Report 2
My Understanding of Driving Psychology
By: Melanie Baldueza
Instructions for this report are at:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-report2.htm
I am answering Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The Question I am answering is Question 1
(a) Give a brief review of our two textbooks: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and Nahl), and Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer (Peter Rothe, Editor). The reviews should be between 3 and 6 paragraphs for each text.
(b) Select Chapter 8 on Supportive Driving (by James and Nahl) in the Road Rage book and Chapter 14 on Driving Skills (by Lawrance Lonero) in the Driving Lessons book. Summarize their content. Be sure to refer to the author's name(s).
(c) Discuss in what way these ideas can help solve society's driving problems. Be specific: what are the main problems and how can particular ideas in these chapters help solve those problems.
(d) Describe any resistance you experience regarding this orientation, including
(i) the idea that how you drive is a moral issue of human
rights
(ii) the idea of lifelong driver education and the idea of mandatory
participation in QDC support groups (e)
Describe the reactions of friends when you tell them about driving personality
makeovers
a) Review of our two text books: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving (James and Nahl), and Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer (Peter Rothe, Editor)
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving written by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl is a book that is very informative to drivers. It introduced concepts that a driver needs to know to better understand how to view their performance behind the wheel. It also helps the driver understand what he or she is feeling or thinking while driving. The checklists at the end of the chapters are very helpful. It helps the driver explore their actions and emotions while driving. With new concepts and a better understanding of our driving tendencies, these will improve our driving skills.
Upon reading all of the new concepts in the book for the first time, it was confusing. Then as read further alone, it makes more sense. As the concept makes more sense to us as a driver, we tend to apply it slowly to our regular driving patterns. It is applied slowly because when we think of our driving skills we think that we are the best out there on the road. But after reading this book, it pus everyone’s driving skills in perspective. To be a good driver it takes more than you think. It requires a life long driver’s education which the book describes.
The checklists at the end of the chapters, allows the drivers to think about different scenarios they might be involved in everyday. It also gives insight about what the driver is really feeling and thinking about when they are introduced to that certain situation. When the driver understands that, they will be more aware of themselves while they are driving. When this happens, the driver will attempt to be a better driver because they understand where and when their emotions will come out. Dr. James and Dr. Nahl’s book allows the driver to be more aware of the cognitive, affective, and sensorimotor selves. It also points out that it deals with more than pressing on the gas and the brake pedals.
Driving Lessons: Exploring Systems That Make Traffic Safer edited by Peter Rothe was also very informative. It contained a lot of information that contained a lot of information that came from different perspectives. This book explored the different aspects of driving by looking at different countries, studies, and occupations that dealt with driving. It was very interesting to read about different aspects you don’t really think about when you here the word, driving. Some examples would be driving as a form of communication and the costs of traffic safety. But these are only two subjects that the book goes into. There are more interesting chapters that opens our eyes that driving is a privilege to have not a right.
This book opens our eyes as drivers, that there are a lot of different aspects that effect driving. There are outside influences that effect what we do and how we feel about the action of driving. Each of these effects might have a positive or negative consequence attached to driving itself. It all depends on how these consequences impact our life. As a driver, you just think about the other drivers on the road. The most important things is that you are at a certain place at a certain time.
This book also looks at the relationship between truckers and dispatchers and the economic influence that driving has on a driver. It also talks about how to deal with stress and aggression while driving. This book deals with a broad range of subjects which are all beneficial to a driver. It makes the driver realize that driving is not only a mean of transportation, but it is also a mean to make money. But there are also negative aspects of driving such as accidents, traffic fatalities, and tickets. Everything in life has negative and positive aspects. Driving is one of those things that we must deal with.
b) Select Chapter 8 on Supportive Driving (by James and Nahl) in the Road Rage book and Chapter 14 on Driving Skills (by Lawrence Lonero) in the Driving Lessons book. Summarize their content. Be sure to refer to the author’s name(s).
Supportive driving is a chapter from Road Rage and Aggressive Driving written by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl. This chapter focuses on the attitude the driver is feeling while on the road. Stereotypically, drivers usually blame and criticize others from what is happening on the roads. They do not place blame on themselves because they see themselves as the best driver in the world. According to Dr. James and Dr. Nahl supportive driving is an accommodating style that emphasizes adjusting to the great diversity of highway users and steering clear of the emotional entrapments of road rage thinking. Supportive driving is a style of driving that Dr. James and Dr. Nahl wants all drivers to practice everyday. But it takes a life long commitment from the driver to develop this type of driving. The first step is to think of others and not of oneself.
The term “attitude of latitude” was introduced by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl in this chapter. This is a mentality that drivers must remember while on the road. When something happens on the road, the driver automatically blames someone else on the road and assumes no responsibility. But “attitude of latitude” teaches us to make smarter choices, begin to accept other driver’s and their skills, and to have a mutual support while on the roads. With a new type of philosophy, this creates a new way of thinking which results in new types of actions. When we have more latitude on the road, that means the driver is willing to tolerate more and they feel less pressured. With attitude of latitude this can reduce stress, help contain road rage, boost the immune system, foster community spirit, protect us from emotional or physical injury, and protects us from financial liability.
