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INSTRUCTIONS Introduction Berna Collada Holly Ishikawa Kathy Teruya Carolyn Ballatico |
Moral Implications My Behavior Conclusion Epilogue |
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Tailgating. I love tailgating. Doesn’t everyone? I make the best sandwiches and bring a big laundry basket full of beer so we never run out. Oh, wait a minute. We are talking about the other kind of tailgating. Sorry, sometimes I just have a one track mind.
Anyway, what the issue at hand is tailgating while in your car. Dr. James suggests that one possible theory of why people participate in this annoying (not to mention dangerous) activity. He says it could be that people are attempting to force their will on other drivers. He may be right. I have looked at some opinions of the students of prior generations and I will discuss them with you.
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This girl does not like being tailgated at all. She says that it really scares her (feelings). She thinks that people who tailgate are stupid (thoughts). When being tailgated, she slows down in order to annoy the other driver (behavior). She says that she thinks she is teaching them a lesson and feels that their driving behavior needs to be modified (thoughts & feelings). She says that this technique works for her. I have to agree that I think this is a good idea. I have done it before and it seems like it makes the other person think twice. How do they know if I am going to slam on the brakes? They don’t, and that is the point that I am trying to get across.
Ms. Ishikawa says that she feels very nervous when being tailgated (feelings). It happened to her one time and it made her feel intimidated by the other driver (feelings). She did not waste her energy by getting angry though (behavior). She stated that she felt that they were not worth giving the time of day to. She says that when being tailgated, she is preoccupied with the other driver’s actions. She feels the need to drive faster (feelings). She thinks that a possible reason for tailgating is to get even with someone who has wronged you while on the road (thoughts). She feels that this behavior is very disrespectful and cannot be justified. Although sometimes she does tailgate others like when she is in a hurry (behavior). Also, she sometimes does it unconsciously. She states that there are alternatives to tailgating and most of the time people do it by choice (thoughts).
Ms. Teruya has a strong opinion on this particular subject. She says she absolutely HATES being tailgated (feelings). If she has to stop suddenly, she always checks her mirrors (behavior). I think this is due to a bad experience that she shares in her report. She was trying to get onto the freeway and the person behind the car behind hers didn’t have room to stop. This caused her to be involved in a four car accident. She knows that she can trust her own instincts but now is not so sure about other drivers (thoughts). She agrees with the theory that it is an attempt to force her will over other drivers. She has done it before knowing it was illogical but the person had made her very angry (behaviors & feelings). She says that people in general really need to gain emotional control while in the car. I agree with her because I have gotten so mad at stupid shit sometimes while driving.
Ms. Ballatico brings up a good point. She says that there is a legal aspect when people cause a dangerous situation by tailgating. She thinks that it is a form of violating someone else’s rights (thoughts). It seems to her that these tailgaters are trying to claim territory (thoughts). She says that tailgating is a sign of the times, i.e.. impatience, greed, and aggression. She states that tailgating can make you feel better sometimes but it is still wrong (thoughts & feelings). She goes on to say that this behavior is self-serving and people do it due to an ego thing (thoughts). All in all, tailgating is a negative behavior (thoughts).
I really got a kick out of reading this paper. Ms. Lujan has added a touch of humor as she reports on prior generations. She says that if everyone would attempt to be better drivers, we would probably have lower incidences of reckless driving behavior (thoughts). She says that tailgating is a dangerous and unnecessary practice (thoughts). Tailgating, according to her opinion, is wrong because it puts stress on other drivers (thoughts). She also brings up a good possible reason for tailgating. She says that it is an emotional thing and these drivers could have other underlying problems (thoughts). She also states that she doesn’t care for tailgaters (feelings). She thinks that they only think and care about themselves (thoughts). These drivers think that they are the only ones who have somewhere to go (thoughts).
IS IT A FORCE OF WILL ON OTHER DRIVERS?
