Outline 4 of My Required Weekly Outlines

Outline 6 of My Required Weekly Outlines

Drivers education for the young and old

The Checklist to Becoming a Supportive Driver

By: Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl; Published by Prometheus Books, 2000,

pg. 178-189

By: Kyle Takeshima

Instructions for this oral presentation are found at:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy22/g22-oral.htm

I. Practicing kindness toward other drivers

A. Doing nice things for other drivers on the road can help in reducing road rage and creating a more positive environment for everyone.

a. When you let a car go in front of you and you see them wave and smile, it makes both of you feel good and creates positive feelings.

b. It may make the other person want to do something kind for another driver after that.

B. Example

a. I was on the freeway and the traffic was pretty bad. There was a car in the lane next to me with its blinker on, but no one wanted to let him into our lane. I slowed down and let him in front of me. He seemed very grateful and it made me feel good.

C. Opinion

a. I strongly believe that if we all did random acts of kindness for other drivers on the road, it would benefit everyone and reduce the amount of angry drivers. Just like aggression on the road can be contagious, so can kindness.

II. Anger toward passengers

A. Often times the driver can be rude and disrespectful to not only other drivers on the road, but also the passengers in their own car.

a. They can ignore the passenger’s requests in order to “do things their way” and get where they need to go as fast as possible.

b. The driver does not want to be told what to do by any passenger.

B. Example

a. I was rushing to dinner at a nice restaurant with my brother in the car. We were already late, but he was whining about stopping at 7-11 for something first. I was impatient and I didn’t want to be bothered by what he wanted. I just wanted to ignore his request and get to dinner on time.

C. Opinion

a. I think that it can be a problem when the driver shows anger and disregard for his/her passengers, especially when the driver is only thinking of his/her own needs.

b. But, I also think that the passenger can also be angry and rude to the driver as well, trying to influence the driver into doing something illegal or wrong. It goes both ways.

III. Denial that we are bad drivers

A. Most of us don’t really think about the way we drive and we don’t think there is anything wrong with our driving behavior.

a. We often think that it is the other driver that has to change; they are wrong.

b. We do not realize our aggressiveness nearly as much as we notice another driver’s aggressiveness.

B. Example

a. If I cut someone off because I am impatient, I don’t really think about it much at all, but if someone cuts me off, I get very angry at the driver’s aggression instantly.

C. Opinion

a. I think that it is much easier for people to blame others for their bad judgment than for us to point the finger at ourselves for the same thing.

b. To begin changing our driving behavior, we have to put ourselves in the other driver’s shoes and imagine how we would feel if we were experiencing our decisions from the other side. It would help us to realize when we are aggressive and try to change our behavior.

My Home Page:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2005/takeshima/homepage.htm