Outline of my
third oral presentation
Road Rage Spectrum
This is a
presentation of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving
Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl, Published
by Prometheus Books, 2000 Pages 97-108
By Brandi McWade
Instructions for this oral presentation are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm
I. AUTOMOTIVE VIGILANTE
A)
· Someone who chooses other motorists at random or for a specific reason, to verbal, or even physically, abuse or to threaten with their vehicle.
· A vigilante motorist tends to deny his actions or make it sound like he was the victim when confronted by law officials.
· They often state retaliation as a way of rationalizing their aggressive behavior.
B)
· I was surprised to read that vigilante drivers choose their victims at random!
· I was also shocked to read that they claim that they are “just having fun.”
C)
· An example of an automotive vigilante is someone who refuses to use their turn signal because the person behind them made them mad.
· Another example is if someone feels that if they move out of the way for a tailgater, they are just condoning the behavior.
II. RUSHING MANIAC
A)
· A driver that avoids slower down or has constant anger towards someone who causes them to slow down.
· They feel the need to get to their destination is the least amount of time as possible.
· A rushing maniac becomes very irritable and anxious while driving especially in traffic.
B)
· I chose this concept because it is one of the most common driving obsession.
· This topic also jumped out at me because I realized I am a rushing maniac behind the wheel and I get very agitated and hostile when sitting in traffic.
· And with us all living in Hawaii, I’m sure we can all relate to the stress of constant traffic.
C)
· A good example is I am usually always running late, so I tend to get really annoyed with other drivers who seem to drive to slow or hold me up to make my drive seem so much longer. Or when I get mad because I feel like I hit every red light possible!
III. AGGRESSIVE COMPETITOR
A)
· Drivers that feel the need to always be in the lead and feel anxiety if they get passed.
· Aggressive competitors also tend to get embarrassed when they make a mistake on the road and worry about what other drivers think of them.
B)
· I chose this concept because it is one of the most dangerous forms of road rage.
· I was surprised to read that this behavior is often learned through cultures and upbringing.
C)
·
An good example of aggressive
competion is when I am trying to look for a spot to park my car on the ever so
crowded Dole St. The ratio of students
with cars to the amount of parallel parking spaces available is outrageous!
Every day after work, I spend 20 minutes driving up and down the road,
competing against all the other drivers who want the one spot when someone
pulls out! It is like a race! It is a very dangerous and stressful period of my
day!
Helpful Websites:
www.statefarm.com/consumer/
www.cartipsandmore.com/