I think that this very well could be an explanation of why people tailgate. Maybe we should consider that the reason for the behavior could be unconscious. If we look at it this way, we should definitely be wary of self-reports. In my opinion, the reason for tailgating is different for all individuals. Some people could care less while being tailgated while others wish that they had a gun. Some people even are amused by it. When tailgating others, individuals reports on feelings will vary. Some people do it intentionally for no reason at all. Some people so it to exact revenge on other drivers. Others will tailgate without even realizing what they are doing. This is why I’m not sure that we can point to one specific cause for this behavior because there are so many variables to consider. But no matter what reason we have that we can justify to ourselves, we need to remember that tailgating is wrong and also quite dangerous.
Do I think tailgating is ethical? I am not sure that I would label tailgating as unethical. Rather, I would call it immoral. When tailgating., you are causing anxiety to a person that you don’t even know. You can never tell what another is thinking, but I doubt very much that the person being tailgated is sitting in their car saying to themselves "Isn’t that nice of that person to ride up my ass". Is tailgating fair? Probably not. But it also isn’t fair to drive slow in the fast lane either. In fact, it is illegal. If you aren’t driving in the fast lane then of course it isn’t fair. But you know what? Life isn’t fair.
Is it justifiable? I highly doubt it. If you were stopped by the police for tailgating, do you really think that the cop will let you go after you explain how your behavior was justified? Whether or not you justify it to yourself it still is not a nice thing to do.
Is it spiritually wrong? I am not a very spiritual person so I really couldn’t tell you. I have to say though that in reading some prior generations reports I thought that some of the things people said were pretty ridiculous. People said things like God will punish you for tailgating and if you stop tailgating, you will be redeemed. I personally think that is a bunch of bullshit. If I were to get into my car with the specific intention in my head that I wanted to cause an accident involving innocent people that I didn’t even know, then I think that I would deserve repercussions from God (not to mention the police). But being that most of us are not sociopaths, I don’t think this kind of thing happens very often.
Is it convenient? I don’t think it is in any way convenient. I think it is stupid and dangerous. Sometimes I really don’t understand why people are always in such a hurry anyway. If you get to where you are going five or ten minutes late, so what! The world is not going to come crashing down around you because of it, trust me. Anyway, it is better to get there late than not at all because you were in an accident and are in the hospital.
I, myself, do not tailgate anymore. It makes me nervous because in front might stop suddenly. Like I said before, you never know what other drivers are going to do. When being tailgated, I always wonder where they could possibly be going in such a hurry. I try to change lanes to get out of their way. If I cannot change lanes and they are still tailgating me, I will try and let them see that there is a reason for my not moving, such as a car in front of me. If they still persist then I get mad and yell at them. Then I will make hand gestures that are saying to them "Where would you like me to go _____? I have nowhere to go." (the blank space is where I fill in a few choice words which I will keep to myself. HA HA HA). If I am in a hurry and someone is driving too slow in the fast lane, I use alternate methods such as flashing my high beams at them. This does not work very well here in Hawaii. Maybe people here don’t know what it means.
The best thing to do while on the road is to BE PATIENT. We are only wasting valuable energy when we let other people get to us. We cannot change what we cannot control. I also think that individual behavior is based on a number of factors. There could be any number of reasons why a person wants to get ahead of you on the road. Maybe they have to go to the bathroom really bad. Perhaps they aren’t feeling well and need to vomit. Maybe they had a bad day and just want everyone out of their way. I am not sure but I don’t think that we will ever come to a conclusive answer. Behavior exhibited while driving is constantly changing. How can we ever measure this reliably. Perhaps future generations can be asked to keep a journal. They could record their behavior and the reasons why they behaved that way. The more extensive this is, the better the outcome of the research. I hope they will be able to reference back to our generation’s reports so they can gather more data/ The more people discuss these issues, the more information we will have in this area. This will benefit future generations for years to come.
I enjoyed writing this report. It gave me a chance to look at other people’s reports and make comments on them. I think this has made me more aware of my own behavior while driving. I don’t consider myself to be a very calm driver at all but I am becoming more aware and do think before I act or react. This is a valuable lesson not only in driving but in all aspects of our lives.
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