Collecting
Data On Driver Communication:
How
Drivers Communicate
Introduction:
Communication is an important
part of our every-day life. With respect to driving, communication
on the road is essential in order to prevent accidents. If you have
been driving for a long time, I bet you don't even have to think about
all of the different ways you communicate with others on the road.
For example, while changing lanes you turn your blinker on andif someone
lets you through you wave to say "thank you." On the other hand drivers
who are just beginning to learn this communication (like myself) are learning
about the different forms of communication on the road such as road signs,
using signals, and non-verbal communication. Without
the comprehension, knowledge and application of these types of communication,
accidents can occur on the road. Whether we are driving, walking,
or bicycling on the road we are in constant communication with other road
users. Learning the different types of communication is essential
if you are to be a responsible road user.
In my report, I will explain four different examples
of communication on the road that I have witnessed. I will also share
with you summaries of different reports done similar to this one from previous
generations. I will also include information that I have found from
different sites on the web. Finally, I will give a few suggestions
to future generations who wish to further their knowledge with what I have
found and make their reports even better!
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Situation
#1
when:
Thursday, November 12, 1998
where:
Long's Kaneohe parking lot
in front of the store
what:
I was behind a big, huge
Ford F150 truck riding in the car with my dad sitting in the passenger
seat. We were in front of Long's and the parking lot was a two way
road with traffic going in opposite directions. The truck in front
of us stopped in the middle of the lane to talk to a person driving in
the opposite lane so my dad and I were stuck. We just waited for
them to finish talking while the line of cars behind us got really long.
But, they didn't stop talking! We sat there for a while thinking
that the cars would pull over and talk somewhere else, but they didn't.
Suddenly, a few cars behind us someone honked their horn really loud and
pressed down on it for a long time. Then that car turned the
corner suddenly and drove off while he stuck the middle finger. After
this happened, the two cars that were holding up traffic drove off.
communication
form: honking loudly and
for a length of time, sudden lane
changing, and sticking middle finger
analysis
of situation: This
situation scared me a little and caught me off guard. I have never
seen anyone that mad at another driver before and expressing their anger.
This type of communication seemed to be effective because the cars both
pulled over to the side once they realized that they were taking so long.
I also think that the time this incident took place is an important factor.
I think that around 5-6pm (when most people get off of work) is a really
bad time to be on the road. Not just because there are a lot of cars,
but because many people seem to be in a rush to go home and some are stressed
from a hard days work. Although this communication was effective,
I do not think that honking so loudly and sticking the middle finger was
appropriate. I think that a light tap on the horn would have been
sufficient enough to let the other driver know he was taking too long.
Honking the horn can have a lot of different implications. I think
that honking the horn lightly is a "friendly push." It tells the
driver to hurry or pay attention, but it is not rude like a long, loud
honk. I also think that people in Hawaii use their horn less that
those living in Chicago or New York City where there are way more cars.
This situation could have caused an accident.
People need to have car insurance when driving on the road. There
are many different coverages that people can purchase in case they get
into an accident. On the other hand, just because you have insurance,
it does not mean you can drive any way you want. The best insurance
is to be a safe and responsible driver. Having insurance does not
give you permission to be reckless. To see more information on insurance,
go to: http://www.insuranceman.com/auto.htm
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Situation
#2
when:
Friday, November 13, 1998
where:
on The Bus, riding along Kamehameha Highway in Kaneohe in front of Windward
Mall
what:
I was riding the bus and it was really raining hard. Nobody on the
bus had to get off at the next stop and the people at the next bus stop
didn't have to catch that bus. I saw one person wave to the bus driver
to let him know that he didn't need to stop. The busdriver
waved back and honked his horn.
communication
form: waving and honking
analysis
of situation: I chose
this situation because it is a different form of communication found on
the road. There have been many times that I witnessed people waving
off the busdriver so they don't have to stop and open the door for the
people waiting at the bus stop only to find that nobody needs to get on.
I think that this is a courteous thing to do because it saves the people
on the bus a lot of time. It takes a while for the bus to come to
a complete stop and open it's doors. In return, the bus driver waves
"thank you" and also toots the horn to acknowledge that they have seen
the person waving. I guess this is a good thing once you understand
what the communication form means. A bad example, or case scenerio
would be if someone was waving the bus down to stop and the bus driver
misinterpreted it to mean "go on, you don't need to stop here."
This is a good example how
communication on the road is learned through experience. By catching
the bus often, you will see people doing this a lot and soon you will learn
this way of communicating with the bus drivers. Even new bus drivers
will have to learn this from other bus drivers so that they can understand
the different non-verbal communication happening on the road. This
form of waving communication is specific for Hawaii bus drivers and bus
riders.
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Situation
#3
when:
Thursday, November 17, 1998
where:
Pensacola Avenue in front
of McKinley High School
what:
I was riding in the car
with my boyfriend and we were on our way to Ward Warehouse. We were
in the far left lane and there was a white Mazda van driving next
to us. Suddenly the van tried to cut into our lane without using
their signal. What also made this situation bad is that the driver
almost banged into us because they didn't check to see if the lane was
clear. My boyfriend had to swing over into the lane where there were
parked cars to avoid being hit. The Mazda van went back into it's
own lane and continued driving. My boyfriend was very upset.
He said "F***!" and when he passed by the van he stuck the middle finger
for at least 5 seconds and so the other driver could see him. I was
soooo embarrassed!
communication
form: swearing and sticking
the middle finger
analysis
of situation: Unfourtunately,
this type of communication is seen so often on the road. I have witnessed
it by many young drivers, but I am sure that older drivers have done this
also. It is natural for people to become upset by other drivers on
the road that may not be paying attention to what they are doing or drivers
that are being too aggressive, but I disagree with the swearing and sticking
the middle finger! This type of negative communication can lead to
violence on the road. Why do people act the way they do on the road?