Chapter 14 in Driving Lessons focused on drivers’ skills. Lawrence Lonero the author of this chapter, believes that there are underlying aspects that contribute to a driver’s skill on the roads. According to Lonero, a skill is a learned ability to perform some task effectively and efficiently. Driving skills also involve mental activity that is needed to be aware of what is happening in a specific situation and to control a car under any type of circumstance. He also believes that there are different levels of driving skills that drivers have. The more experience the driver has the more skill the have on the road. Driving skills develop at different times, so one individual cannot progress at the same level.
There were studied done to see what happened with inexperienced drivers and experienced drivers on the road. From a study Rothe (1986) looked at young, inexperienced drivers’ and their skills. He found that they did not stay in their lane, they also were speeding, driving on the wrong side of the road, inattentive on the road, and the failed to obey traffic signs. On the other hand, experienced drivers have important skill advantages. While on the road, they had better control and were able to pay attention what was going on around them, and they can survey what is going on in their environment.
With skills, there are also some other aspects that contribute to make them better. Driving knowledge is one that includes rules and principles. Knowledge is gained by receiving experience and instructions while driving. Attention is our alertness and mental acuity that we have while on the road. Detection is noticing things that are happening around us. Perception is recognizing and processing of data from our senses. These are only some of the aspects that influence our skill as a driver.
c) Discuss in what why these ideas can help solve society’s driving problems. Be specific: what are the main problems and how can particular ideas in these chapters help solve those problems.
One of society’s driving problems is our driving mentality. One the road we see drivers tailgating cars, speeding, changing lanes without signaling, and other actions that make other drivers uncomfortable on the road. Most of the drivers on the road believe that they are the best and don’t blame themselves, instead they try to blame others for what has happened. The concept of supportive driving that Dr. James and Dr. Nahl introduced is one that can help in this problem in our society today. We must remember that the driver’s main goal is to maintain control of their car at all and to get to their destination safely and in a timely manner. Another concept we must remember is “attitude of latitude” which implies that the driver must try to tolerate the others on the roads. This is hard to do at first, but we must do it to become a better supportive driver.
On the road, there is a diverse population of drivers at different skill levels. There are inexperienced and experienced drivers on the road at the same time. With this, there are accidents bound to happen. This is what Lonero was talking about in his chapter. Drivers’ skills are influenced by different aspects that make us better at driving. By understanding these different aspects we can develop our skills by paying more attention while one the road, and gaining more knowledge about what is around us.
d) Describe any resistance you experience regarding this orientation, including
i) the idea that how you drive is a moral issue of human rights
ii) the idea of lifelong driver education and the idea of mandatory participation in QDC support groups
Driving is a complex action that deals with the threefold self. The threefold self includes our affective, cognitive, and affective selves. We must remember what we are feeling, thinking, and what our actions are. When we drive we do not involve just ourselves, but we involve everyone that is around us on the road. When we drive we affect everything around us. So we must remember the golden rule, “do unto others, as you want them to do under you.”
When we drive, it is a moral issue of human rights. All of us have a right to do pretty much anything that we want. But we cannot force other people to do anything they don’t want to do. An example is tailgating another person. When someone tailgates you on the road, you feel uncomfortable and feel they are trying to violate your human right to go at the speed you are currently going. It is as if the other driver is saying you are going too slow and speed up. In that instance you have violated his human right on the road.
The idea of lifelong driver education is a good idea, but it is very difficult to implement. As suggested we should start driver education when we are young, as children we are in the car with our parents learning from them how to act while driving. This is a problem because the parents are not fully aware that they are influencing their children’s behavior towards driving until it is too late. We start driver education in our teenage years. At this age, we are exposed to the media, television, movies, and news reports that show us accidents and “driving”. We must sit down and talk to the children about appropriate and inappropriate behaviors behind the wheel.
Driver education should not stop when you get your license, it should continue as long as we are driving a car. Every year there is a new technology that they add to a car. Not everyone is familiar or informed about what it does for the driver and how it would affect their driving skills and others on the road. That is why we must not stop learning. It takes experience to become a skilled driver. But everyone is different when they develop their personal skills. That is why driver education is a lifelong education.
Participation in QDC support groups is helpful to every driver. But to make it mandatory, that will be a problem, because a lot of people have different commitments that come before this. QDC or Quality Driving Circles, is very informative about what is happening on the road. It helps drivers control their emotions behind the wheel. When we are control of emotions while driving, then we know that there will be nothing that will distract us while on the road.
e) Describe the reactions of friends when you tell them about driving personality makeovers.
When I told my friend about a driving personality makeover, she said she was an excellent driver. She believed that she was a skilled driver behind the wheel and she didn’t need to change anything about it. But when I went into more detail, she said it was still a little crazy, because she suggested to give it to the other people on the road. But after a while, she finally agreed that it did make a little sense. But, she would not participate in it because she was already set in her ways. So I just suggested to do the AWM Approach in Driver Self-Modification.
The first thing she had to do was to acknowledge that she has a negative habit. The second step was to witness doing that negative habit. The last was to change that habit. When she did this, she noticed that she would speed up when someone wanted to get into her lane. After seeing this, the next time when a car signaled to get into her lane, instead of speeding up, she let the car go. This is just one step in becoming a supportive driver. It takes a commitment to a drive to change your ways.
