

What to do?

If any particular driver believes that he or she is wrongly ticketed for aggressive driving, it is important to seek personalized, professional, legal advice.

Our experienced lawyers are very much willing to aid those in distress over aggressive driving charges. Our lawyers can contest and successfully drop the charges attributed to “aggressive driving” thereby reducing or completely throwing away possible penalties or fines for the offenses committed and ensuring the driver freedom from all those penalties and fines.