PSY 409a – Driving Psychology - March 30, 2006
 Being a Supportive Driver
By Jessica Fonseca

Leon James and Diane Nahl (2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books), pp167-180.

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

1.      Benefits of Supportive Driving

a.      To be a supportive driver one has to drive in a way that accommodates other drivers and avoids road rage thinking.  Understanding the difference between local and visitor drivers, different size vechiles, and young versus more experienced drivers is part of being a supportive driver.

b.       Two ways to deal with highway plurism:

                                                               i.      Ban diversity-keeping bad drivers off the road

                                                             ii.      Accommodate diversity of drivers-think adaptively

c.      Drivers like to feel accepted and respected.  By doing simple gestures such as waving will show the other drivers that you acknowledge them and makes them feel better.

d.      Being a defensive driver does not reduce stereotypes and intolerance.  Being a supportive driver and giving other drivers the benefit of the doubt when they do unpredictable things on the road helps road rage decrease. 

 

2.      Motorist-to-Motorist Communication

a.      The National Motorists Association projected seven motorist signals”

                                                               i.      Apology- “peace” sign

                                                             ii.      Slow Down, Danger Ahead-blinking headlights or break lights to alert traffic of potential danger

                                                            iii.      Lane Courtesy-Left turn signal on and off-If you see this signal pull into right lane when safe and let faster car pass.

                                                           iv.      Pull Over Problem-Point to where problem is (tire, light) and “thumbs down” signal. 

                                                             v.      Light Problem-Open and close hand to let other driver know something is wrong with their lights. 

                                                           vi.      Need Assistance-Cross one hand on top the other to make a T.  This is a “help” signal to let other drivers know you need assistance.

                                                          vii.      I Understand-“Thumbs up” or “Ok” signals are used to thank or acknowledge another driver.

-         Using signals as a way to communicate can decrease road rage. 

 

3.      Training for Supportive Driving

a.      Help other drivers accomplish what they want instead of competeing with them.  When someone wants to get in your lane its common to speed up so they cannot cut in front of you.  To be a supportive driver you need to help the car move into your lane by slowing down slightly and give them more room. 

b.      Not getting upset at another driver when they do things like tailgate is hard but it’s important.  Drivers may not be doing those kinds of things on purpose and getting upset at them can cause dangerous problems.  Forgiving drivers of mistakes and being a “happy” driver makes traffic easier to bear.

 

4.      Come Out Swinging Positive

a.      Three philosophies that determine how people drive

                                                               i.      Level One: Oppositional driving philosophy

-         Disrespect for drivers, anger on the road, intolerant of driver diversity, aggressiveness. 

                                                             ii.      Level two: Defensive driving philosophy

-         Competitive attitude, using stereotypes, feeling stressed and resentful.

                                                            iii.      Level three: Supportive driving philosophy

-         Supportive attitude, tolerance of driving diversity, practicing self-improvement driving.

b.      Instead of aggravating a situation on the road you want to “reverse the escalation of hostilities”.

 

Related Links

1.      http://www.motorists.com/right/index.html

This site was put up by the National Motorist Association and is about lane courtesy.  By getting out of the way of fast drivers we are being courteous and supportive drivers. There are article about driving tips, The Seven Sensible Signals, and a helpful article on how to adjust your mirrors. 

2.      http://www.indielabel.co.uk/Home/pages/zen_driving.htm

This site was on Zen driving.  An example of Zen driving is moving out of the way of faster drivers and being happy and relaxed while driving.   Practicing Zen driving will help control aggressiveness and will help in life on or off the road. 

3.      http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/driving/articles/43061/article.html

This site was about driving in a courteous and supportive manner.  The article would state a situation and list Do’s and Don’ts for the situations.  I found this article interesting because as I was reading the situations I noticed that I did all the Don’ts listed which made me realize I need to change my way of driving. 

 

 

 

My Home Page:  http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/fonseca/fonseca-home.htm

 

G24 Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/classhome-g24.htm