The Question I am answering is Question 2:
a) Discuss these three Web sites: drivers.com vs. drdriving.org vs. a third one you select that you find related to these two. What are their main differences? Be sure to consider at least the following areas listed below. In your answer, keep the sub-division as indicated below. Be sure to answer each one. In order to write a good answer you will need to consult some articles as to how to evaluate a Web site. Goggle the words evaluating Web sites or pages and learn how to do it. Give a link to the article if you find one that's helpful.
(1) content of articles
(2) content and tone of newsletters, when present
(3i) style of the site
(4) probable audience
(5) public relations or policy, etc.
(6) advertising (if any)
(7) size
(8) ranking (see Google or Alexa)
(9) Other sites that link to each
(10) ...
http://drivers.com/ vs.http://drdriving.org/ vs. http://www.teendriving.com/
The drivers.com website focuses on two types of drivers, computer and auto. When looking at this at first glance, it was a little confusing seeing computer related items and car related items. This website offers up-to-date driving related articles to inform drivers what is new on the roads from technology to behaviors. It also offers help to find a job related to driving.
The drdriving.org website focuses on road rage and the drivers’ behavior on the road. It is very informative with a lot of articles and surveys to help drivers understand their tendencies on the roads. It is a compilation of articles that are written by driving psychologists that have a knowledge that will help us to become better drivers. It also suggests to read other books about the various topics that are located on this website.
The teendriving.com website is a website that is useful for new drivers. It gives a lot of tips and advice to novice drivers. This website is also for parents, teens, and all drivers. The main purpose of this website is to help those inexperienced drivers on the road. The more knowledge they know about being on the road, the more experience they will gain. With more experience, their skills will become better and they will be more confident on the road.
1) Content of articles
Drivers.com: The articles found in this website are very up-to-date. The most recent article that is posted on this website is April 18, 2006. There are articles for behavior, technology, driving, safety, new drivers, old driver, professional drivers, and many more. When you click on any of these articles, it leads to another window, which has sub-categories and related websites that you can click on to find out more information on the topic you chose. The articles are very informative for the everyday driver. It keeps them up-to-date with the latest news about our roads, technology, and other related driving topics.
Drdriving.org: The articles that are found on this website are very educational. They are written by driving psychologist and researchers who are very familiar with peoples’ behavior and tendencies. Located on this website are articles dealing with road rage, behavior tendencies on the road, and surveys. This website also offers advice and driving tips that are helpful. Drdriving.org also offers advice to drivers whom ask for help, which is helpful to everyone.
Teendriving.com: The articles that are found on this website are very helpful. They offer tips and advice for new drivers, especially teen drivers. It offers advice on parallel parking, how to buy auto insurance, buying a used car, and many more. The articles on this website help new drivers understand what is happening on the road. It takes the element of surprise out from going on the road. It also introduces some studies that studied younger drivers. This website also helps parents to advice to their children.
2) Content and tone of newsletters, when present
Both drivers.com and teendrivers.com offer newsletters that send new information and tips to those who subscribe. To view their newsletters you have to subscribe to their website. Both websites tell you a little bit about what they would set out, but it does not describe the tone of the newsletter itself. Drdrving.org does not offer that feature.
3) Style of Website
Driving.com: This website was very simplistic. The page was divided into two, one side was for computer drivers and the other side was dedicated to auto drivers. But to the far right of the page were ads by google, which were related to driving. The ads that were on the page were trying to recruit truck drivers. Once you are on this page, it introduces you to the latest articles that are related to driving. When you click on it, it takes you to the article and another page with more information. It is very easy to navigate through this website.
Drdriving.org: This website has a lot of information on it. It is nice that all the topics were broken down into different categories. When you click on a specific category it gives a lot of information pertaining to that subject. On this page, there are no ads anywhere on it, which was nice because there is no added distraction on the page. At first glance, the page is very intimidating because of all of the words on the page, but as you read along it is very informative and useful. It also gives a lot of links that is also helpful to learn more about driving, road rage, and behavior.
Teendriving.com: This website had an introduction about how the website was started and the purpose of the website. It had all of the articles, tips, and advice to the left-hand side of the page and it had ads by google on the right-hand side of the page. In the middle of the page it had tips of the month, an interview with a racecar driver, and other ads that pertained to driving, such as driver’s education. This website was very simple and easy to navigate through. It was interesting to go explore this website because it caught my attention with the interview with a racecar driver.
4) Probable audience:
Driving.com: The probable audience for this website would be experienced drivers, driving psychologists, road safety officials, and consumers. This website has the latest articles that deal with driving. It contains studies, articles about new technology, and other articles that deal with different topics in driving today.
Drdriving.org: The probable audience for this website would be everyone that is in the car. The website talks about drivers, passengers, and other people that are in other cars on the road. From children, to teens, to adults, and to the elderly, everyone has something to learn from this website. The articles and topics that are discussed on this website can be related to everyone. It depends on the perspective you are coming from.
Teendriving.com: This probable audience for this website is for teens, new drivers, and parents. This is a website that gives advice and tips to new drivers on how to drive. From parallel parking, driving to school, driving in bad weather, and other topics they address it here. This is a website helpful to help clarify what happens on the roads and what to look out for.
