Aggressive driving is one of the most common contributing factors to personal injury car crashes across the country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it was a contributing factor in 56% of fatal crashes in the mid-2000s; the American Automobile Associations says that 56% of rear-end collisions are caused in part by aggressive driving, and the Insurance Information Institute says that aggressive driving is involved in 66% of traffic fatalities.
Aggressive driving can manifest in behaviors like:
- Speeding
- Tailgating or following too closely
- Ignoring and blowing past red lights, stop signals, and pedestrian crossings
- Weaving in and out of traffic
- Racing/chasing
- Road rage
Aggressive driving increases the probability that in an accident or car crash, the victims will suffer serious injuries that cause long-term damages and expense. If negligence is demonstrated, victims can recover compensation for medical costs, lost wages and ability to earn, pain and suffering, and more. If you’ve been injured in such an accident, give us a call at 845-600-0000 to schedule a free consultation at our personal injury law offices in Kingston, Newburgh or Poughkeepsie.
Below, we’ll explore some traffic ticket statistics from the Institute for Traffic Safety and Research regarding the prevalence of aggressive driving behaviors in the Hudson Valley.
Mid-Hudson Valley Aggressive Driving
In the Mid-Hudson Valley as a whole, 209,843 traffic tickets were issued in 2023. Of these, 26,468 were issued for aggressive driving; 15,050 in Orange County, 6,554 in Dutchess County and 4,864 in Ulster County.
Dutchess County Aggressive Driving
In Dutchess County, a total of 56,657 traffic tickets were issued in 2023. 6,554 were for some form of “aggressive driving,” which made up 11.6% of the total tickets.
33% of the tickets were for disobeying a traffic device, like stop signs, yield signs, or double-yellow lines. 17% were for unsafely weaving through traffic, 16% were for failing to stop at a stop sign, 11% were for running a red light, 8% were for following too closely, 3% were for driving across a hazard marking, and 2.9% were for failing to use a designated lane.
Of the ticketed drivers, 65% were male, and 35% were women. For both, the largest age group was 21-29 year olds.
Dutchess County includes the cities of Poughkeepsie and Beacon, and towns like Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Fishkill and more.
Orange County Aggressive Driving
Over in Orange County, a total of 106,931 traffic tickets were issued in 2023. 15,050 were for some form of “aggressive driving,” which made up 14.1% of the total tickets; this was the highest percentage of aggressive driving tickets of the three counties we looked at.
36.8% of the tickets were for disobeying a traffic device, 21.6% were for failing to stop at a stop sign, 13% were for unsafely weaving through traffic, 7% were for passing a red signal, 5% were for following too closely, 4.7% were for driving across a hazard marking, and 4% were for failing to use the designated lane.
75% of the ticketed drivers were male, while 25% were female. For both groups, the largest age group of ticketed drivers was in the 21-29 range, with roughly 25% of the tickets going to that age.
Orange County includes cities like Middletown and Newburgh, towns like Newburgh and Kiryas Joel, Cornwall, Blooming Grove, Woodbury, New Windsor, Chester and more.
Ulster County Aggressive Driving
In Ulster County, a total of 46,255 traffic tickets were issued, with 4,864 of them being aggressive driving tickets (10.5%).
28% of the tickets were for failing to stop at at a stop sign, 25% were for disobeying a traffic device, 16% were for weaving through traffic, 7% were for following too closely, 6.2% were for passing a red signal, 4% were for driving across a hazard marking, and 3.7% were for failing to use a designated lane.
66% of the drivers were men, and 33% were female; in both groups, just like the other two counties, the largest ticketed group was 21-29 year olds.
Ulster County includes the city of Kingston, and towns like Ulster, Wawarsing, New Paltz, Woodstock, Marlboro and more.