Book Review
ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING
Steering Clear of Highway warfare
By: Dr. Leon James & Dr. Diane Nahl
This book entitled "Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Steering Clear of Highway Warfare," by Dr. Leon James & Dr. Diane Nahl is packed with useful information about what is road rage, how to deal with aggressive drivers, and how to self-improve, just to name a few topics. The overall problem that we face in today’s society is the number of incidents and fatalities involving road rage/road related incidents. Although people may not know the exact statistics, it is imperative that they are aware of this increasing problem in today’s society. The message and solution to this alarming problem, according to this text is to educate and make aware of the emotions associated with driving.
One particular chapter in this text talks about the three-step driver self-improvement program. According to the text, "Many are surprised to learn that the majority of drivers experience intense emotions in traffic that put them at risk of expressing road rage." (p. 133) From such research, the three-step program was developed. The first step is to acknowledge that every drive has emotions. The second step is to witness or self-observe their own emotions and driving habits. The third and final step is to modify the driving behavior that is dangerous not only to oneself, but to others who share the road.
The three-step self-improvement program is also related to one very important topic, health. By improving one’s driving habits and minimizing the amount of risk on the road, the health risks will also be minimized. According to the text, "Suppressing and expressing anger have similar negative effects because letting it burn in your mind while trying to hide it takes tremendous energy, and neither resolves the corrosive negative attitude that is the source of stress." (p. 80) In other words, watch out because venting and suppressing anger can be harmful to one’s health.
In regards to education and learning, this book brought up many important tools unto which every person can learn from. First the media one of the, if not the, most influential vehicles of learning. Day in and day out many televisions are being watched with much concern. The violence and glamorization of road rage and road related issues presents much a debate of whether or not these type of scenes should be censored. This book talks a lot about how children are easily influenced by these programs. This book gives good examples and reasoning why it is important to educate our children on road safety and management.
In conclusion, as a psychology major, a lot of the information given in this text is really useful in the analyzation process of a particular subject. As psychologist, one must be able to break things down to the simplest and easiest steps in order to make any sense of it all. This book has done an excellent job at doing so. I mostly enjoyed the overall topic of the book, road rage, as well as the many exercises associated with each chapter in the book. The biggest thing that I learned from this text is that every one on the road has emotions, but it is the ones that know what these emotions are and how to manage them will live a happier and more peaceful life. There is only positive things I can say about this book, thus would recommend this book toward teens and adults. I feel as though parents should educate there children about road rage and aggressive driving. I don’t think that children themselves would really comprehend the material in this text. The authors of this book are very insightful and wonderful in their compilation of this text.
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