5) Public relations or policy, etc.
Drivers.com: At the bottom of the page it has links to public relations, policies, and other links that gives us more information about who is charge of the site. The about us link gives us a description about what they specialize in. It also tells us who the website is geared towards. Drivers.com is used by traffic safety professionals and the general public. It also gives a brief history on what the website offers. They also have a copyright tab located on the bottom. This tab is there to copyright all the information they on the website and if anyone wants to use it they must contact the company for permission.
There is also a disclaimer tab on the bottom of the page. This is there to ensure that what they have put on their website came from reliable sources. There website is not responsible for any damages of any kind. The last tab on the bottom is a privacy statement. The information that is exchanged through this website is confidential. If you give your information to them, they will not share it with anyone else. They also have a contact page with all of their information where you could reach them.
Drdriving.org: For this website it gives you an about tab which introduces Dr. James and Dr. Nahl and what their goal was for this website. It also talks about their background in psychology. It gives us a lot of insight on where they are coming from and their knowledge about driving itself. It also has a contact tab which you can contact Dr. James and Dr. Nahl by telephone at a certain time. If you cannot contact them by phone, you can also e-mail them with your questions, concerns, or stories about your experience on the road.
Teendriving.com: On this website they have a disclaimer and a private policy tab, but when I clicked on it, it did not work. So those tabs did not help me understand their policy about their website. They also had a reprint tab which asks if you are using their material to ask for permission by e-mailing teendriving.com. They also have an about us tab that tells us how this website got started. This website was the idea of a 15 year-old teenager because there was no website that was geared towards teens. With the help of his mom, they were able to get this website up and running. Now this website is used by teens, teachers, and parents to help out new drivers on the road.
Advertising (if any)
Drivers.com: This website had ads from google.com on the right-hand side of their webpage. The ads were geared towards trying to recruit truck drivers and those who want to make driving their mean of income.
Drdriving.org: This website did not have any ads located on the page.
Teendriving.com: This website also had ads from google.com on the right-hand side of their page. But these ads were geared towards teen drivers. It was advertising driver’s education and other driving related education. At the bottom of the webpage there were also some advertisements that dealt with car insurance. The car insurance ads were trying to find you the lowest quote possible. Another ad that was located on the bottom was dealing with college. It had an ad that would help you find money for college and there was also an ad for University of Phoenix.
Size:
Drivers.com: The size of the webpage is kind of small. They website has 13 topics that you can chose from. From those topics it also gives you other links that pertains to that topic that you chose. Also, they also had a couple of ads that were sponsored by google.com that were trying to recruit truck drivers, and those who want to make driving their livelihood.
Drdriving.org: The size of this webpage is kind of large. It has a lot of information to choose from. It is very thorough on the subject of aggressive driving, driving behavior, and other topics relating to driving itself. It also has a lot of links that helps you better understand the concept they are talking about. There are a number of different articles and surveys on the website. Drdriving.org gives us, drivers, a lot of information to help us better understand ourselves not only as a driver, but as a person.
Teendriving.com: The size of this website is kind of small. It has 18 topics on the left-hand side of the webpage. Each of these topics gives us, drivers, tips and advice on driving on the road. It also teaches the teen drivers and new drivers what to look out for while driving on the road. What they learn here on the website they can immediately put it to practice on the road. With more experience they can become more skilled drivers. But to be a skilled driver, it takes patience.
Ranking (see Google or Alexa)
Drivers.com: Traffic rank – 128,478
Drdriving.org: Traffic rank – 408,909
Teendriving.com: Traffic rank – 845,768
Other sites that link to each:
Drivers.com:
Department of Motor Vehicles Guide: http://www.dmv.org/
Perils for Pedestrians: http://www.pedestrians.org
Drdriving.org:
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Web-Based Encyclopedia: http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Survey of States Speeding Laws: http://www.statehighwaysafety.org/html/publications/pdf/surveystates2005/speeding_intro.pdf
Teendriving.com:
Articles, research, and information about teen driving: http://www.teendrivinginfo.com/
National Highway Traffic Safety and Administration: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/
Link to help you evaluate a webpage: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html
This website gives you a set of 5 criteria to evaluate the website you are viewing. It breaks it down into five simple step to see if the website you are viewing is creditable.
The Question I am answering is Question 3
(a) Select three student reports at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups Be sure you put a link to the report you are quoting from. Summarize what the three students were trying to do, what methods they used, and what they concluded. (b) Discuss your reactions to what they did – their ideas, their method, and their explanations. What did they gain from doing their reports? How do their ideas influence what you yourself think about these issues? (c) Now go to some driving newsgroups by Googling the phrase driving newsgroups. See if you can corroborate the conclusions of the student reports which were done several years ago. Is this still going on the same way?
a) 1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroup72.html
This report written by Janice Kamm explored what people say while they are participating in a newsgroup which driving is its subject. Janice picked four different posting about driving that dealt with different topics for everyday drivers. For each of the postings she picked, she wrote about what she felt about the topic at hand. She agreed and disagreed with some of the comments that were made in the newsgroup. I agreed with most of Janice’s comments. I believe that here in Hawaii we rubberneck a lot. It doesn’t matter what is going on, if it is an accident or a staled vehicle, if it is happening on the road, we are curious about it.
