This book is divided into the following three parts: The Conflict Mentality (Ch. 1-4), Driving Psychology (Ch. 5-9), and the Future of Driving (Ch. 10-12). In this section, I will identify the major topics from each part.

This chapter introduces a brief synopsis of the concept Road rage. To no surprise, I learned that the popular media coined this term. This is just one of the many types of rage that is emotionally charged by anger, which leads to aggressive behavior. Other types of rage that I found alarming were surf rage, air rage, and keyboard rage. An operational definition has yet to be agreed upon because the intensity and degree of road rage and aggressive driving falls under a wide rage of acts and behaviors. The book gives many personal experiences of road rage and aggressive driving. Road rage does not discriminate across gender and culture. The authors show that the road rage phenomenon is occurring all over the world.

Furthermore, this chapter also deals with the importance of culture and why we should recognize how it influences aggressive behavior in our everyday lives. In 1996 at the National Women’s Political Caucus, Sharon Rodine noted, "Culture influences the level of intolerance and violence by promoting and supporting the acceptance of aggressive behavior." She uses wrestling as an example of how our society has become desensitized by "violence, insults, and enraged acts . . ." (p. 28). Cultural norms need to be scrutinized. Debra Tannen uses the example of "the use of war metaphors" to describe "bad drivers." Some metaphors include, "Sunday driver, road warrior, and airhead," which in turn make "opposition the norm" (p. 29). Today’s children are learning this type of negative behavior. Luckily, this book offers many solutions to this problem.

Aggressive driving can greatly affect one’s mental health. The act of driving gives us a sense of freedom and independence. It can temporarily solve our problems. However, when combined with emotional feats, the act of driving can trigger a great deal of stress and arouse strong feelings of anger. The book lists fifteen different conflicting areas of driving that set off stressors. Some of these areas include, "Immobility, Restriction, and Regulation" (p. 53). Anger is the most common emotion in aggressive behavior and must be dealt with in order to overcome road rage and aggressive driving.

This chapter introduces three different types of road rage, which are all emotionally charged: "Passive-Aggressive," "Verbal," and "Epic." The passive-aggressive driver is intentionally inconsiderate of other drivers. A classic example of this type of behavior is when you are waiting for a parking stall and the driver is intentionally taking their time to leave. This type of road rage can be just as hazardous compared to more violent kinds because you never know what the driver is capable of. Another example of passive-aggressive drivers are the "Left-lane Bandits." These drivers tend to drive at a slower rate in the fast lane. At times, they will intentionally block traffic by driving along side another car to prevent others from passing. In Hawaii, we call it a "Portuguese Road Block."

Verbal road rage is another type that deals with consistent complaints by a driver about his or her environment—traffic, road signs, and other drivers. This type of road rage can be expressed mentally, through the driver’s "internal dialogue," and through actual spoken words. Verbal road rage can lead to a more serious, violent type—Epic road rage. Epic road rage involves intense acts toward another person. An example of this type of rage is chasing another driver with the intent to physically harm him or her.

Emotional Intelligence is a quality that a person must acquire in order to overcome his or her aggressive behavior. As an alternative to going off the deep end and allowing a small situation to accelerate, a person with emotional intelligence is equipped with the right tools to control his or her situation. There are a couple techniques that anyone can use to overcome their aggressive behavior. First, one must recognize that there is a problem. Then, that person can utilize relaxation techniques and regularly monitor their thoughts. Unfortunately, since we live in a society that condones aggressive driving through cultural norms, it is a difficult to execute. That is why it is important to get an early start in education programs in the school system.

As I pointed out earlier, road rage and aggressive driving does not discriminate across culture and gender. Furthermore, it does not discriminate against age. Each of the topics that I have introduced so far points out how and why it is important to recognize the signs of aggressive behavior. Since anger is emotionally charged, it is natural for all ages to be affected by it. Children learn negative driving behavior from watching their parents. Teenagers start driving at an age when they are not emotionally mature enough to drive. Older adults are at risk because of all the myths that go along with ageism. Today’s drivers must take the initiative to implement a lifelong driver’s program.

