Report 2
My Report on Driving Psychology
By: Melissa Alcover
Instructions for this report are at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonpsy25/409a-g25-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7.
Dr. Leon James, Instructor
December 2006
The Question I am answering is Question 1
(a) Contrast our two textbooks: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and Nahl), and Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer (Peter Rothe, Editor). Name some ways they are similar, and some ways they are different. Would either text be suitable for high school students?
Answer:
These two text books are similar because they both address the topic of driving. Both books give the reader more insight in the world of people behind the wheel. The authors are informing individuals on the importance of being a safe and supportive driver. James, Nahl, and Rothe provide real-life examples and self-experiences on why becoming a better driver is more safe and needed. All three authors also provide different ways and thinking patterns that people should work towards to become a better driver. I think that both of these books are indeed suitable for high school students. I think that it would further their knowledge on driving and give them more things to think about before getting in a car. By reading these books you may become a better driver, improve your driving skills, and change your way of thinking.
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving covers information about the different ways people express road rage while driving. From this book I learned that there are many levels of road rage. It begins by having light aggressive feelings toward other drivers to having extremely violent thoughts than can progress into action toward others. By reading about these levels you can analyze yourself and put yourself into a category. This will help you in trying to change for the better therefore protecting yourself from violence. Depending on how far you would go to “get back” and seek revenge on other drivers, there are different suggestions at how to change your way of thinking when on the road.
James and Nahl created the idea of becoming a “supportive driver”. The main thing that you have to keep in mind is that aggressive drivers usually blame other drivers for their conduct. So, in order to become a supportive driver we need to become more understanding of others and start trying to rationalize their actions. For instance, Dr. James states that if someone cuts you off on the intersection do not instantly jump to the idea that he/she did it on purpose and are bad drivers. Instead, we should take a breath and think that they may have done because either they did not see you or they have some sort of emergency to tend to. I learned that it is important to not jump to conclusions and instead be more open-minded when it comes to acts on the road.
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving also addresses how venting is bad when it comes to aggression and should be avoided at all costs. By venting we start having a mini-trial in our own minds and we create a guilty/innocent verdict. Which in most cases, you will think you are in the “right” while the other person is in the “wrong”. This closes any possibility to understanding and results in impulsive decisions that we normally regret in the end. This book also talks about other theories that we either need to stop or work more on to become a better driver and overall person.
Driving Lessons gives more statistics and research results that show how important it is to change our driving habits in society. By reading this book, you will see how much of an impact our driving has in the world today. Rothe shows how we can prevent motor-vehicle collisions. He provides information showing how irresponsible drivers create harm and injuries to not only themselves but to everyone else on the road with them. Someone who does not pay attention to the road for a split second enhances the chance for error which may result in an accident.
Rothe like Nahl and James gives ways to become a better driver in society. By providing these statistics-younger drivers are at a higher chance to get into a traffic accident, the different behaviors of urban vs. rural drivers, etc. you will be able to see how you currently act and recognize the changes you need to make. No one wants to be involved in a fatality so by reading these research numbers it will occur to you the extent of how being a good driver can save lives and prevent vehicle accidents.
A lot of people do not believe the importance of issues so Rothe’s book has the research to back this problem. Driving Lessons shows the ways that the law system is trying to address the driving problems and analyzes their positive and negative outcomes. For instance, the use of red-light cameras on traffic lights as traffic surveillance in order to prevent traffic accidents. This book shows the reasons why we need to change our everyday habits while behind the wheel in order to have a better and safer future.
Both books are similar because they address the problems of today’s drivers and list the different possible ways to change them. The differences are Road Rage and Aggressive Driving is a bit more interesting of a read and even has little tests that you can take to learn more about yourself as a driver. While, Driving Lessons consists more on results of research projects and show facts of situations. But, both books are really informative and can only be a positive influence on you as a person. I think that high school students should definitely read these books during driver’s education classes or before they get their licenses.
(b) Discuss in what way these ideas can help solve society's driving problems. Be specific: describe the main problems (use some statistics) and how can particular ideas in these two books help solve those problems.
Answer:
“Anger is one of the most difficult human emotions to control”. (James and Nahl) This statement is extremely true so the ides that we need to become more emotionally intelligent and a supportive driver is indeed crucial in solving society’s driving problems. By become more emotionally intelligent we can learn to control our anger, make more logical decisions, and be a better thinker and decision maker. Not only will be feel have a more positive outlook at life, feel better about ourselves, but we will be helping others unintentionally.