The other comments that she found in the newsgroups were also interesting. The one comment that caught my eye was the Maryland lawmakers making a law for those who go 10 mph over the speed limit. It will be considered a felony if anybody goes over the speed limit by 10 mph. Another comment was about having your headlights on while it is raining. That comment makes sense. When it is raining, sometimes it is hard to see, and with the help of a little light it will be easier to navigate through the unexpected weather.
2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroups20.html
This report was written by Roy Macaraeg and he explored newsgroups with driving as the main topic of discussion. Roy picked 10 different comments that were made by people about how they felt while driving. Roy found comments that dealt with some of the concepts that we discussed in class, such as speeding, types of drivers, and male vs. female drivers. All of the comments that he chose were also very interesting. He agreed with most of the comments that were made. The very informative posting that he found was dealing with bicyclists. A lot of bicyclists are injured because they do not have bike paths on the roads.
3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/499s2003/newsgroups/newsgroups25.html
This report was written by Randall Kimberly and he also explored the topic of driving in newsgroups that he found on the web. He chose 10 different comments that dealt with different aspects of driving. Randall picked a lot of interesting comments. The most interesting comment was about runners. I have never heard of runners being a victim of road rage. Thinking about this topic more, the more I believe it is possible and true. All of the rest of his comments were true about the posting he found on the web.
b) Your reactions to what the 3 students did.
I agreed with all of the students reactions about the posting that they found. All of the posting that they found in the newsgroups were very interesting to read. The postings all had interesting topics about topic dealing with driving on the road. There were some situations that I never knew existed, such as the runners being victimized by people in the car and the number of bicyclists being injured on the roads. The method on how they presented their reports was very simple and easy to follow. It was very easy to distinguish between the posting from the newsgroup and their personal opinion.
All of the students’ explanations were short and to the point. It made reading their report easy and entertaining at the same time. From doing there report, the students received more insight on the thinking of different drivers on the roads. Everyone has their opinions and that is alright to have. Everyone will not see eye to eye and that is how we have a diverse community of drivers. They also realized where they stood on certain issues on the road.
From reading their reports, they have introduced me to some of circumstances that I have never heard of or seen before. It is scary to think that these situations really occur on our roads today in our society. We must remember the golden rule on the road, “do unto others, as you want them to do unto you.” This is a rule that can be applied to every aspect in our life, why can’t we apply it to driving. When reading all of the comments that they found it made me think that people are not thinking of the safety of others, they are just thinking about themselves. Supportive driving is one concept that everyone can learn and should learn to better improve their driving and themselves.
c) Driving newsgroups. Can you corroborate the conclusions of the student reports which were done several years ago? Is this still going on the same way?
The driving newsgroups that I found are still going on the same way as before. They are posting their personal feeling about anything related to driving on the road. Some of the comments made have a lot anger and frustration behind them. This would probably one way a driver can vent his anger safely. But to control this, they must not dwell on it too long, or their anger will get the best of them. The conclusions that the students made before me can still hold up today. There are still people complaining about speeding, running red lights, road rage, and other topics that still exist in today’s society.
The Question I am answering is Question 4
(a) Consider Table 5 in the Lecture Notes, in the Section on Driving Psychology Theory and Charts at www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-lecture-notes.htm#Charts Read the article from which the Table was taken. Copy and paste the table into your file. Describe the Table in your own words: what is for, what it says, what it shows. (b) Copy the Table again and paste it again. But this time delete the examples in each cell and replace them with your own examples that you make up. Title this Section: My Version of the Table. Explain what your table shows and how you came up with it. Discuss your Table with friends. Summarize their reactions. Summarize your reactions to their reactions. (c) Discuss why driving is such a big problem in all societies and why no effective solutions have yet been found for them. Refer to our two textbooks for examples of some of the world wide problems and solutions proposed. Be sure to refer to the author and page numbers. What likelihood is there that his approach will be adopted? Explain.
a) The original version of Table 5
|
Table 5 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The above comes from: www.drdriving.org/articles/driving_psy.htm
Table 5 simply lays out how an emotionally intelligent driver deals with different driver competence skills. To understand this table more let’s define what an emotionally intelligent driver. Being an emotionally intelligent driver is being aware of your emotions while driving and being tolerant of what happens on the roads. We can also say that an emotionally intelligent driver is aware of their threefold self which are their affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor selves. All of these are important aspects in maintaining ourselves behind the wheel. If we are not emotionally intelligent behind the wheel we will endanger ourselves and others on the road. To prevent accidents and danger on the road, we must learn to become more emotionally intelligent and supportive drivers.
In table 5 there are three columns. The first column deals with the drivers’ skills, the second column show us what an aggressive driver might think or say, and the third column show us what a supportive driver might think or say. Our goal as drivers is to be a supportive driver on the roads. The supportive driver shows a positive attitude and doesn’t blame others for what is happening on the roads. The aggressive driver shows a negative attitude towards other drivers on the road and places blame on other drivers. Supportive driving will lead to less aggressive tendencies found on the road and make us better people in life.
b) My version of Table 5
|
Table 5 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
c) Discuss why driving is such a big problem in all societies and why no effective solutions have yet been found for them. Refer to our textbooks.
