"Defensive driving" is what my father tried to teach me.  The concept behind "defensive driving" is that through heightened alertness and decisive action on the road, you can avoid accidents and other problems despite the erratic behavior and blatant stupidity of other drivers – all while obeying all the rules.

Unfortunately, in contemporary society, it is sometimes necessary to do more.  The occasion is always dire – an emergency of some kind, ranging from imminent vehicular catastrophe to the need to be in a specific location as quickly as possible.  Whatever the reason, some drivers may conclude that aggressive driving is the only way to accomplish what they must.  This type of driving is often in direct violation of the law.  What follows is an analysis of the types of behavior in which such drivers may engage.  Understanding these techniques will help you spot and avoid them.

WARNING!  Do not, under any circumstances, violate traffic laws.  You are responsible for your actions and for any accidents you cause.  The information presented here is offered for academic study only and cannot be construed as encouragement to violate traffic laws.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Aggressive drivers speed whenever possible.  Those not equipped with radar detectors will keep their speeds at just under 10 mph over the legal limit, knowing that most police will not bother with drivers who aren't at least that much over (at highway speeds).  In New York State, where I live, points increase after the 10 mph mark, so most cops see a speeding ticket for less than that variance as a waste of time.

Aggressive drivers disobey traffic control devices whenever they think no one is watching and whenever it will not cause an accident.  Only stupid drivers, aggressive or otherwise, run red lights through which heavy traffic is passing.  A smart aggressive driver, however, will power through a light if he or she can see that there are no cars coming.  Aggressive drivers routinely roll through stop signs, pass on the right if visibility allows, and drive on shoulders if that is the only way around the obstacles they face.

Aggressive drivers use light and sound as a weapons.  They lean on their horns for extended periods, not just for staccato blasts.  They apply their high beams in low-light conditions as a means of expressing displeasure with other drivers.  They like to have auxiliary light systems and will use fog lights and other ancillary driving lamps to annoy the slower drivers in front of them (in the hopes that these drivers will allow them to pass).

Only stupid aggressive drivers tailgate, however.  Intelligent aggressive drivers know that other people are just stupid enough to slam on their brakes when confronted with tailgating.  The aggressive driver's desire to be in front of you is tempered only by his firm belief that you are an idiot who is willing to cause a wreck out of spite.  He will, therefore, allow enough room so that you can't accidentally cause an accident using that time-worn technique of sudden deceleration.

Truly intelligent aggressive drivers are apt to be more than prepared for physical altercations as well as vehicular ones.  The aggressive driver is, ultimately, an aggressive person.  If you're stupid enough to get out of your car and walk towards his vehicle, the aggressive driver will perceive this as threatening and react accordingly.  He'll likely preempt any move you make and put a serious hurting on you.  Do not engage him outside of your vehicle (or inside, for that matter).    

PARKING LOT EGRESS

The aggressive driver (AD) plans ahead for events in which many people try to leave the same parking lot at the same time, congesting the few exits as all the drivers try to crowd into the same road funnel.  The AD parks his vehicle nose-out in a row that connects directly with the exit, rather than in a row that connects to an internal connection leading to the exit.  Passive drivers will lose time and become snarled in traffic navigating through the lot towards the exit point, whereas the "martialist" attitude of the AD will lead to immediate exit with a quick turn-and-go towards the point of egress.

YOU WILL MOVE

This brings us to the fundamental principle on which the AD operates.  He or she believes very strongly in MAKING YOU MOVE.  The AD will stick the nose of his vehicle into a line of cars, trusting that sooner or later someone's nerve will give and a driver will be forced to make room for the newcomer.  The AD seldom encounters a driver with more guts, but when he does and he must back down or risk a fender bender, the AD will acknowledge a fellow road warrior (at least silently).

The "make you move" principle works very well when navigating among a congested crowd of cars all heading for a an exit, or when merging with any new stream of traffic (such as leaving an onramp and taking a highway).  The AD will use his signals not as a way of informing other drivers of his intentions, but as a threat.  When an AD attempting to merge or change lanes puts on his turn signal, he's saying, "That's where I'm going.  You'd best move out of my way and let me in if you don't want to have an accident."

The aggressive driver sees you as weak and as an obstacle.  He has no
problem forcing you out of his way.  He believes your nerve is less than his.

ONRAMP BUSTERS

Any urban driver knows that an onramp is a funnel that traps drivers behind slower, less aggressive drivers as each person in line waits for a chance to try and merge with busy, bumper-to-bumper, moving-at-a-crawl traffic.  The AD does not accept the idea of waiting his turn behind the people he considers passive, stupid drivers.  Whenever physical conditions permit, he will jump ahead in line by driving over shoulders and no-drive zones, using the "make you move" principle to force an opening in traffic.

The aggressive driver cuts across the onramp shoulder
and "carves" his way to the outside lane for expedient travel.

When confronted with the need for expedient travel in multilane congested traffic, the AD will "bust" the onramp in this manner, then force other cars out of the way as he "carves" to the farthest outside lane (which is usually the fastest).  He'll stay in that lane until close to his destination exit, then "carve" his way back through traffic again to make the exit before he passes it.  Once again, his signals are a threat.  They indicate that he is going to go where he wants to go and you had better not be in the way.

ROAD WARRIOR MINDSET

The AD always pilots his vehicle in a state of high alert.  He does not listen to the radio;  if it is on, he does not hear it.  He is entirely focused on his goal, which in the short term is simply getting in front of you.  He has someplace he must be and every vehicle between him and that goal is piloted by an enemy.  He would be quite happy to see you fly off an overpass and burst into flames, if he could make it happen by wishing it.

The AD has no pity and no mercy.  He will gladly accept favors from other drivers who let him into traffic or otherwise yield to him, but he will do so with contempt, considering these other drivers weak even as he takes advantage of their weakness.  He disapproves of drivers who let other people merge voluntarily.  Only those who can force him to back down earn his grudging respect.

The AD knows certain automotive tricks that make him a better driver than the average commuter.  He knows how to adjust his side mirrors out for maximum visibility, relying primarily on the rearview mirror, eliminating blind spots as much as possible.  He knows that a roadblock can be busted by hitting, preferably, the rear corner of a single blocking vehicle with the front passenger side of his own car.  He knows to shoot for the center of the gap between two blocking cars.  The AD knows how to take advantage of physics to spin another car onto the shoulder (by pushing the rear side of the car facing the shoulder) and to cut lanes and curves while accelerating through them.  The AD has no qualms about punishing his brakes and transmission to perform "bootlegger turns," "power slides," and all manner of handbrake-assisted, gravel-spewing auto-acrobatics.  The typical AD drives with both hands on the wheel, avoids hand-over-hand movements (to prevent crossing up his arms), and knows the power limits of his vehicle.

You share the road with aggressive drivers every day.  Most of the time, they're past you and on their way before you have much time to think anything past, "Slow down, you maniac."  (When an AD passes you, use him as a "breaker," following in his wake knowing that he'll trip any speed traps before you do.)  The majority of the time, the best thing you can do is let the AD have his feeling of superiority and yield to his domination of asphalt-covered space.