You’re driving on the highway and, suddenly, a car speeds around and cuts you off. What do you do? If you throw your hands up in the air, roll your eyes, and flick the other driver off, you have a problem with road rage, just like many other teen drivers in Orlando.

Aggressive driving is the leading cause of road rage. Tailgating other drivers, speeding, and cutting people off are a few examples of aggressive driving that can lead to acts of road rage.

To cut down on this type of aggressive driving, the Florida Safety Council holds between 10 and 12 classes on Aggressive Driving and Street Racing each month.

As seen by the increasing numbers of students attending these driving classes, Orlando’s drivers are becoming more aggressive. As of November 1st this year, 1,469 students had taken the class, as opposed to the 584 students that took the class in 2004.

Instructor Debe Taute described a list of goals set for students attending the class. According to Taute, it is first important to identify what you are doing wrong and to recognize the possible consequences associated with this behavior. Only then can you understand how to correct your driving behavior. The class not only emphasizes awareness about the effects of aggressive driving and road rage on oneself but also the effects it has on others. May Santiago, junior and student driver at Cypress Creek High School, believes these classes are worthwhile because “teenagers are the main cause of accidents because they are so reckless.”

It is important for student drivers to realize the dangers of aggressive driving. A spokesman for the Florida Safety Council and instructor of the Aggressive Driving and Street Racing Class has some helpful tips. Avoid cutting off other drivers, tailgating, and driving too slowly in the left lane. Do not use hand gestures, honk your horn, or make eye contact with the other driver to express your anger. The use of these tips, along with teen attendance at the road rage classes will fulfill the hope to make Orlando roads safer.