PSY 409a November 9, 2006

Lifelong Drivers Education

By Rhiannon Tokita

Instructions for this activity are found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Citation: Leon James and Diane Nahl (2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books). Reviewing pages 190-215.

I. Teenage Drivers

a. Fatal car crashes kill teenagers ages 15-20 more than any other cause

b. Most fatal accidents involved 16 year olds who crashed due to driver error

c. Teen drivers engage in risky driving behaviors

II. Graduated Licensing

a. Learner’s permit

i. Driver must have an adult driver present in the vehicle

ii. Driver must pass a drivers education course

iii. Driver must remain citation free

b. Provisional License

i. Drivers must take on-road testing

ii. Drivers must remain citation free

iii. Drivers are prohibited from late-night driving

c. Full License

i. Drivers can obtain a full license after successfully completing first two stages

ii. There is also a zero tolerance for alcohol

d. Results

i. New Zealand adopted the graduated licensing system.

1. Injury and fatality among young drivers decreased

ii. 20 states in America have adopted a graduated licensing program

III. Driver-Zed

a. Created because of the need for better training for teen drivers

b. An interactive CD-ROM teaches risk management

c. Statistics show significant improvements in risk management in teenage drivers

IV. Driving Psychology Curriculum

a. Lifelong Drivers Education

i. Creates a K-12 curriculum that turns informal negative training into positive ones

ii. Should be a driving psychology curriculum because their personality is involved

iii. Driving behavior involves 3 basic aspects of personality

1. affective- feelings and emotions

2. cognitive- thoughts and knowledge

3. sensorimotor- reactions and stress

iv. Affective instruction is seen as effective if done in the early years

v. Cognitive instruction is seen as effective if done in the middle years

vi. Sensorimotor instruction is seen as effective in the midteen years

V. Quality Driving Circles (QDCs)

a. Provides continuous training for licensed adults

b. QDC’s are groups of drivers who meet to help each other to follow a driving self-improvement program

c. QDC’s only exist in experimental groups of traffic psychology

d. Can be virtual or face-to-face

e. QDC’s promote the change from aggressive driving to supportive driving

VI. Roadrageous

a. This video teachers behavioral self-modification

b. Provides techniques to achieve better attitudes

c. Course strengthens the inner skills that drivers need to become driving literate

d. Teaches the three-step program which is a behavioral method for learning new driving skills