PSYCHOLOGY 409A April 10, 2006

PSYCHOLOGY 409A April 10, 2006

Outline 5

SPEED LIMITS: THE GREAT MOTORISTS REBELLION

By Jessica Fonseca

Leon James and Diane Nahl (2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books). pp 236- 253.

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

1. What is Speeding?

- It is common for drivers to drive over the posted speed limit.

- How much over the sped limit they drive vary according where they are driving, whether it is in a neigborhood or highway.

- Slow drivers or slower drivers have just as many accidents as those who drive 2-25 miles over the posted speed limit. Which shows that speed does not nessesarily cause accidents but rather how people control their driving while speeding.

2. Citizen Activism Against Government Paternalism

- There are two ideological groups of drivers

a. “Right” drivers are assertive and consider themselves skilled. They tend to complain about law enforcement and have aggressive attitudes toward other drivers.

b. “Left” drivers promote restricting motorist behavior such as speed enforcement.

3. Police Presence

- When a police car is on the road with other drivers they usually cause drivers to be more aware of their speed.

- If a police car is going under the speed limit drivers are afraid to pass and that usually causes traffic to back up.

- Many police officers speed even when they are not chasing someone. It is wise NOT to pass a speeding police car. Even if they are breaking the laws as well they will give you a speeding ticket.

- Many people do not like cops and call them names such as “pigs” or “f*cken cops”. They do not get the respect that they deserve. Many people dislike cops because instead of chasing after robbers, murderers, rapist, and other bad people, cops are usually seen on the road or hiding in driveways waiting to catch speeders.

4. Traffic Calming

- The Institute of Transportation Engineers state that “traffic claming is the combination of many physical mearsures that reduce the negative effect of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized users.”

- Examples of some physical barriers are speed bumps, rumble strips, and roundabouts.

When I saw this sight I thought it was a great idea! “How to Beat a Speeding Ticket” is a great site that tells you tips on how to get out of a ticket. The first advice is simply NOT TO GET ONE. Some other advice includes being polite to the officer, act scared, or act stupid. They also advice not to argue with the police, you will not win. They also give advice if you do end up getting a ticket, such as dressing nicely to court, plead “not guilty”, and remember everything you can about the day you got the ticket.

2. http://www.ictct.org/workshops/04-Tartu/Kallberg-Pres.pdf

This site had a lot of charts and figures about speeding. The charts showed the differences and similarities between minor speeding (1-10 miles over limit) and major speeding (over 10 mph over limit). It also showed that driving in winter road conditions verses summer road conditions makes a difference.

3. http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/acp_dft_ho_rp_strat_jan05.pdf

This site was put up by The Department of Transport. This site makes aware of the accident rates caused by “bad driving”. It states that the four most dangerous acts on the road are drunk driving, speeding, not using seat belts, and aggressive driving. This site also discusses the new technology that helps patrol the roads such as speed cameras but these technologies will not replace the officers on the road.

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