Concept 1: Punishment

a. When people engage in unsafe and illegal acts while driving it is the norm to give tickets to speeders, tow away illegally parked cars, and give jail time to drunken drivers. These are specific acts that people routinely do and get away with and punishing these acts does not focus on the bigger picture, which is having a safe driving environment. Punishments do not help in modifying dangerous behaviors, they make drivers feel uncooperative, resentful, and antagonistic to the officers who enforce and hand out these punishments.

b. When my mom got a ticket for not wearing her seat belt her initial reaction was not, “Thank you officer, you are doing such a good job! Thank you for teaching me a lesson!” Her reaction was, “Damn, cop-doesn’t he know that there are other more IMPORTANT things that he could be doing?!”

c. I choose this concept because I don’t know anyone who sees the good in getting a ticket, they do not see it as the officer doing his job or making the roads safer. People see tickets as a punishment, which makes for a hostile and defensive driving environment.

Concept 2: Positive Reinforcement

a. Giving people tangible benefits for being safer drivers is a more socially satisfying way to go. Rewarding people for safety and not just for a specific act creates a more healthy and positive population. Rewards such as reduced insurance rates, waivers on registration fees, and discounts at auto mechanics are just some of the suggested rewards.

b. One of my aunts tries very hard to be a safe driver because she knows that if she doesn’t get into an accident that her insurance rates will go down. She drives carefully and with lots of room in front of her car, she never speeds and always follows the traffic signs. She knows that if she gets a ticket or gets into a car accident that all of her hard work will have been for nothing.

c. Rewarding people is a good way to keep drivers safe on the road. It would create a greater consciousness to the protection of ones’ fellow drivers. Encouraging people to become cooperative drivers would be a by-product of rewarding instead of punishing drivers.

Concept 3: Insurance Policies

a. An insurance company has their drivers safety in mind-that is their business. Business is good when there are more accidents-a higher occurrence of accidents means more money for the insurance company. If there were less accidents there would be less business for the insurance companies. It is in the business’s best interest that people speed, drive recklessly, and even drink and drive because it helps them make money. And it is shown that to offer protection against risky behavior encourages that very behavior that is trying to be stopped.

b. Some insurance companies offer a reduced rate to young drivers who have taken a drivers education class even though it is not shown that taking a driver education class reduces the likelihood of an accident. Why would an insurance company offer this discount to a demographic that is known to be a greater risk when it has not been shown that taking a drivers education course makes a significant difference?

c. This concept is implies that there are bigger things that impact how people drive their cars. Instead of driving with caution and restraint, many drivers are reckless and dangerous because they know that they are protected by auto insurance.

My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2005/osakoda/home.htm

The G23 Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/classhome-g23.htm