Driving is a big problem in all societies because everyone has the same feelings and worries about the subject of driving. Rage is not only found on the road, it can also be found in the parking lot, the sidewalk, at the shopping mall, at the workplace, and other places as discussed in Road Rage and Aggressive Driving by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl on page 32. Rage affects all aspects in our life and it can be a difficult problem to overcome. According to Deborah Tannen, anger is the main method people use to negotiate dominance levels in power games. To maintain our anger we must learn how to become supportive drivers. This is a term that Dr. James and Dr. Nahl introduced to us in chapter 8 in Road Rage and Aggressive Driving. Supporting driving is a style of driving that tries to tolerate and accommodate other drivers on the road.
As drivers, we must remember that not everyone drives the same and everyone is at different levels when it comes to driving. There are experienced, inexperienced, and tourists on the road at one time. We must be patient and understanding of everyone’s purpose and circumstance while on the road. In chapter 3 of Driving Lessons entitled, Dealing with Stress, Aggression, and Pressure in the Vehicle, Dr. James discusses some of the stressors that might contribute to the problems on the road. Some stressors might be immobility, regulation, lack of control, being put in danger, territoriality, diversity, multi-tasking and there are more that Dr. James lists in his chapter that he contributed to this book. All of these stressors do effect on us on the road in a positive or negative way.
In class, I remembered that Dr. James told us what Sweden did to help decrease the number of accidents that happened on the road. In that country it was the norm to drive on the left-hand side of the road. After many years of driving on the left, they decided to try to switch to the right-hand side to see if this change will help decrease the number of accidents on the road. To their surprise this did work everyone was a little bit more cautious while driving, because the drivers were not used to driving on the opposite side of the road. But as months passed, the number of accidents returned to the normal amount before they changed the orientation of driving. In this case, they found that when the people got used to driving on the right-hand side of the road, they went to their normal habits. They were no longer cautious and we willing to take a little more risk on the road.
The concept of supportive driving introduced by Dr. James and Dr. Nahl is something I want to see adopted. But, I know that people today will not accept it because they are set in their ways. They do not recognize that they are driving “aggressively” in society today. They continue to blame others on the road and do not partial responsibility on the road for their actions. Everyone on the road, think they are the best driver out there, but in reality, they have some faults that they do not admit or recognize they might have. When they do not admit their faults they could endanger themselves and other on the road.
The Question I am answering is Question 5
(a) Our textbook Road Rage and Aggressive Driving has checklist
exercises in several chapters. Do the following four exercises: (i)
Exercise on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings on p. 65-66
(ii) Exercise on Are You an Aggressive Competitor on p. 104-5
(iii) Exercise on Positive Driving Behaviors on p. 212-3
(iv) Exercise on Your Passive Aggressive Road Rage Tendency on p. 88-9 (b)
Discuss your reactions to each exercise? How do you explain your answers? You
can give your answers in their entirety or you can make selections. What do
they show about your driving personality? Where did you get this style of
reacting and driving? Discuss how these exercises help you to become more aware
of yourself as a driver. (c) Do some of the exercises with
another driver you know. How do they help you understand some principles of
driving psychology mentioned in the book? Discuss and illustrate with specific
examples.
a) Answers to the checklists located in Road Rage and Aggressive Driving:
i) Exercise on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings on p. 65-66
Driving Area 1: Fantasies of Retaliation and Revenge
1. ___ When other cut in front of me so that I have to brake, I feel like crashing into them to teach them a lesson.
2. ___When I encounter road-hugging pedestrians, I feel like pushing them out of my way.
3. ___When drivers become aggressive by tailgating me, I enjoy slowing down to pay them back.
4. _ü_When I’m under stress due to work, I get very edgy and take it out on other drivers.
5. ___ I don’t think passengers should tell me how to drive and I let them know if they try.
6. _ü_ If motorists around me get cocky and drive cocky, I get into a rebellious mood.
7. _ü_ I passionately hate drivers who think that they are the only ones on the road and act carelessly.
8. ___ When a driver cuts me off and then slows down, I feel like ramming that car.
9. _ü_ I get nasty thought about drivers who force their way into my lane, especially without signaling.
10. _ü_ I feel like ramming them to smarten them up about doing dangerous things (eating, putting on make-up, reading, talking on the phone, etc.) while they should be paying attention to the road.
11. ___ When people run or walk on the shoulder of the highway I feel like swerving toward them to scare them off the road for good.
12. ___ When slow cyclists take up a whole lane, so I can’t pass and refuse to move when I honk, I feel like whipping by so close they lose their balance and fall.
Driving Area 2: High-Pressure Driving and Competition
13. ___ When a car gets in my way I don’t like it and try to get around it even if it means taking some risks.
14. _ü_ In heavy traffic I feel constant desire to weave across lanes, trying to get ahead.
15. ___ I’m a “gap closer” and I make sure no one enters my lane in front of me.
16. ___ When I’m late, I have no patience and tailgate slower motorists in my way.
17. _ü_ If it was up to me, I’d have everyone else get off the road until I pass – like the president.