If we work on our current behaviors we will be able to prevent ourselves from doing something rash that we will regret later. For example, getting into an argument with another driver and letting the situation escalate into a huge confrontation that turns violent. I observed a situation similar to this, there were two men who were arguing in a parking lot over a stolen stall and they started fist fighting. By accident one man was punched in the eye resulting in him losing his eyesight. Because of a simple misunderstanding one man lost his seeing sense and another is now plagued with guilt and had to go through a money lawsuit.
There are three levels of emotional intelligence that we need to work on. The first is oppositional driving, level two is defensive driving, and level three is supportive driving. Supportive driving works on having a positive bias. I am currently working on becoming a supportive driver after reading James and Nahl’s book and I think that I am doing a fairly good job. I can see the difference in myself and am less stressed when driving. I think that I have am real-life example of learning a new way to improve and than taking the steps to achieve.
Driving Lessons shows the problem of driving that society is facing and needs to be taken seriously. By reading this book, I became more aware on what drivers are doing wrong. I think the first step is recognizing the problem which Rothe does perfectly. Now it is up to us, as an individual and a group, to take steps in the right direction and change our driving patterns. It makes us re-think and I think just by reading this book it will help us solve society’s driving patterns.
(c) Describe the reactions of friends when you tell them about driving personality makeovers and its psychological and social context.
Answer:
I told my good friend Lisa about this class and the idea of becoming a supportive driver. I told her some of the statistics I remembered and the problems that we need to start creating solutions to. She fully agreed that drivers need to become more educated about road rage and how to control our emotional feelings. She admitted to fall under the category of drivers who express road rage and didn’t like the feelings that come upon getting angry. She decided to follow my advice and change her thinking patterns. She said that she noticed that I was now a calmer driver and was wondering what made me change. Lisa is now trying to be more understanding of other drivers and give them the benefit of the doubt when someone does a bad driving act towards her. She said that it has been a bit difficult but was really open to this idea and sees it as a good change. Lisa also took a few driving checklists and mini-quizzes in the Road Rage and Aggressive Driving book.
I
talked to my friend Kari about the theory of venting. She agreed that venting probably does enhance
negative feelings and results in a bad impulsive ending. Kari related it to the break-up of her and
her boyfriend. Because she always vented
to her friends, who usually only saw her side, she made every problem in their
relationship his fault and would not even take his feelings or thoughts into
considerations. After months of this
on-going relationship pattern, she ended up losing all control and breaking up
with him over a petty situation. The
next day she immediately regretted her action, but it was too late because he
decided that he was done with trying to always prove himself. So, after she shared this story with me we
both came to the conclusion that continuous venting is bad. It may be needed once in a while but we need
to be careful in abusing this outlet of feelings.
The Question I am answering is Question 2
(a) Search Google News section, for "road rage." Describe what you see. Is it a general phenomenon? How do you react?
Answer:
I found that road rage exists in all different parts of the world and is a
general phenomenon. Road rage exists in
the different countries of the world, in different states in the
I can not believe that people let these situations get so out of hand. Murder? Jail time? All of these things are so life changing and could have been prevented. I do not understand it and I feel that road rage is so not worth losing a life over. But, when you think about it, anger is so hard to control and one can be blinded by rage very easily. It may be all the adrenaline pumping through your veins, but one can lose sight to all rational thought.
Road rage incidents can result in shootings, stabbings, and beatings. Lives are being turned upside down. I think that we need to start thinking about what we are teaching new generations-our younger siblings, our children, their future children. I think that it is really important that we start changing the way we think and start working on controlling our aggression. After I read through a few news articles now I see more than ever why we need to start working on becoming more emotionally intelligent and become a more supportive driver.
(b) How do you explain what's going on -- using driving psychology theory. Connect what you found in the news with the problems and solutions you discuss in Question 1.
Answer:
I think that these problems are due to not being more understanding of other drivers and also, other everyday stressors building up. In Driving Lessons, I learned about workday stressors, road stressors, family stressors, etc. I think that as human beings we are put to the test everyday and have to deal with so many complications and bad situations that sometimes we are pushed to the limit.
