Driving Psychology (Psy409a); November 4, 2006

 

The Statistics of Aggressive Driving

And

What We Can Do to Put a STOP to Aggressive Driving

 

By: Kasey Vanderhoof

 

Instructions for this activity are found at:

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 219 to 235.

 

The War Against Aggressive Driving

 

  • This year at least 40,000 people will lose their lives on highways and more than 3 million will go to the hospital with injuries and economic losses will reach over $200 billion.

 

  1. Direct and Indirect Cost
    1. Fatalities = 425,000 per decade
    2. Injures = 35 million per decade
    3. Dollars = 250 billion per year
    4. Long-term ill health
    5. Increased daily stress (hassles and concerns)
    6. Fear and threat on streets and highways
    7. Learned negativity in public places leading to automotive vigilantism and widely deployed electronic surveillance systems
    8. Reduced productivity when arriving at work mad and exhausted
    9. Learned cynicism (aggressive driving norms and disrespect for regulations) leading to alienation
    10. Greater air pollution due to emotional use of the gas pedal (getting fewer miles per gallon)
    11. Breeding the next generation of aggressive drivers

 

  1. Congressional Hearing
    1. In 1997, Ricardo Martinez, M.D., then Administer of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) testified in congressional hearings on aggressive driving and reported that

                                                              i.      After years of steady decline, the total number of highway deaths increased slightly in each of the last four years

                                                            ii.      In 1996, 41,907 people died and over 3 million more were injured in police-reported crashes

                                                          iii.      These collisions due to aggressive driving cost the nation $150 billion each year

                                                          iv.      About one-third of these crashes and about two-thirds of the resulting fatalities can be attributed to behavior associated with aggressive driving

    1. Two-thirds formula

                                                              i.      Used to figure out fatalities due to aggressive driving

1.      For example

a.      In 1996 about 42,000 highway fatalities were recorded and two-thirds of that – 28,000 deaths – were attributed to aggressive driving in that year

b.      One-third of three million, which is one million, injuries were due to aggressive driving that year as well

                                                                                                                                      i.      This pattern continued throughout the late 1990’s

1.      the nations media has now declared that aggressive driving has replaced drunk driving as our worst highway problem

    1. There is a new definition for aggressive driving

                                                              i.      This new definition introduces two revolutionary ideas about driving and law enforcement

1.      Many common driving behaviors are now defined as crimes – misdemeanor or felony

2.      Offenses can be defined by a driver’s mental state

a.      Has not been debated in public

    1. It has become clear that almost every driver is confronted with feelings of rage and thoughts of retaliation
    2. Health experts have responded to road rage by viewing it as a psychological disorder that can be treated with anger and stress management therapy

                                                              i.      But, aggressive driving and road rage is a cultural norm and not a psychological disorder

1.      This has been shown after years of listening to hundreds of drivers speaking their minds into a tape recorder while driving

 

  1. Federal Agencies Unite Against Aggressive Drivers
    1. A follow-up initiative to the hearings on aggressive driving

                                                              i.      The Department of Transportation proposed the National Economic Crossroads Transportation Efficiency Act of 1997 (NEXTEA)

1.      provides for the development of comprehensive state and community programs aimed at combating aggressive driving

                                                            ii.      State and community highway safety grant program

1.      known as the “Section 42” program of the U.S. Code

2.      This act would reward states that have integrated safety plans by giving them new funds for transportation infrastructure and safety, including law enforcement initiatives, public awareness education, and the deployment of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

    1. The federal government maintains a technology clearinghouse for law enforcement programs to promote the effective management of aggressive drivers
    2. What should you do if you are confronted by an aggressive driver

                                                              i.      Make every attempt to get out of their way

                                                            ii.      Put your pride in the backseat and do not challenge them by speeding up or attempting to hold your own in your travel lane

                                                          iii.      Wear your seatbelt.  It will hold you in your seat and behind the wheel in case you need to make an abrupt driving maneuver and it will protect you in a crash

                                                          iv.      Avoid eye contact

                                                            v.      Ignore gestures and refuse to return them

                                                          vi.      Report aggressive drivers to the appropriate authorities by providing a vehicle description, license number, location, and if possible, direction of travel

                                                        vii.      If you have a cell phone and can do it safely, call the police

                                                      viii.      If an aggressive driver is involved in a crash farther down the road, stop a safe distance from the crash scene, wait for the police to arrive, and report the driving behavior that you witnessed

1.      This advice is intended to help people avoid confrontations with aggressive drivers and to support law enforcement efforts to reduce road rage incidents

 

  1. Aggressive Police Initiatives
    1. Safety legislation in vehicle and highway design has played a crucial role in reducing the number and severity of highway injuries
    2. Legislation covering driver behavior has also had significant results in increasing seat belt usage and imposing stiffer penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol
    3. Dozens of police initiatives are described on police department web pages

                                                              i.      Many attempt to combine enforcement with public awareness by enlisting public participation in identifying and reporting aggressive drivers

    1. Communities has responded to aggressive drivers by initiating aggressive enforcement programs in an attempt to reduce illegal driving behavior and protect the community in many states
    2. A Roadwatch Program began in Caledon, Ontario, in 1993 and combines citizen observations with law enforcement

                                                              i.      Citizen Report Forms

1.      Allows people to turn in drivers who are speeding, following to closely, failing to yield, improper lane changes, and disobeying traffic signs and signals

2.      Have spaces to indicate the drivers license plate number and the reporters’ name, address, and telephone number

a.      The reporters information is kept confidential

b.      The owner of the car receives a letter from the police detailing the aggressive driving complaint

                                                                                                                                      i.      Subsequent offenses are followed by a police visit or enforcement action

    1. In 1998, there was the introduction of the nation’s first tough-minded laws to fight “drivers who exhibit dangerous ‘road rage’ tactics”

                                                              i.      Too many collisions are not accidents according to officials

    1. The time has finally come to put an end to “mayhem on wheels” in New York

                                                              i.      For cutting someone off or speeding up to “harass, annoy, or alarm a person,” a motorist now faces a Class A misdemeanor

1.      Maximum penalty is one year in jail and license suspension

                                                            ii.      If an object is brandished as a weapon or dangerous instrument, either to injure or threaten to injure, a person faces a Class E felony

1.      Maximum penalty of four years in prison and license revocation

                                                          iii.      A driver who intentionally strikes a person or vehicle will be charged with a Class D felony

1.      Maximum penalty of seven years in prison and license revocation

                                                          iv.      In addition, penalties for repeat offenses at a less severe level are jacked up

                                                            v.      New York law also mandates aggressive driving education as a prerequisite to obtaining a driver’s license, and authorizes judges to require offenders to attend driver education programs

 

  1. Aggressive Driving Bills
    1. The federal initiative quickly paid off

                                                              i.      According to a 1998 report by the National Conference of State Legislatures, several aggressive driving bills have been approved and several more are being introduced

    1. Until the issue of what is observable about drivers is resolved, new aggressive driving laws may have to alter some language in the face of legal challenges

                                                              i.      Law enforcement officers must be able to identify the aggressive driver’s specific behavior, such as

1.      Speeding

2.      Following too closely

3.      Unsafe lane changes

4.      Driving while intoxicated

5.      Reckless, careless, or inattentive driving

6.      Disregard of traffic signs and signals

7.      Improper passing

8.      Driving while suspended

                                                            ii.      It is a tricky thing to distinguish between aggressive and non-aggressive acts

1.      Just because someone was speeding does not mean they were driving aggressively

2.      To avoid potential police abuse as well as problems in court, various mechanical schemes will arise to define specific behaviors that are not subject to interpretation by police officers

    1. New aggressive driving legislation has progressed faster than our ability to provide law enforcement with a behavioral technology that can objectively detect aggressive intentions in the majority of cases

                                                              i.      For example, there is the radar gun which is used to catch people speeding but we do not have something that we can use to access a drivers aggressiveness

 

  1. Traffic Enforcement Education
    1. Different states are doing different things to help curb aggressive driving

                                                              i.      In the Greater Toronto Area drivers that are pulled over must fill out “a questionnaire designed to help motorists see whether their anger is under control or if they’re headed for a road rage situation”

                                                            ii.      California has mounted a campaign using billboards and public service announcements to remind motorists of the importance of following the rules of the road

                                                          iii.      San Antonia is handing out TEE cards

1.      TEE cards represent the essential partnership that must exist between law enforcement and traffic education in a new dual role for officers on the road

    1. Public awareness of programs implemented is essential for two reasons

                                                              i.      To send a message that aggressive drivers will not be tolerated

                                                            ii.      To promote community support

    1. Some highway law enforcement practices rely on stealth to surprise and catch offenders, but the new approach promoted by the government switches from stealth to awareness and readiness to comply
    2. Now patrol officers are expected to deliver a driver’s education mini-lesson along with a warning or citation
    3. The war against aggressive driving is intensifying, but it can hardly succeed by relying exclusively on the deterrence effects of surveillance and punishment

                                                              i.      A full answer to the aggressive driving problem requires that we rethink driver education and training by including traffic emotions education and making it a lifelong process

 

Links:

 

  1. Honolulu Police Department
    1. http://www.honolulupd.org/community/traffic/index.html
    2. This website give a short review of the possible fines one can receive for driving drunk, recklessly, or speeding under the subheading of speeding which is the page that this link brings you to.  You may also see other pages by clicking on the links provided to you on the left of the page.  These links will talk about pedestrian safety, bicycle safety, tips for safe driving, moped laws, teen drivers, seatbelts, motorized devices as well as some facts.

 

  1. Should We Worry
    1. http://speakout.com/activism/issue_briefs/1262b-1.html
    2. This website discusses the idea of whether or not we should worry about road rage.  It gives you some statistics about fatalities, injuries, and money costs due to road rage and aggressive driving.  It gives you the two sides of the story – road rage is for real and road rage is a myth.

 

  1. Aggressive Driving Bills
    1. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Symposium/introduction.html
    2. This website discusses the enforcement programs that are being used to curb aggressive driving and the laws that go along with these programs.  It talks about what aggressive driving is and why it is a problem.  It also discusses the different actions that people can take to make driving safer and more enjoyable and you can look at this by clicking on day 2, which is located at the right side of the page.

 

 

My homepage: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2006/vanderhoof/vanderhoof-home.htm

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