Psych 409a: November 12, 2006

Autocentric Transportation and Risky Variables

By:  Justin Koito

 

Instructions for this activity are found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral3.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

 

Peter Rothe, Editor (2002).  Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer.  (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press).  Chapter 8: Risky Vehicles, Risky Agents.  Pages 105-120

 

Autocentric Transportation and Risky Variables

 

I.                    Autocentric Transport System: automobile is leading transport system

A.     High dependence on auto for daily transport

B.     Requires organization of space

C.     Dominates mobility and social space

 

II.                 Hegemony of automobile in space

A.     Means of mobility dominate traffic space

B.     Creates attendant ecology of vulnerability

 

III.               Risky Vehicles: The Ecology of Vulnerability

A.     Autocentric transport is dominated by large/heavy vehicles

B.     Greater security is believed to lead to risky behavior

C.     Large/heavy vehicles make small/light vehicles vulnerable

 

IV.              Risky Agents: The Politics of Consciousness

A.     Everyday there are people that aren’t careful or alert

- This is due to personal issues at home/work

B.     When people get their drivers license, it represents a sense of freedom and independence

C.     When people lose their license, it represents the freedom and independence being taken away

D.     Problems that hinder driving are drinking, drugs, and mobile phones

- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ranks inattentive driving as 4th more common reasons of a fatal crash

E.      i.e. Truck drivers are dangerous due to their time constraints of cargo and the use of stimulants to keep awake while on the road

 

V.                 Heavier and Larger Vehicles

A.     Traffic-safety discourses defined

1)      Technological improvements and platforms: safety belts, air bags, and roads itself

2)      Transport and its accidents

 

Related Links

 

  1. Saving the Soul of Southern NH: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb065/is_200303/ai_hibm1G1105658426 -In this brief article, it discusses the autocentric transportation of New Hampshire.  What the CLF wants is a widening of the interstate.  If the interstate is widened, their autocentric growth would increase and be beneficial to their state

 

  1. High-Risk Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers and Differential Crash Risk: Future Directions: http://pubsindex.trb.org/document/view/default.asp?lbid=781316 – In this article, there is a call for more research on high-risk drivers.  The article seems to focus on studying the commercial motor vehicle drivers and how their long trips can induce risky driving.  For example, commercial drivers can become dangerous due to fatigue.  It was also mentioned to try an on board system to detect when a driver is falling asleep.

 

  1. Independence Behind the Wheel: http://www.homeschool.com/articles/driving/default.asp - When reading this article, it first describes how teens first start to learn how to drive and it gives them a sense of independence.  It later goes on to tell the readers that as the parents, the teen will mimic your driving style.  In the end there was a recommendation to help teach a teen how to drive and avoiding certain types of cars.

 

 

My Home page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2006/koito/koito-home.htm

Class Home Page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/classhome-g25.htm