A lifelong driver’s education program is a great solution to society’s road rage and aggressive driving problem. The authors introduce the graduated licensing program, which consist of a process that one must go through to obtain a driver’s license. This section introduces other programs such as, "Quality Driving Circles QDC’s," "Driver-ZED," and the "Roadrageous." "QDC’s" are driver’s support groups. These groups allow people to get together to help each other grow as healthy drivers. "Driver-ZED" is an interactive CD ROM that enables people to drive in simulated situations. "Roadrageous" is a video course program that was designed by Dr. James to educate drivers on behavior self-modification techniques.

The United States is a country that caters to its people. No matter how hard some people may want to fight the Road rage and aggressive driving problem the only real solution is to adapt. We live in a consumer based Society that offers a tremendous amount of car accessories that contribute to car accidents, such as car or cell phones. This book constantly refers to education and techniques as solutions. One technique is to practice

talking on a cell phone while driving. This act is still very dangerous. However, if you are a driver and if you are going to continue using your cell phone while driving then this is a good technique to utilize. This is just one small step in a very long process.

"Road Rage and Aggressive Driving" presents many problems as well as solutions. Negative behavior or anger is at the root of all problems presented in this book. Some specific problems include learned negative behavior by children and lack of emotional awareness. I discussed some solutions to these problems earlier, but I will try to

elaborate a little further. It is important for adults to realize that children are like sponges. They absorbed all our habits—good and bad. As role models, parents need to be aware of their emotions. A solution to this is to develop emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence allows us to utilize techniques in certain situations that is harmful to our well-being.

Once a person is able to recognize the early signs of negative behavior or anger then they can apply a three Step Behavior Modification technique, which consists of the following steps "Acknowledge that every driver needs traffic Emotions training, Witness your actual behavior while driving by systematically observing your thoughts, and Modify the behaviors that you want to change one at a time" (p. 133-134). QDC’s can also help drivers to encourage each other to be aware of their own emotions. Earlier, I also mentioned the graduated licensing program, which educates young drivers in progressive steps to obtain their full license. All of these solutions cannot only decrease the number of accidents, it can also breed emotionally intelligent and healthy drivers.

This book is relevant to public concern because aggressive driving and road rage affects everyone—drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. Another issue that the public should be concerned about is how the media portrays violent behavior. Since I have a background in psychology I tend to be more observant of what is going on in my environment. I have two three-year-old nephews and some of the cartoons that I have watched with them are extremely violent. They both have the tendency to imitate what they watch on TV. Sometimes it can be a little disturbing. Especially, when they talk about killing and shooting each other and other people. I already caught one kid trying to jump off a high counter because he thought that he could fly like superman. This book can be used an educational tool to help people understand their environment.

This book contains a great deal of informative statistics. The endnotes and the bibliography can be useful for future reports on this subject matter. I found the index extremely detailed. A thorough index makes finding things much more convenient. What I found very useful was the exercises and tests. I took some and here are the results:

Your Road Rage Tendency (Ch. 1, p. 40-42) This exercise contains a list of yes or no questions. You circle your answers, and then add up your score. I received a 7, which indicates that I have moderate road rage habits.

Your Range of Hostility (Ch. 3, p. 81-82) This is a checklist that consists of twenty questions that rise in a range from milder forms to extreme violence. I went all the way up to question 10, "Making visible obscene gesture at another driver."

Random Acts of Kindness for Drivers (Ch. 8 p. 178) I like this exercise because you can actually use in on the road. The exercise starts off by performing one random act of kindness on your next three trips. The purpose of this exercise is to show people that being kind can be contagious. It is more worth while than feeling stressed on the road.

For my oral presentation, I had to present Chapter 9 Lifelong Driver Education. I was very excited when I found out what my topic was on because of my history with driving. I feel that this is the most important chapter because it offers solutions to a world wide problem. Here is a powerful quote that really caught my attention from that chapter:

Seeing the numbers on paper is very alarming. Every time I get into a car I keep this quote in mind because one of these days someone I know maybe a part of this statistic. I've made a conscious effort to let all my loved ones know about the dangers of road rage and aggressive driving and solutions.

The following web sites are book reviews and relate sites that I found interesting: