"According to police findings, aggressive behavior has become more frequent in recent years," says Julia Fohmann from the German Road Safety Council (DVR). "Especially men and drivers of high-end vehicles tend to stand out negatively in this context.” The police union (GdP) has identified young male road users as the main aggressors. "Here there are often also cross connections to the racing scene", says the deputy federal chairman Michael Mertens. In addition, there is a tendency towards ever more highly motorized vehicles, states attorney Christian Funk from the traffic law working group of the German Lawyers' Association (DAV). "Speeds of significantly more than 200 kilometers per hour can easily be reached with many vehicles today.”

"It is difficult to measure whether aggressiveness in road traffic has actually increased”, says ADAC Vice President for Traffic, Gerhard Hillebrand. But: "The danger of escalating conflicts increases with the increasing number of road users.” The Automobile Club of Germany (AvD), however, doubts that there is an actual increase in aggression incidents. This is indicated by the Flensburg traffic offender file, says spokesman Herbert Engelmohr. "The number of registered persons remained at a constant level during the last years." The number of road users convicted of aggressive behavior is also constant, as are the accident figures, says DAV lawyer Funk.

However, if there is talk of an increase in aggressiveness, it is due to the increasing traffic density, says Siegfried Brockmann, head of the insurers' accident research department. Hardly any expert doubts that overcrowded roads are one of the main causes of aggressive behavior on the road. "This is particularly noticeable in cities where e-scooters are now also allowed to participate in road traffic, delivery vans are double parked, bicycle lanes are blocked and parking spaces further narrow the lane," says Julia Fohmann from the Road Safety Council.

Experts also cite time pressure and stress as further causes. In the opinion of the Road Safety Council, what is needed in any case is targeted traffic monitoring and consistent and tangible sanctions for aggressive drivers. To curb aggressiveness, fines should also be increased and the penalty points increased. An ADAC spokesman says that permanently aggressive road users must be identified quickly in order to be able to take action against them. The best solution, however, would be a different one, says Sören Heinze, spokesman for the Auto Club Europa: What helps against aggressiveness in road traffic is above all more calmness, consideration, empathy, caution and attention. What can you do about tailgaters?

Getting agitated does not help: "Instead, calmness helps," says ADAC traffic psychologist Ulrich Chiellino. "In any case, you should not get carried away, for example, by driving behind a tailgater, possibly overtaking him yourself and then giving him the finger.”

Ignore tailgaters: "Anyone who is driving slower than permitted, for example because of weather conditions or out of consideration for pedestrians and cyclists, should not be provoked by aggressive tailgaters," advises the expert. "Even if a tailgater then gets annoyed, it should not matter." Traffic safety first.

No charges without witnesses: In practice, it is not always easy to press charges against tailgaters. "You need witnesses, otherwise it's testimony against testimony," says the ADAC expert. One must trust that road users who behave aggressively at all times will be caught by police patrols, radar or other equipment.

Orig. text: Matthias Brunnert, dpa. Translation: ck