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Psychology 409a, April 17, 2006

Challenges of Road Rage

By Tiffany Bumanglag

Scott, Michelle K. “The Phenomenon of Road Rage: Complexities, Discrepancies and Opportunities for CR Analysis”. The Online Journal of Peace and Conflict Resolution. Issue 3.3. Fall 2000 (Ref 10).

Instructions for this activity are found at:
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/g24-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

Link to Article – click here

Challenge #1 – Defining Road Rage

a) It is difficult to comprehensively and competently address any issue without first having an accurate understanding of its meaning. The meaning of road rage is especially complex because of its wide range of behaviors that may or may not be included in the definition itself.

b) Some examples of quotations of what road rage may or may not be according to the article.

-In Canada, the Ontario police define road rage as "random acts of violence or aggressive behavior carried out by frustrated or over-stressed drivers" (The Toronto Star, 10 June, 2000).

-In an interview with People magazine, Dr. Arnold Nerenberg, a California-based psychologist who treats patients with difficulty controlling their anger on the road, defines road rage as, "When one driver lets another driver know that he or she is angry because of something the other driver did. In expressing that anger, the driver might make obscene gestures, scream, honk, put on the brakes, cut in front or brandish a weapon. Or even use the weapon" (Free, September 1997).

-"Aggressive driving and road rage are blurred terms and difficult to distinguish," writes Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver (1998).

-Dr. Leon James, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii and renowned expert on the topic of road rage, stated that his research "confirmed that, to some degree, nearly every driver has feelings of rage and thoughts of retaliation"

c) The challenge of defining Road Rage becomes important especially when it becomes involved in a legality, which is most of the time. Road rage will encompass the 3 aspects of the drivers 3 fold self, the driver’s affective self, cognitive self and the sensorimotor self.

Challenge #2 – Quantifying Road Rage

a) Since there isn’t really a definition set for Road Rage, it is even more difficult to place a quantity on something that isn’t concrete. Road Rage will be hard to study and analyze if data cannot be quantified. The use of data collection can help to aid in decreasing levels of Road Rage.

b) In the United States, studies to quantify road rage have also been helpful in assessing the phenomenon. In his 1997 testimony before a congressional committee, NHTSA head Ricardo Martinez reported that cases of "violent aggressive driving" were growing by 7% a year. He speculated that "approximately 28,000 deaths on America's roads each year, or two-thirds of the total, are wholly or partly the result of bad temper"

Challenge #3 – Identifying the Causes for Road Rage

a) There is a wide array of causes for Road Rage and researchers are looking for answers to what provokes the probable causes so that perhaps something can be done. If we know the cause and effect, then something can be done to change behavior since behavior is learned.

b) Here is the list from the actual article:

Increased congestion on roadways; a report by U.S. News and World Report (June 2, 1997) indicates that between 1970 and 1987 the number of cars on the road more than doubled;
Increased levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal stress, including stress associated with employment, two-career families, familial relationships, child-care issues, elder-care issues, and fundamental economic and technological changes in society;
Listening to loud, thumping music on the car radio while driving;
The need to "save face" and overcome feelings of being disrespected by another driver;
The need to assert one's identity and maintain control in a situation where one fears losing control;
An overriding cultural focus on "time" as a limited resource, including concerns about "saving time," "using time wisely," "being on time," and "time being money";
An overriding human need for "space," which causes some drivers to become territorial and guard against another driver's infringement on their space;
The summer heat;
A breakdown in manners;
Popular culture's focus on machismo and masculinity;
Increased immigration trends leading to a mixture of different driving styles;
A widespread increase in interpersonal violence, including murder, domestic abuse, and street crime;
An overriding focus on individualism that produces a "me first" mentality;
Oppressive social conditions that produce feelings of alienation in individuals;
Slow drivers;
Defensive driving habits that produce an inflated sense of concern about the poor driving skills of others;
A pervasively lower emotional intelligence and moral character than exhibited in past societies;
An innate human drive to aggression;
Decreased drivers education in schools;
Reduced levels of traffic enforcement;
An ignorance about the "rules of the road";
Dehumanization of the other;
An attempt to attain power in an otherwise powerless existence;
Increased commuting distances and durations;
Fewer people relying on mass transit and more relying on cars;
An increased sense of invincibility behind the wheel of a 3,000-pound vehicle;
A cultural propensity to promote and reward behavior that is competitive, tenacious, and aggressive; and
An individual propensity to perceive one's vehicle as an extension of oneself.

c) While reading the list, I had a sense that some of the examples of why Road Rage exists is that people choose how they feel and how a person feels is up to them. Once again, these example encompass how a driver feels and is motivated behind the wheel, and also how they think and reason, and definitely how they operate their sensations, perceptions and motor acts which are part of the drivers 3 fold self.

Challenge #4 – Institutional, Therapeutic, and Individual Attempts to End Road Rage

Education programs: driver education programs to teach the rules of the road, public education campaigns to publicize the hazards of road rage, and motorist education programs to teach motorists the best ways to respond during incidents of road rage;
Therapeutic programs, including anger management, stress management, and behavior modification workshops;
Intelligent transportation systems, including enhanced photo radar and speed detection devices; and
More vigorous law enforcement, including an increased police presence on the roads and stiffer penalties for persons convicted of aggressive driving and driving "too slowly" in the left lane.

a) These are great ideas for aiming at a goal to end road rage. These are excellent examples of how Dr. James comes up with the idea of becoming a SUPPORTIVE DRIVER. Basically behavior modification, which is another way of saying to unlearn what you have learned or change bad habits.