When encountering an aggressive driver, you should:
- Avoid eye contact, slow down, and let them pass. ✓
- Cut them off to slow them down.
- Retaliate by tailgating them.
- Make sure they know you disapprove of their behavior.
Answer: A. Avoid eye contact, slow down, and let them pass.
When an aggressive driver is around you, avoid eye contact, ease off the gas, and let them go by.
Why this is the answer
The handbook's road rage section says aggressive driving comes from a driver who is angry and stops following the rules, and it warns you not to confront other drivers or make gestures at them. It also tells you not to cut into another driver's lane, not to slow down, brake, or speed up to keep someone from passing, and not to tailgate. Those same rules point toward backing off and letting the aggressive driver move on rather than engaging with them.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Cut them off to slow them down. — Cutting them off is exactly the lane-cutting behavior the handbook warns against, and it invites a confrontation instead of avoiding one.
- C. Retaliate by tailgating them. — Tailgating is named as something not to do, and using it to retaliate only escalates an already angry driver.
- D. Make sure they know you disapprove of their behavior. — The handbook says not to confront other drivers or make gestures, so signaling your disapproval works against the goal of staying clear of them.
Remember it
Think of an aggressive driver as something to let slide past you, not something to answer back.
Official handbook: Texas Driver Handbook (DL-7), Chapter 14: Additional Safety Tips , p. 66