18. ___ I like the idea of saluting careless drivers “with respect” (flipping them off with my hand safely of view under the dashboard.
19. _ü_ I don’t have respect for drivers you forget to turn their blinkers on or off.
Driving Area 3: Impulsive and Reckless Driving
20. ___ Showing off for friends is something I do because I’m expected to take risks and not act like a coward.
21._ü_ I enjoy loud, fast music while I drive – lets me feel free!
22. ___ When I drive late at night and the road is clear, I like to go fast no matter what the signs say.
23. ___ When I’m in a rush and upset I cut in front of cars and rush through yellow lights.
24. ___ If I had a few drinks but feel all right, I take a chance and drive home anyway.
25. _ü_ When I’m tired I become less alert, but I still need to drive. I have no choice.
26. ___ Going through red lights should only be done when you’re absolutely sure there are no cars that can show up in your way.
27. ___ I love to hear the tires screech when I take turns fast. It’s a nice sound. Makes me feel alive.
ii) Exercise on Are You an Aggressive Competitor on p. 104-105
1. ___ I really hate it when traffic is congested and I can’t get ahead of others because I feel like I’m losing.
2. ___ I’ve discovered that I can force my way into any lane by being pushy.
3. _ü_ I believe the law that prevails on the road is the law of the jungle – we might as well face it: The most aggressive drivers end up getting what they want.
4. _ü_ I’m driving in the left lane in heavy traffic and trying to switch to the right lane to make a right turn at the next intersection. The driver in the car next to me sees my signal and closes the gap, preventing me from entering the lane. I miss my turn as a result. This proves that he purposely kept me out.
5. ___ I love it when I pass a long line of waiting cars, then when I cut in at the front of the line. Victory! Only losers wait in line.
6. ___ A lot of drivers can see that I’m in a hurry. So what do they do? They intentionally try to slow me down or block my way. That’s how they get their kicks.
7. ___ I need lots of space between me and everyone behind me. I’m a natural leader, so I feel best when I’m way out in front.
8. _ü_ When traffic is heavy, drivers have to compete against each other or else one gets left behind. The better you can compete on the road, the better you can do your job, and the more useful you are to society.
9. _ü_ It’s necessary to drive in a competitive manner because the other drivers are very competitive. I’m expected to be competitive on the road.
10. _ü_ As the streets are getting more crowded, drivers make each other angry. It’s a competitive situation and I can’t afford to worry about too much about how my driving makes others angry because we all make each other angry.
iii) Exercise on Positive Driving Behaviors on p. 212-213
1._ü_ Putting on the turn signal in consideration of others; thinking of how to reduce stress for others
2. _ü_ Feeling responsible for creating stress for other road users; wanting to evolve an altruistic attitude in traffic.
3. _ü_ Concentrating on developing better on-ramp merging skills by focusing on leaving enough space to pick up speed.
4. ___ Creating positive mental scenarios and avoiding pessimism; saying, “Traffic is not too bad. I’ll just relax,” versus “Traffic is awful. I’ll never get home.”
5. _ü_ Driving with greater awareness; understanding the difference in people’s expectations in the left and right lanes; consciously managing following distance to keep it safe, following the three-second rule.
6. _ü_ Consciously practicing how to handle common obstacles to traffic flow; for instance, when a lane is closed and merging is required.
7. _ü_ Compensating for the “blind spot” by allows using both side and rearview mirror and turning your head for better view.
8. _ü_ Merging properly when a lane is closed by remaining in your lane until reaching the merge point.
9. _ü_ Learning to avoid mental violence as retaliation; not letting frustration lead to aggressiveness and hostility.
10. _ü_ Avoiding symbols of competition in driving, like racing to get there first, want to pass all cars, feeling ridiculed when a lot of cars pass you, impulsively cutting in.
11. ___ Practicing nodding instead of shaking your head at traffic.
12. _ü_ Recognizing higher motivations in driving, like fairness, civility, morality, altruism, religion, and spirituality.
13. _ü_ Giving up a “laissez-faire” attitude toward other drivers, such as “What’s happening to that driver is not my problem.”
14. _ü_ Being willing to figure things out ahead of time, like how late to leave, when to turn, which way to go, when to change lanes, with the goal of avoiding making unpredictable, impulsive moves that other drivers can’t interpret.
iv) Exercise on Your Passive Aggressive Road Rage Tendency p. 88-89
1._ü_ I insist on driving at the speed limit in the passing lane because it’s the law.
2. ___ I hold up a long line of drivers on a one-lane road.
3. ___ I ignore drivers who attempt to enter my lane, closing the gap.
4. ___ I ignore yield signs.
5. ___ I don’t bother giving proper signals.
6. ___ I am slow to get going when traffic lights turn green.
7. ___ I show insufficient alertness or consideration to drivers and conditions.
8. ___ I repeatedly tap the brakes or slow way down to retaliate against a tailgater.
9. ___ I take my time entering and leaving parking spaces, especially when someone is waiting for me.
10. _ü_ I make gestures and facial expressions to myself to show my disapproval of pushy drivers.
b) Discuss your reactions to each exercise. How do you explain your answers?
