PSY 409a – Driving Psychology, April 30, 2006

Outline 10

Aggressive Driving Bills

By Jessica Fonseca

 

James, Leon and Diane Nahl, Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare, Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 2000, pages 219-235

 

  1. Direct and Indirect Costs (pp 219-220)

-              425,000 fatalities per decade

-               35 million injuries per decade

-              250 billion dollars per decade

-              Long-term ill health

-              Increase in /daily stress

-              Fear and threat on streets

-              Breeding the next generation of aggressive drivers

 

 

  1. Congressional Hearing (pp 220-223)
    1. Drivers see themselves as “assertive” rather than “aggressive”
    2. In the 1990’s drunk driving replaced aggressive driving as the worst highway problem
    3. Overt and Covert behavior

                                                                                             i.         Overt behaviors can easily be seen on tape, such as improper lane change and tailing a car ahead of you.

                                                                                          ii.         Covert behaviors are behaviors that are unobservable, such as frustration.

 

 

  1. Federal Agencies Unite Against Aggressive Drivers (pp 223-224)
    1. The Federal Highway Administration joins NHTSA to make Section 402.  This program rewards states that integrate safety plans by awarding them funding money. 
    2. Purpose is to deal with aggressive driving problems:

-              Curbing aggressive driving

-              Reducing impaired driving

-              Keeping drivers alert

-              Making truck travel safer

 

  1. Aggressive Police Initiatives (pp 225-228)
    1. Increase in seat belt use and harsher punishment for driving drunk are some examples of how the legislation are concerned with safety.
    2. Police enforcement and public awareness are common law enforcement techniques.

                                                                                             i.         A police car on the road usually means people drive safer.  However, when the police cars are no longer near people go back to driving normally (more aggressively).

    1. The Roadwatch Program joins police force with the community.

                                                                                             i.         Citizens report aggressive behaviors confidentially and the offenders receive warnings.  Repeated offences can lead to police visits or law enforcement.

 

  1. Aggressive Driving Bills (pp 228-231)
    1. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, several aggressive driving bills have been passed and more are being brought to attention.
    2. New definitions and language is being introduced to make what is “aggressive driving” more clear.  For example:

-              Speeding,

-              Unsafe lane change

-              Impaired driving

-              Reckless, careless, inattentive driving

    1. It is important to observe the drivers behaviors not assume their motives or intentions.

Related Links

 

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Symposium/technical.html

This site discusses aggressive driving and the law.  They discuss the NHTSA survey results.  Some results were racing, passing stopped school bus, and running red light or stop sign as the “top” aggressive acts.  Speeding 10 miles over the limit was not seen as aggressive by most of the public. There are many different views of what is aggressive driving.

 

 http://www.drdriving.org/legislation/bills.html

This site discusses the different states legislative bills on aggressive driving.  Reading this site was interesting because I never knew Hawaii’s bill on aggressive driving till now.   Other states this site mentions are Arizona, New York, and Washington. 

 

 http://www.werner.com/content/drv/safety/roadragetest/

This was an interesting site because it discusses the statistics of aggressive driving.  66 percent of traffic accidents are due to aggressive behaviors.  There is also a survey to take that shows if you are an aggressive driver or a smooth operator. 

 

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