PSY 409a-Driving Psychology, March 6, 2006

PSY 409a-Driving Psychology, March 6, 2006

LN Table 7

By Leigh-Taina Look

James, Leon, Driving Psychology Lecture Notes: For G24 (version 6a), Spring 2006, pages 11-14, www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/409a-g24-lecture-notes.htm.

Instructions for this activity are found at:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/g24-oral1.htm

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

I. Exercise: Scenario Analysis of Teen Drivers’ Unrecognized Road Rage Behavior

a) A sixteen year old and his friend received traffic tickets for reckless driving after an incident with another car while the two were driving tandem. The sixteen year old and his friend believe that, after a chain of reckless driving events, they were innocent and the other driver was guilty.

b) Here are the chain of events with their corresponding reckless driving act and a suggestion to correct that act:

1) Playing games on the highway: The two teenagers were driving tandem on a freeway. It is never safe to drive tandem with a friend because it distracts the driver from driving carefully and it may upset other aggressive drivers on the road. Upsetting aggressive drivers on the road could be the means of a confrontation. A smarter suggestion is to follow one another. This way both drivers are concentrating on the road and not blocking two lanes of the freeway. Staying in one lane allows other drivers to pass in the other lane if they wish.

2) Driving after curfew: The teenagers were on the road around midnight. Driving at any time while it is dark is a big risk. The darkness limits one’s sight and the later it is, the more tired the driver becomes. A tired driver is not as safe as a cautious one. A smarter suggestion would have been to not be out at such a late hour.

3) Losing the address and going anyway: The teenagers lost the address to the party they were invited to and decided to go anyway to look for it. This was a big mistake because they were driving around in an area they were not familiar to. This could have been dangerous because they could have been driving really slow to look around and that could have caused an accident with someone who had not seen them. A smarter suggestion would have been to not go at all or to get a hold of the friend to get directions again.

4) Driving Abreast occupying center lane and fast lane: This is very dangerous because not only were the teenagers blocking more than one lane, they were blocking the fast lane and the lane next to the fast lane. This means that if anyone wanted to get around them, they wouldn’t have been able to. This can easily upset all types of drivers, especially aggressive ones. A smarter suggestion would be to drive in one lane, preferably the right lane since the teenagers did not know where they were going.

5) Blocking the way so the SUV had to pass in the right lane: This would upset any type of driver, even cautious ones. This is very dangerous because this could easily be the reason for a confrontation and may even be the reason for road rage. There are rules to abide by while on the road and one norm on the road is to leave the left lane open for passers and the right lane is for slower driver. If the SUV had to pass in the right lane because the left and center lanes were being blocked, then the teenagers were inviting a road rage confrontation. A smarter suggestion is to move out of the left lane and open it up for the passers. Then after the car passes, stay in one lane together so that you are no longer blocking any lanes together.

6) Discounting the seriousness of the incident: The teenagers forgot about what they had done and discounted the feelings of the driver of the SUV who was probably mad. When they thought he was gone, they played it off like nothing happened. This probably helped them get into more trouble in the future because they didn’t see what they did wrong before. A better suggestion would have been to realize what they did and start driving more cautiously and respectfully so to not endanger or anger any other drivers.

7) Not realizing they were doing something provocative: When the teenagers both passed the SUV while in the left lane, they didn’t realize that they could have been upsetting the other driver even more. Since they didn’t realize the seriousness of their actions earlier, they probably didn’t account for the added irritation they could have been causing by passing the SUV in the left lane. It could have seemed like they were taunting the SUV driver. A smarter suggestion would have been to drive at a reasonable speed but behind the SUV. This way there wouldn’t have been another sighting between the three vehicles and more irritation of the SUV driver could have been avoided.

8) Not realizing that the incident has now escalated into a potential duel: The teens noticed that the SUV took the same exit they did and thought it was funny that he was behind them. Failing to realize that they might have been in a potential duel was very dangerous because the SUV driver could have taken them by surprise. By not realizing the possible hostile feelings the SUV driver could have been feeling toward them, they were not in the mind of being respectful of him on the road. What they should have done was to cognitively think about the thoughts of the SUV driver so to be prepared while driving or if he confronted them.

9) Finally realizing this is trouble but still acting like they’re a duel, escalating the fight instead of backing down: When the teens finally realized that they were in trouble, they slowed down, but in two different lanes next to each other. This was not smart since the SUV driver could have taken it as a duel threat to him. What they should have done was to stay in one lane and drive normally. This means to abide by the speeding limits and to definitely not make eye contact with the SUV driver.

10) Engaging in reckless driving—weaving through traffic at high speeds getting away from a chase: When the teens realized that the SUV driver was after them, they panicked and tried to get away. This was very dangerous because now they were endangering not only their lives, but the lives of all of the other drivers on the road. What they should have done was to drive normally and definitely not stop on the road. If they were going to stop, they should’ve gone to someplace safe like a police station.

11) Engaging in further provocative behavior by ignoring its potential effect on the pursuer: When one of the teens wanted to get off of the freeway, he honked and flashed his lights at his friend to get his attention. This could have provoked the SUV driver even more by mistakenly interpreting the honks and flashes. The smarter thing to have done was to not honk or flash. A cell phone could have been used, but even that has some dangers. Using a cell phone on the road, especially at high speeds, could be hazardous because it draws attention away from the driver.

12) Trying to diffuse their own responsibility in the sequence of events, as sort of denial: The teens, while telling their story, focused on parts that the SUV driver did. This is not right because not only are they denying their recklessness, but they are trying to put all of the blame on the other person. What they should’ve done was to admit to the things they did wrong as well as what they thought the SUV driver did wrong.

13) Hiding behind inadmissible excuses, avoiding to admit what they did wrong, and refusing to think objectively about it: After telling their side of the story the boys openly stated that they thought the SUV driver had make the whole incident into a battle, not them. They reasoning they used for this was that the other driver was an adult. This is wrong because it doesn’t matter the age, whoever drives needs to be responsible for their own actions. What should have done was to not make this accusation at all and just admit to what they had done. That way there wouldn’t be any false accusations or pointed fingers.

Related Links

http://www.dmvnv.com/nvdlteens.htm

I chose this site because it has very interesting information on new driving laws for Nevada teens. There is a Nevada driving curfew for teenagers under the age of 18. They are not allowed to be on the road between the hours of 10pm and 5am. The only teenagers allowed to drive at this time are those traveling to or from work or a school event. Another law requires a drivers log with dates and times of behind-wheel-experiences for all those applying for their full license and are under the age of 18. A certification of completion for driver education is also required from most Nevada teens.

http://www.5safepoints.com/extras.html

I chose this site because it lists the state of Virginia’s penalties for driving violations. The state of Virginia has a driver improvement program where safe drivers are rewarded and unsafe ones are warned in advanced. The site also explains about their point system. There are demerit points and then there are safe driving points. Certain driving violations can count for more demerit points than other violations. Also on the site are the different types of violations and the amount of years those demerit points stay on your driving record.

http://www.njlaws.com/careless_reckless_driving.htm

This site belongs to a law office which deals with driving violations. I liked this site because it gave the definitions of a reckless driver and a careless driver. Also with these definitions the site gives the amount due for the violation and how often the violation is tolerated before extreme measures are taken. The site also gave information about the penalties for leaving a scene and not reporting an accident. With these two violations, the site gave different scenarios that are taken into account with certain violation. I found this site helpful to learn about the seriousness of driving recklessly and carelessly.

My Homepage:

www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409as2006/look/look-home.htm

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