On the first exercise I answered, I agreed with ten statements. The first exercise measured aggressive thoughts and feelings. The first part of the checklist dealt with fantasies of retaliation and revenge. The second part dealt with high-pressure driving and competition. The final part dealt with impulsive and reckless driving. I believed that I was not an aggressive minded person, but this checklist proved me wrong. Everyone has some feeling and thought of aggression that they must deal with.
I noticed that I checked the statements that dealt with the driving behaviors of others on the road. I feel that drivers should accept responsibility for their actions on the road. They must be aware of all drivers on the road and have respect for everyone. I know I some aggressive feelings when I drive, but I do not act on them. I can control my anger by reminding myself that the driver’s goal is to get to their destination safely.
The second exercise was statements that dealt with you as an aggressive competitor. I related to five out of ten of the statements listed on this checklist. I think during heavy traffic is when I am at my worst. After a long day after school and work, all I want to do is go home to relax and have some peace and quiet. I believe that everyone wants to go home safely. But there are those drivers that get on my nerve while I am driving. When this happens, I usually get a little frustrated at that current situation.
The third exercise dealt with positive driving behaviors. It gave a list of statements that a driver is willing to adopt. In this checklist I was willing to do most of them. This tells me that I want to become a better driver. All of the suggestions that were given are all possible to do, but are we willing to change our ways. It may take a little time to get used to it, but I know it is possible. I know that all of the actions suggestions will make me a better supportive driver on the roads.
The final exercise dealt with our passive aggressive road rage tendencies. In this checklist I agreed with two statements. So, I know that I am not really a passive aggressive driver on the road. But I can understand why people might act this way. I know a lot of people are trying to get where they are going and something gets in their way. So to make themselves feel better about the situation, they may want to cause a little trouble to others on the road. But this type of behavior is dangerous and disrespectful to others on the road with you.
All of the exercises that I answered helped me understand my style of driving a little bit better. I always that I was not an aggressive driver, but I have some feelings and thoughts you just cannot ignore. From answering these exercises I hope I can modify how I feel and my actions on the road. I want to become a safe and supportive driver.
c) Do some of the exercises with another driver you know. How do they help you understand some principles of driving psychology mentioned in the book?
I asked my best friend to answer some of these checklists. I was very odd that we almost had the same answers for most of the statements. No wonder we can get along so well. But I also informed her that this type of habit is not a good habit to have. We must try to decrease some of our aggressive tendencies to become a better driver. The goal that I learned in this course is to become a supportive driver and to recognize our three-fold self. Without any of these we pose a danger to ourselves and to the society as a whole.
My Report on the Previous Generation
1. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2005/tarayao/409a-g22-report2.htm
This report was written by Malia Tarayao she expressed the knowledge that she learned by taking this class, driving psychology. Some of the questions that she had to answer had the same format as our report 2. The main concepts that she explained about were three behavior domains and levels of a driver. This again leads us back to the three-fold self, the affective, cognitive, and the senorimotor self. In addition to the three-fold self there are three levels, level one is proficiency, level two is safety, and level three is responsibility. With all of these working together, we can become better drivers in the long run.
2. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2005/santos/409a-g22-report2.htm
This report was written by Kyle Santos, his report also mirrors the format of our report two. He focused on different questions that pertained to different aspects of driving psychology. He evaluated orals on a current generation. The orals that he picked were very interesting to read about. The first one is talked about was the driver’s education difference between young and elderly drivers. He makes a good point that the elderly drivers have a lot more experience that the young drivers that are on the roads today. The other two reports dealt with cell phone use while driving and being a supportive driver.
3. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2005/goto/goto-409a-g23-report2.htm
This report was written by Jenine Goto. This report is also similar to our report 2, she has to answer a series of questions. She gave a review of the two books that we used in our driving psychology class. She explained the book in the divisions that the author and editor broke it into. It was helpful that the book was broken down into divisions because as a reader it was easier to understand and follow where the author or the editor was going.
4. http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2005/masuoka/masuoka-409a-g23-report2.htm
This report was written by Kristen Masuoka. This is also very similar to our report two, but she focuses on different questions. Kristen summarized chapter six of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving. This chapter focused on Driver Self-Improvement referred to as the AWM approach. The first step is to acknowledge the negative habit, the second step is to witness performing the negative habit, and the final step is to modify the habit. At first the driver will be resistant because they do not find any fault in their driving. But in the long-run they will become a better skilled driver.
Advice to Future Generations
To those who will be taking this class in the future, do not procrastinate. At first glance the reports that Dr. James assigns you looks easy, but it is a lot of work to do. There are a lot of steps and questions you have to follow, or he will take point off. So, start early on the reports. For the outlines, I suggestion you should do one a week. If you do one a week, you will not be so stressed out at the end of the semester.
For the oral presentations, the only advice I can give you is be prepared. If you are not prepared, Dr. James will know. Also if you have any questions about anything dealing with the class, ask Dr. James. He gives you an opportunity at the beginning of class to ask any questions, so take that opportunity. Also, keep your website up-to-date you will not be scrambling to get everything up by the last day. Other than that, you will have fun in this class. You will learn a lot about your driving style and hopefully improve your driving skills. Good Luck.
Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/baldueza/baldueza-home.htm
G24 Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm