States are trying to put the brakes on bad driving by targeting "super speeders," lane hogs and those guilty of multiple moving violations.

Florida is leading the way with a new law that sends its worst drivers back to driving school. A driver found at fault in three crashes in three years will have to pass a driver education course and a driving test, just like novice drivers.

"These people have proven themselves to be chronically bad drivers. You have to try everything you can to change their behavior," says Electra Theodorides-Bustle, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The cost for additional training will be passed on to violators, she says.

The moves come as a growing body of evidence suggests that aggressive driving — including speeding, tailgating, changing lanes without signaling, ignoring traffic signals and weaving in and out of traffic — is deadlier than drunken driving. An April study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that aggressive driving was a factor in 56% of all fatal U.S. crashes from 2003 through 2007.

Florida's new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, is unlikely to eradicate bad driving in the Sunshine State: Highway safety officials have identified 3,200 people — out of about 15.5 million licensed drivers — who would currently fall under the new law.

A tougher stance for repeat offenders is a logical move for states, says Justin McNaull, AAA director of state relations. "Car crashes aren't evenly distributed among all drivers," he says. "While this might not be a classic 80%-of-the-problem-is-20%-of- the-people situation, it's probably pretty close."

Others states cracking down on bad drivers:

• Georgia now adds an extra $200 fine to the tickets of "super speeders" — defined as drivers caught traveling more than 75 mph on two-lane roads or 85 mph on any road. The new fine, which Gov. Sonny Perdue sought for three years before it was enacted July 1, is expected to generate $23 million a year to help the state's trauma hospitals.

• Kansas' new "Right Lane Law," which went into effect July 1, makes it illegal to drive in the far left lane of multi-lane highways except when passing or turning left or when instructed to do so by traffic-control devices or officers. The law is designed to reduce road rage and prevent motorists from trying risky maneuvers, says Trooper Mark Engholm of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

• Five Southeastern states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee — joined forces last month for "Take Back Our Highways," a week-long dragnet for dangerous drivers. Highway Patrol officers targeted aggressive and drunken drivers, speeders and drivers not wearing seat belts.

• Delaware and New Jersey launched statewide campaigns last month aimed at aggressive driving.

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