My Seventh Non-Oral Outline

The War Against Aggressive Driving

Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare, Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl, Published by Prometheus Books, 2000, p. 219-233.

By Robert Lee

I. Direct and Indirect Cost

a. Numerical Statistics

i. Fatalities (425,00 per decade)

ii. Injuries (35 million per decade)

iii. Dollars (250 billion per year)

b. Other Statistics

i. Long-term ill health

ii. Increased daily stress

iii. Fear and threat on streets and highways

iv. Learned negativity in public places leading to automotive vigilantism and widely deployed electronic surveillance systems

v. Reduced productivity when arriving at work mad and exhausted

vi. Learned cynicism leading to alienation

vii. Greater air pollution due to emotional use of the gas pedal

viii. Breeding the next generation of aggressive drivers

c. March 1999, ten worst cities for road rage deaths by number of fatalities

i. Riverside- CA= 13.4

ii. Tampa- FL= 9.5

iii. Phoenix- AZ= 9.2

iv. Orlando- FL= 8.1

v. Miami- FL= 8.1

vi. Las Vegas-NV= 8.1

vii. Ft. Lauderdale- FL= 7.8

viii. Kansas City- KS= 7.1

ix. Dallas- TX= 7.3

x. San Antonio- TX= 7.0

1. My guess on way these cities are so deadly is because there are so many tourists unfamiliar with the roads there. These are all tourist destination spots.

II. Federal Agencies Unite Against Aggressive Drivers

a. The Department of Transportation proposed the National Economic Crossroad Transportation Efficiency Act of 1997 (NEXTEA) that provides programs aimed at combating aggressive driving.

b. Here are some things that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Transportation of Research Board came up with to implement a plan to impact the aggressive driving problem:

i. Curbing aggressive driving

ii. Graduated licensing for young drivers

iii. Sustaining proficiency in older drivers

iv. Reducing impaired driving

v. Keeping drivers alert

vi. Increasing driver safety awareness

vii. Ensuring safer bicycle travel

viii. Improving motorcycle safety and awareness

ix. Making truck travel safer

c. NHTSA has issued an aggressive driver advisory telling what motorists should do if they’re confronted.

i. You can get these hints:

1. off the Web

2. newspapers

3. stories

4. insurance company pamphlets

5. health organization magazines

6. automobile club newsletters

7. public service announcements on radio and television

ii. This advice is intended to help people avoid confrontations and support law enforcement to reduce road rage.

III. Aggressive Police Initiatives

a. The police attempt to combine enforcement with public awareness.

b. Parking “decoys” (marked patrol cars)

c. Videotaping racing and other forms of aggressive driving and studying them.

d. Now the police are focusing and are able to focus on aggressive driving, because they have more knowledge and have found the statistics to be alarming.

Helpful Websites:

http://www.rmiia.org/Auto/Traffic_Safety/Aggressive_Driving.htm

http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/aggr-ndx.htm

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/cgi-bin/a.cgi/Y!ZVjlduEdiRW6r2jfFwDw

My Homepage:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2005/lee/home.htm