Psychology 409A Ð April 29, 2006
War Against Aggressive Driving
By:
Adam Stewart
Leon James and Diane Nahl
(2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books) pp. 219-233
Instructions for this assignment
can be found at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy24/g24-oral1.htm
Instructor: Dr. Leon James
I.
Direct and Indirect Costs
of Driving
A.
Direct Costs of Driving
1.
There are over $425,000
fatalities per decade.
2. There are over $35 million injuries per decade.
3. Over $250 billion per year is spent due to traffic accidents.
B. Aggressive Driving has been the focus of recent congressional hearings. It has been defined in detail listing specific actions as aggressive such as tail gaiting and weaving in and out of traffic.
C. There are federal programs that are in process of being initiated like the NEXTEA that Òprovides development of comprehensive state and community programs aimed at combating aggressive driving.Ó
A. Police use criteria to judge whether or not a person is driving aggressively. Things like speeding, following too closely, unsafe lane changes, driving while intoxicated, reckless, careless, or inattentive driving, disregard of traffic signs, and improper passing allow police to categorize a personÕs behavior.
B. Police have taken drastic measures to try to combat aggressive driving. Operation stealth put undercover police officers in cars with video cameras to try to capture aggressive behavior. Capturing these aggressive drivers will help lead to convictions in court.
C. The Roadwatch Program utilizes both citizen and police help to combat aggressive driving and road rage. Complaints are made anonymously and the offending driver gets a letter in he mail that details the complaint. If the person is caught making aggressive actions again they are visited by police.
Related Links:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/aggressive/Symposium/technical.html
This link is to the US department of transportation. It talks about some of the new initiatives to combat aggressive driving. It talks about the surveys and methods they used to gather their information.
http://homillerlaw.typepad.com/criminaltrafficlaw/aggressive_driving/index.html
This is a Blog from a Virginia law office that details the difference in felony and misdemeanor driving offenses. There are increased fines and penalties for offenders and it can even result in prison time.
http://www.nysgtsc.state.ny.us/aggr-ndx.htm
This is a site from New York that defines aggressive driving and discusses the problems it imposes. It shows the research and studies that were used to gather information about aggressive drivers. It comes complete with safety tips for better driving on the road.