Psychology 409a- November 28, 2005

Psychology 409a- November 28, 2005
My Eighth Outline of Assigned Readings
By: Jessica Trujillo
Aggressive Driving

Reference: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare; By Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl; Prometheus Books, 2000. Pages 236-252.

Instructions for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-oral.htm
Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Concept 1: Aggressive Vs. Assertive Driving

A. Aggressive drivers normally speed and break the laws, where assertive drivers are normally going the speed limit or under the speed limit.

B. Studies have shown that it isn’t the actually speeders that have the highest accident rate, but it is the ones that are driving 10-15 mph lower then the speed limit. Normally the faster drivers are paying more attention and the slower drivers are just cruising.

C. I think that it is interesting that everyone looks down on the speeders, but in actuality it is the people that are going slow that are dangerous

Concept 2: Police Presence

A. The presence of police can put a damper on aggressive driving and encourage quick reductions in speed.

B. Every time I see a cop I can’t help but press my breaks out of habit. That in turn causes all the cars behind me to press their brakes, and can sometimes lead to a traffic jam. I think that cops know what they are doing when they create traffic by going too slow, and I think that it is unfair to pull people over that were going the same speed of cops.

C. I think that police presence helps, but the problem with it is that it isn’t consistent. More needs to be done to alleviate aggressive driving.

Concept 3: Electronic Traffic Surveillance

A. These systems are set up with a camera to take the picture of a driver, a radar to detect speeds of drivers, and a computer to log the date and time of the incident. The ticket is then sent in the mail

B. This is a consistent way to help alleviate the speeding on the roads. With people knowing that at all times they can and will get caught if they are speeding, it will reduce the speeding in no time.

C. I think that this is a great strategy and has been very effective in the past.

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

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