I think that we need to realize this and be more understanding. For example, say someone is trying crazy on the road, cutting people off, swerving, and speeding. Some of us will automatically think that this person, simply, cannot drive, is drunk of on some sort of drug, is on the cell phone, or is in a rush. No matter what, either one of these conclusions will anger us and make us start thinking negative thoughts about the other driver. But, for all we know, she may have just broken up with her boyfriend or found out some sort of personal emergency. I think that we need to become more understanding for these reasons.
I think that we need to work on become more emotionally intelligent because we need to start learning how to better control our anger. If these people who were involved in serious cases of road rage were more emotionally intelligent I doubt the situations would have resulted in death or violence. If they have maybe taken this class, read these books, or have been more educated on road rage their lives may be different today. They may still have their life and family.
(c) Tell your friends about what you found. Describe their reaction.
Answer:
I told my friend Kelci about my finding on road rage after I did the search on google. She thought that it was really sad that these people let their anger get the best of them. Kelci agreed that death and violence was an unnecessary outcome. The results also made her think that we do need to start changing our driving ways. She usually gets mad when she drives and exhibits minor road rage from time to time. She said that she will start working on becoming a more relaxed driver and agreed to yell to herself in the car instead of rolling down the windows. Kelci said that she “most definitely does not want to die over a dumb thing like driving”. She said that she rather “die rich, in my sleep at an old age”.
My friend Leah, who is very emotional started crying when I started telling her how this one road rage confrontation resulted in an accident killing a 3 year old boy. Two cars were trying to one up the other on a highway and one of the cars accidentally loses control. That car crashes into the other car, slamming the little boy against a concrete wall and he dies instantly. The adult drivers were okay but now an innocent life was taken and they need to live with the consequences. I am sure that will forever feel guilty but they cannot take back what they did. Leah agreed that this may be an extreme case of road rage but this example shows how these situations can end.
Both Leah and Kelci agreed that road rage is an issue and needs to be stopped. No matter if it is a small, little situation involving a few insults or if it is a huge incident resulting in death, we need to start becoming more aware of this problem on the road. They think that becoming a supportive driver sounds like the best bet and thinks that more people need to be educated on this idea. They both think that this class should be expanded to other school and driving education classes. They both had no idea of these concepts and normally do not think of road rage so they learned new things from our conversation.
The Question I am answering is Question 3
(a) Select some student reports at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups Discuss your reactions to what they did – their ideas, their method, and their explanations. What did they gain from doing their reports? How do their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues?
Answer:
I went through some of the students reports and gained insight into their opinions. I realized that everyone feels differently on the same topics. Should one fight fire-with-fire? Do you consider yourself a competent driver? I really liked that these newsgroups had responses back from people. By getting feedback, I think you can get a better understanding what people think and what you need to work on to convince people in becoming a better driver. I realized that driving is a subject that creates controversy. I saw that the main thing is that everyone does not want to admit fault in any situation.
The students addressed speeding and the dangers it causes. Some people agreed that speeding is due to the driver and their decisions they make while behind the wheel. While other drivers think that all of this information is useless and is a waste of time to read about. There were many different opinions some were negative, some positive but most were all different. Everyone had something different to say to each students’ writing. There are so many different topics that each student addresses and I gained so much knowledge from reading each one.
I realized that there is a lot of work to be done and it will be an uphill battle to make some people realize the dangers of aggressive driving. I think that some people are so set in their ways and thinking that it will be a fight to have them agree to change their way of looking at things. It may even be impossible but I think that we need to start trying as soon as possible before it gets any worse. I think that this is why it is necessary for children, adolescents, and people before they get their license to start becoming educated on these topics. I think it will be easier in trying to make them understand and change. I think that the longer you wait, the harder it will be to make things improve.
(b) Now go to Google Groups search and type in "driving". See if you can corroborate the conclusions of the student reports which were done several years ago. Is this still going on the same way?
Answer:
After I typed this in the search it came back with quite a few results. Mostly it was driving maps and instructions to get to place to place. There were some that was about teenage driving and drunk driving. I think that the students’ reports were a lot more informative on the dangers of driving. I think that society today ignores current problems and chooses to turn a blind eye toward things that need changing. I think that we are currently still facing issues on speeding, people trying to seek revenge, everyone believing that they are the better driver, and vehicle incidents occurring because of this.
