Each year, rear-end collisions account for nearly 23 percent of all roadway fatalities. Tailgating is generally the cause of such accidents, and tailgating is also one of the most common symptoms of aggressive driving, defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as "the operation of a motor vehicle in a manner that endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property."
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Because driving aggressively is not a criminal offense, the best ways to avoid the negative effects of aggressive driving is to drive defensively (protecting against aggressive drivers) and to avoid driving aggressively yourself by eliminating stress. According to driving experts at the National Safety Council, the best way to stop yourself from driving aggressively is to keep your emotions in check, plan ahead, allow enough time for delays and focus on your own driving instead of others’ perceived mistakes.
According to a recent self-reported study conducted by smartmotorist.com, residents of certain states are more prone to dangerous tailgating than others. Ten states yielded enough respondents for a definitive set of statistical comparisons. Click through the slideshow above to see if your state ranks among the most dangerous tailgater states in the country.
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