In our class meeting we stated a few possible reasons: 1) gender: in class
we discussed the stereotype of males being more aggressive drivers that
females because of cultural influence 2) different people have different
personalities that cause them to act the way they do 3) choice; you have
a choice of how you want to act out on the road 4) people learn by watching
their role models; it could be tv, your parents, friends, etc.
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Situation
#4:
when:
Friday, November 20, 1998
where:
University Avenue at the
crosswalk near Sinclair Library
what:
I was waiting for my ride
home and there was a man waiting to cross the street. He seemed to
be in a rush because his bus was at the bus stop and he neede to cross
before the bus left. He waited until traffic was reasonably clear
and ran out into the middle of the street. He held his hand up to
the cars that were coming in his direction to let them know he needed to
get across the street. One car honked lightly at him letting him
know it was okay for him to go and that they saw him. Another car
honked loudly and the driver looked very irritated. The pedestrian
told both of the cars thank you by waving his hand and he reached the sidewalk
safely.
communication
form: waving and honking
analysis
of situation: Although
it was very dangerous for the pedestrian to cross that busy street against
the light, I think he did it in a sort of safe way. He made sure
that the cars saw him first before he ran out into the street. The
drivers in the car used their horn as a way of communicating with the pedestrian.
I think this is good because they both used communication on the road.
Again, I think that the way people honk their horn can have different messages.
A light honk is not rude or offensive, but a loud and long honk can signal
irritation or anger. I think that using your horn is a more effective
way of communicating with others on the road rather that the above example
of sticking the middle finger and swearing. Aggressive driving can
cause many accidents on the road. Everyone needs to become aware
of their behavior on the road and change it if it is aggressive towards
others. To see more information on aggressive driving, go to:
http://www.aaafts.org/Text/research/agdrtext.htm#Aggressive
Driving
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Links
to Previous Generations:
Kristin
Subia:
Kristin's report was very
thorough and well written. I enjoyed reading through all of the different
types of communication that can take place on the road. She also
summarized the steps involved in certain types of communcation such as
making turns, changing lanes, yielding the way, tailgating and overtaking,
and racing. She also goes into depth on the effectiveness of various
forms of communication such as vehicular communication, verbal communication,
and gestures and facial expressions. She states, "As drivers, it
is our responsibility to communicate with other drivers. The importance
of this communication is essential to preventing accidents and to maintain
safety for other road users. Every minute that drivers are behind the wheel,
they are engaged in constant social interaction with everyone on the road.
Whether you are a driver, passenger, pedestrian, or a cyclist, you look
for visible signs or gestures to let you know what is going on."
Andrew
Shapiro:
Andrew's report was actually
a self study that he did which he observed a busy 4 way stop for 2 days
at the time between 3-6pm. He uses samples in which drivers approached
the stop simultaneously and then noted down what form of communication
was used to convey which driver was to go first. He noted very aggressive
driving behaviors that people used in order to go first at the stop.
Some of these were: using their vehicle size to get throught he intersection
first or failing to come to a complete stop at the stop sign and pushing
their way through the intersection. Andrew also uses various sources
to compose his report such as U.S News and World Report, California Driver's
Manual, and AAA. His report was very lengthy, but interesting to
read.
Kristin
Evert:
Kristin starts her report
with two of her definitions of "Car Communication" and "Physical Driver
Communication." She then makes some predictions of what types of
driver communication she will find on the road. Her report then lists
all of the different forms of driving communication that she witnessed
driving to and from school on the Pali Highway. Her final point of
her report was most interesting to me. She talks about "R.I.P"
which stands for re-think, implement and practice. These are ways
that you can reform your bad driving habits and to be a safe driver.
To conclude, Ms. Evert adds: "Whatever all you out there decide to do,
remember to drive as safely as you can, because there's people in the world
that care a lot about you, and if you can't do it for yourself, drive safely
for your loved ones. "
Mary
Elizabeth Pacheco:
To begin her report, Ms.
Pacheco states that driving can be a bad experience or a good one depending
on what you make of it. She clearly states that: "Actions speak louder
than words." Ms. Pacheco describes two instances of communication
on the road as a driver and a pedestrian. Unlike the rest of the
reports I have summarized, both of her communication forms were positive,
both including a smile. She also summarizes her finds on the web
and in the library systems. She leaves a final word of advice: "Last
bit of advice, enjoy completing this project and start communicating with
other drivers on the road, with a simple wave or a spoken "thank you."
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Suggestions
to Future Generations:
I think that the only suggestion
that I can offer future generations is to start this report early because
it takes a lot of time to gather all of your data. You can also use
newsgroups and find different postings that talk about driving and how
drivers communicate, comment on it, and put it into your report.
I tried to look up different site on the web to find information that pertained
to my topic, but I was unsuccessful. Maybe in the future there
will be a lot more information out there to learn from.
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Conclusion:
In conclusion, I hope that
you have learned a little about how drivers communicate on the road.
Learning how drivers communicate is an important part of learning how to
be a good driver. It is not just drivers who need to learn this communication.
As a road user, whether you are a pedestrian, cyclist, moped rider, or
driver, it is important to know how everyone communicates and interacts
with each other on the road. You can also take a look at your driving
habits and how you communicate with other drivers. Is your form of
communication effective? Does it promote safety on the road?
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