I just think that people believe that road rage is not a big problem and refuse to believe that they need to change and that this problem can affect them. I think that we need to start bringing up the problem of road rage more because the problem is starting to get pushed to the back-burner over time. Plus, instead of listing the solutions that we can work on to prevent road rage it just talks about the problem and who is involved. I think that we are just scratching the surface of driving issues and we need to start going deeper into the problems.
Road rage is being blamed on teenage drivers’ lack of experience, drunk driving, driving while on drugs, and simply by accidental factors. I think that we need to start talking about our lack of understanding toward other drivers and start working on our ability to control our anger. I think that only after taking this class and reading the books and talking with Dr. James did I ever consider changing my driver’s sense of thought. I think that I have made an incredible driving makeover change.
I suggest that Dr. James become more publicized and start showing his works
to more students not just at the
The Question I am answering is Question 6
(a) Search the Web and the
Answer:
Article: Cell Phones and Driving
Website: http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/cellphones/
From this article I learned that in the
Text messaging is a driving distraction mostly for teenagers. Studies have shown that motorists who use cell phones are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. This is the reason why many states are suggesting a cell phone ban while driving. Research also shows that a simple hands-free phone call will not change the fact that talking while driving creates a distraction.
Article: Should Using a Cell Phone While Driving Be Illegal
Website: http://speakout.com/activism/issue_briefs/1334b-1.html
Cellular phones are becoming reasonably prices and affordable to all types of people. Currently, many people of different cultures and backgrounds own cell phones and cars. Twenty-two states and hundreds of cities and towns are/have considered limiting the use of cell phone use to motorists. Dialing numbers, receiving calls and holding conversations while driving eats away at a driver’s concentration.
My Opinion:
I think that after opening and reading different articles most of them were similar and repeated the same information. Basically the use of a cell phone while driving is a major concentration distracter that can result in major traffic accidents. The two major dangers are taking your eyes off the road to dial the numbers and than after that to remain attentive to driving while being engaged in a conversation.
At the moment, many states are realizing the dangers of cell phone use and are taking action on preventing accident possibilities. The government and law officials have realized the problem, took the research findings into account, and are making a change.
(b) Use the theory in the Lecture Notes to explain what drivers need to learn about themselves in order to be able to handle the proper use of cell phones while driving. Is it better to train drivers to use cell phones properly or is it better to outlaw the use of any cell phones while driving? Discuss the solutions.
Answer:
I think that it is important for individuals to personally know their limitations and abilities when it comes to their concentration. Some people have the capability to talk on the phone, have a very important conversation, while not having the attention wander while driving. Whereas some people cannot do two things at once and totally lose their driving skills and start making errors behind the wheel. I think that everyone needs to access themselves and make their own decision.
For example, my mother cannot drive and talk on a cell phone at the same time. Especially if the call is important, she will lose all concentration. I’m talking about going through red lights, ignoring stop signs, and other similar mistakes. But, these things can result in a huge accident if she is not careful. Fortunately she is well aware of her inability to multi-task while driving and will not talk on the phone when she is driving. I think that it will usually have to be a dire emergency for her to talk on the phone. I think that other drivers need to do this as well and be responsible enough to know their limitations.
Although, one of my childhood friends is great at multi-tasking and can talk on phone, change radio stations, listen to music, talk to her passengers, and still drive good. But, she knows that she is a very good driver and would never put others in danger. She proves that everyone is different and you just need to be able to make a good judgment call. I think that you need to know what you are capable of and how you react to each situation.
Personally, I think that text messaging while driving for anyone is extremely distracting. I think that if anything this act needs to be illegal and banned. Text messaging calls for you to take your eyes off the road at some point. Even if you have your keys memorized you will look down and read the message before you send it to see if you wrote it right.
I think that even if we banned the use of cell phones while driving, a lot of people will break that law or try to cheat by using no hand devices. I think that the best bet would be to try to teach people the correct and safer way to use cell phones while driving. Plus, people need to learn to limit their conversations to talking about things that are not that important. I think that the more emotional the conversation content is more we will most likely be distracted from our driving.
