Outline of My Second Oral Presentation
Ch. 9 Sugar Bear in the Hot zone
This is a presentation of Driving Lessons, by J. Peter Rothe, Published by The University of Alberta Press 2002, pages 122-132
By: Jennifer Higa
Instructions for this report are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonpsy21/409a-g21-oral.htm
I. Institutional sub-systems
a. Institutions are organizations made to help people towards specific goals and direct individuals activities.
b. Economic Sub-System
i. Different individuals way of valuing and spending on auto related expenses.
c. Legal Sub-System
i. The law is the primary enforcer of traffic violators.
ii. Law is sometimes ambiguous.
d. Media Sub-System
i. Can be both positively and negatively influential.
e. Education Sub-System
i. Not reinforced.
II. The Dialectics of Mobility
a. Freedom in relation to driving
i. Freedom meaning movement.
ii. Sometimes can come at a cost.
iii. Driving is the major cause of lives wasted besides warfare.
b. Some statistics on traffic fatalities.
i. 3 million people have died in car accidents since the auto was created.
ii. Leading cause of death for children age 5-14.
iii. Pedestrians and cyclists make up 45% of road deaths.
c. Canada’s beliefs
i. Individual behavior as chief cause of accidents.
ii. Driving is a major factor in environmental pollution.
iii. Government
1. Blinded by the larger picture of societal neglect
2. Industrial malfeasance
3. Political irresponsibility regarding death and injury rates
III. Traffic and Neoliberalism
a. Canada
i. Neoliberalistic approach to traffic safety.
ii. Lack of public support for families. As a consequence there is a high child poverty rate.
iii. Neoliberalism targets “scapegoats and villainous minorities” as the cause of social ills.
iv. Targeting individuals rather than peoples as a group. Tend to focus on certain area problems yet not looking at the whole picture from start to finish.
b. Sweden
i. Swedish model is influence mainly by the government.
ii. Sweden has the lowest child poverty rates.
iii. Government supports family life.
iv. Due to strong government influence, laws and regulations pertaining to traffic, Sweden has some of the safest roads in the world.
My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409af2004/higa/home.htm
Helpful Links: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/traffic_safety/TRWRLD.htm
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/transport/roads/safety.htm