ROAD RAGE KILLS; OFFICIALS CALL AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS DEADLY.

Byline: Lisa Van Proyen Daily News Staff Writer

If you're driving too slow on the freeway in front of Woodland Hills resident George Dragonette, you can pretty much expect to get what he considers a kind reminder as he shouts out the window of his hornless Mazda RX-7: ``The speed limit is 65. Maintain the speed limit!''

And if you really agitate him, he's liable to give you the finger.

``It's only a gesture . . . It's not rage,'' he said.

But for some, anger on the freeways can take a deadly turn.

``Road rage'' was a factor in two-thirds of the 41,907 deaths in car crashes last year and experts told Congress on Thursday that it's going to get worse as congestion grows.

With the 35 percent increase in traffic since 1987, aggressive driving is on the rise, traffic officials said at the hearing.

Experts said they mean such behavior as tailgating, weaving in and out of congested traffic, honking, screaming insults and gunfire.

In all, such actions contribute to 28,000 highway deaths throughout the nation annually, Ricardo Martinez, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told officials at the congressional meeting.

He and others were speaking before the House surface transportation subcommittee.

David Willis, president and chief executive of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, said his studies indicate ``violent aggressive'' driving habits have grown by 7 percent annually.

Men 18 to 26 are more likely to be aggressive drivers, according to local California Highway Patrol officers and other officials.

Injuries and deaths have been provoked by cutting a person off, not allowing a motorist to pass, using obscene hand gestures, tailgating, fender-bender traffic accidents and even arguments over parking spaces, Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring said in an interview.

Firearms, knives, clubs, fists, feet or other weapons were used in studied incidents, he said.

Spring noted that some drivers used the biggest weapon of all - their vehicles - to kill or injure other motorists.

``They would run them over, run into a building, hurting someone,'' Spring said.

But CHP officials counter that aggressive behavior is not on the rise locally - and definitely should not be labeled road rage, which could unnecessarily worry the motoring public.

``It's been out there,'' said Bill Preciado, a CHP spokesman in Glendale. But he added that there has been no recent rise in displays of anger on roadways locally.

On average, the dispatcher gets calls every couple of days, reporting somebody in a car brandishing a weapon, Preciado said.

``Sometimes they confuse a hairbrush as a weapon,'' he said.

He disagrees that more and more people are becoming rude drivers. Instead, he thinks more motorists are trying to avoid those with bad tempers.

``I think it's the other way around. They want to find a way to get away from them,'' he said.

Sandra Ball-Rokeach, a USC professor who has studied traffic injuries and how to prevent them, said in an interview that aggressive driving has become the norm for people, reflecting the need for control in our culture.

``Driving has become so competitive that people seem to get some sense of control and power out of being able to beat someone out on the road,'' she said. ``Maybe it's because they've lost a sense of control and power in other parts of their life, such as in their families and the workplace.''

And many otherwise courteous drivers have adopted this aggressive driving behavior, she said. ``It's what all of us got caught up in . . . almost as a defensive posture.''

Woodland Hills resident Dru Young said she refuses to get caught up in it.

``I take every precaution to keep myself centered - with good, positive energy - to not be interfered with. I do not antagonize someone,'' said Young, wearing white driving gloves and a straw hat as she waited for her Jaguar to be washed and dried at a station.

She purposely reduces stress in her car by listening to soothing music or educational tapes. But she emphasized that she is not a ``timid driver'' by any means.

``When somebody cuts me off or does something foolish, I'm alert to protect myself, but I don't become aggressive,'' she said.

``People think that because they're in that steel cage, that they can be aggressive and rude . . . ``If you're in a steel cage, you're a little bit more courageous talking to a shark than if it was just you and the shark.''

TIPS THAT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE

Avoid making eye contact that may appear confrontational.

If a motorist is tailgating, avoid sudden braking, acceleration or swerving that may provoke the person.

Work on your driving skills or behavior, such as staying out of the far left lane when driving under the speed limit and yielding to the right for motorists wanting to pass.

Improve the comfort inside your vehicle, such as adjusting your air conditioning and playing your favorite music.

Don't drive when you're upset or tired and consider modifying your driving schedule to avoid busiest traffic times.

If a motorist continues to hassle you, drive to the nearest police station.

Branford Mar/Daily News

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