The Question I am answering is Question 7
(a) Find a road rage newspaper story on the Web that gives enough detail
that you can reconstruct the interactions between the people involved. Now do a
scenario analysis of events. The Road Rage and Aggressive Driving book
gives some examples (see the Book Index under "Scenario analysis: There is
also an example in the Lecture Notes in the Section on Charts at Table 7 -- see
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/409a-g25-lecture-notes.htm#Charts
Answer:
News Article: Police: Man Killed in Possible Road-Rage Shooting
Website: http://www.click2houston.com/news/9361324/detail.html
1. An Expedition blocks a car from making a turn on a street.
A problem is erupting because a car does not want to cooperate.
2. The victim exits his car to confront the other driver.
He makes a fatal and unwise decision to have a confrontation.
3. Before he can yell and argue, he is shot three times.
Violence erupts and someone gets killed and hurt.
4. The victim whose shot ends up dying.
A road rage situation ends in a murder.
(b) Try to reconstruct the interactions by making a list or table of the steps, as illustrated in our textbook. Apply driving psychology principles to explain what's going on at each step and how it influences the outcome.
Answer:
First of all this road rage incident starts because the driver of the Expedition refuses to cooperate with the other driver and refuses to be a supportive driver. If the driver of the Expedition did not block the other drive, this situation would not have happened in the first place. This shows that both drivers will not let the situation go.
Secondly, the driver of car being blocked gets out of the car to confront the other driver. This shows that he does not know how to control his anger and does not have good emotional intelligence. If he took the time to think of his actions and did not do the impulsive thing to get of his car to confront the other driver, he may still be alive today. I think that he should have taken a second to breathe, realize its not worth it, and waited until the other driver just drove off. He should have known that the confrontation would not have been positive anyway and nothing would be accomplished or solved.
The third thing that happens is way extreme. The shooting was totally not necessary and probably was a shock to all parties involved. These people should have been educated on how to control road rage. Now the victim is dead because he felt he needed to confront the other driver and the other is now charged from murder and will be sent to prison.
I think that if these people were taught about emotional intelligence and how to become a more supportive driver than maybe this situation would not have taken place. But after reading this news article I am more aware of the dangers of road rage. Now I will take into consideration that some people are insane and will kill you over a dumb argument. I think that everyone would agree that a driving conflict is definitely not worth your life. In this situation you see so many mistakes that were made and all the different times you could have prevented the shooting. But unfortunately no one saw this through and had to result into a tragedy.
My Report on the Previous Generation
Report done by: Jenny Arakaki
Website: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakaki/report2.htm
Her report two was different from mine as soon as I opened it. For one she had a preface which my report does not include. Jenny starts talking about her first report and what she covered in that paper. I do not include any information on my report one in this paper. She also does a self-assessment on her feelings and beliefs of road rage. I did not include any of this and I kind of wish I did because I like to do tests on myself. I feel that I learn more about myself when I take quizzes. She also designed her own experiment on her driver self-modification attempt. I wish my report included this because it brings out your creative side and even makes you better in psychology.
Report done by: Mark Corpuz
Website: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/corpuz/report2.htm
Mark’s report two, like Jenny, also includes a preface. Now I am starting to wonder if I should include a preface also. But, I decide against it because my instructions does not mention it, resulting in my thinking Dr. James has modified the instructions. Mark’s report is very similar to Jenny’s and includes charts and graphs unlike mine. But, he does give advice to future generations that my report also includes. He talks about the three-fold self and it makes me realize how much I have learned from this class. Prior to this class I would not have understood what he was talking about and now I understand the importance of learning about road rage and working on solutions to become a better driver.
Report done by:
Website: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409as2004/arakawa-longboy/report1.htm
Advice to Future Generations
I have to say that this class really taught me a lot and I learned valuable information from this class. I really think that you should take this class and really pay attention to all of the information Dr. James talks about. I think that if you take this class seriously you will be able to better yourself. You will become more psychologically and emotionally more stable. There is work involved but I think that if you keep up with the readings, do all of the work on time, and turn in everything by the due date you should be okay.
I think that I have become a better driver over the period of this class. I will also take the information I have learned with me in my future and continue to become a supportive driver. I think that you will not only be getting an education but you will also share your experiences with you friends and family which will create a great pattern. I say, enter this class with an open-mind, and learn and better yourself over time.
Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm
My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2006/alcover/alcover-home.htm