Psy 409a - Driving Psychology, March 20, 2006

Psy 409a - Driving Psychology, March 20, 2006

Speeding: Risk and Regulation

Tiare MacDonald

Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl. Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. Pages 236-252

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

Instructor: Dr. Leon James

I. Aggressive Versus Assertive Driving

a. Many drivers have a rule where they will drive x amount of miles over the speed limit because this is what they feel comfortable with.

b. The cultural norm is to drive up to 15 miles over the speed limit.

c. People who speed often have the following attitudes:

1. Speeding is the norm.

2. Speed limits are only for people who are unskilled behind the wheel.

3. Speed limits exist because they government wants to make money off of the issued tickets.

4. “Unskilled” drivers should not be allowed to drive.

II. Citizen Activism Against Government Paternalism

a. Drivers have expressed two general viewpoints on how to manage aggressive drivers, called the left or right.

1. The “left” is in favor or more government regulation of aggressive drivers.

2. The “right” is in favor of lessening government regulation of aggressive drivers.

3. Neither the left or right address the topic of driver training.

b. Many drivers do not take into account (or outright dismiss) the fact that driving at higher speeds (which is correlated with higher speed limits) means that in an emergency situation, one has less time to react, and that this could be deadly.

c. Speed limits function to keep the flow of traffic predictable in an already unpredictable environment. Thus, if speed limits did not exist, the road would be more dangerous.

d. Unfortunately, because many drivers are always in a rush, or always feel time-pressured (real or not) to get somewhere, their preferred speed limit would most likely be higher than what is safe.

III. Police Presence

a. Police often break the rules that they enforce.

b. Despite this, drivers who do not show fear in the face of a policeman will often suffer consequences.

c. Many drivers are annoyed that policemen regulate the road for speeders. They feel that police would be better off (and society as well) dealing with crime within the cities.

IV. Traffic calming is basically the use of external features to alter driver behavior.

a. Its purpose is to make the streets a safer place for people like pedestrians.

b. Unfortunately, traffic calming is a controversial topic because it helps some and hurts others because different people have different needs.

1. For example, a speed bump may aid in slowing drivers down in an area with many pedestrians, but an ambulance trying to get to someone who is near death may lose precious time because of these speed bumps.

c. Another reason that traffic calming is debatable is because despite adding physical features to a road, people still have their preferred level of risk while driving.

1. For example, although someone may be forced to slow down for a minute, they may compensate for this by engaging in dangerous behaviors because of their preferred level of risk.

2. Therefore, traffic calming is trying to solve the problems of the road (which are the drivers themselves usually) through external means.

d. Speed limits are what they are because surveyors see how fast free flowing traffic is going on a strip of road, and then make the speed limit whatever 15 percent of drivers are exceeding.

V. Electronic Traffic Surveillance

a. Red-light running causes thousands of deaths and about a million casualties per year.

b. Cameras were set up in many places to try to “catch” red light runners who receive a ticket in the mail.

c. This is also a controversial topic.

d. Some feel that this will make the road a safer place because the tickets will be deterrence.

e. Others feel that cameras are intruding on people’s privacy.

f. Cameras, however, also have their drawbacks (such as blurry photos).

VI. Speed Trap Registries Around the World

a. Speed trap registries are places on the web that reveal the locations of speed traps to caution other drivers.

b. Authorities do not seem to be against this.

VII. Activism Against Aggressive Drivers

a. Citizens Against Speeding and Aggressive Driving (CASAD) is an activist organization that promotes traffic calming, regulation of aggressive driving,

b. This organization and many others strive to make the road a safer place.

c. However, many of these groups also take an aggressive attitude against aggressive drivers.

d. Overall, road safety and speed in particular are passionate subjects.