| Instructions for this Report | TEE Cards | Introduction |
| Self-Witnessing Reports | Conclusion | Epilogue |
QDC is an acronym for Quality Driving Circle. It is generally a small group of people who discuss their driving habits and experiences with one another in an effort to become better and more conscientious drivers. A QDC can either be face to face or online in a virtual community. It is designed to make the road a safer place by allowing people to become more aware of their feelings and cognitions while driving. By being more emotionally intelligent, one can reduce their chances of inciting or succumbing to road rage.
I believe that a QDC would be more effective in a virtual setting because getting people together in the same room to talk about driving is a very difficult thing to do due to time constraints and scheduling difficulties. This report is on my experience on a QDC message board. I think that I would have preferred to have it in a listserv format, however, since I would be more likely to continue participating in it since I could just check my e-mail and respond to messages in that format. It would be less hassle and I would be more likely to be a lifelong member of such a group.
QDC's are definitely needed in today's society because of the number of accidents that happen per year on our roads. Participating in this online QDC has helped me to stay calm on the road and that is definitely something that all people could find useful. No one wants to end up being shot at or beat up just because they could not control their temper. We should all value our lives and the lives of others. The biggest problem with a QDC, however, is that people have to want to change in order to effectively participate and most people on our road feel that they drive just fine. Therein lies the problem.
| Exercise 1 | Exercise 2 | Exercise 3 | Exercise 4 | Exercise 5 |
| Exercise 6 | Exercise 7 | Exercise 8 | Exercise 9 | Exercise 10 |
| I'm not sure what to make of the whole "idiot" thing. I try very hard not to label people or jump to conclusions. I also try not to make value judgments. I have definitely been known to drive like an idiot, though. That's why I've made rules for myself about driving. When I was a teenager, I used to love to get in my car and drive when I was really upset about something that generally had nothing to do with driving. I drove like an idiot. So, if I'm upset, I take a walk. I also try to avoid talking on my phone. I also have a rule about singing. I sing, so I get a lot of oxygen, and am therefore a bit more relaxed. I don't get nearly as mad when someone cuts me off if I'm singing. I'm not perfect and I don't expect others to be perfect, either. I get angry. So, I mutter under my breath and sing louder. People look at me real weird sometimes. :-) After taking that survey, it said that I'm in the medium risk category. I can live with that. I've never yelled at anyone on the road or made obscene hand gestures. I rant when I get to my destination. I do this for two reasons. The first is that if I don't let it out somehow, it will eat me up inside. The second is that since I'm at my destination, I'm not driving anymore so I'm not going to endanger anyone on the road. That accident on the freeway with the wrong way driver that started out as a road rage thing certainly makes me happy that I don't feel compelled to yell at people. I hope that makes people more aware of the dangers of road rage. Well, I think that's enough. |
In this exercise I was trying to become aware of my thoughts, feelings, and actions while driving in order to take a road rage risk survey. I discovered that when I drive and I get angry, I try to think about ways of dealing with it so that I don't do anything stupid. What I generally do is sing along with the radio and when I get to my destination, I rant about it then. I feel that my method of coping is so-so, hence my medium risk category for my susceptibility to road rage. I figure that there is always room for improvement. The response that I got to this posting was that the idea of singing along with the radio is good as long as I stay alert and aware of my driving. They also agreed with the fact that emotional stress can be very dangerous when a person is driving. Based on this exercise, I think that I need to work on my feelings while driving so that I don't let my anger get to me and that I should continue singing so that I can just let it go.
| After reading that TEE card about the top 10 aggressive driving behaviors, I think I only regularly do two of them. I tend to speed up when I see yellow lights and I often turn without using my signal, but only when I see that there are no cars behind me. I know that's no excuse, but I'm not perfect. We're supposed to tell our feelings while doing these exercises and I must say that I don't really think I felt anything at all. Driving, as long as no one is yelling at me, is a very mellow flat affect kind of thing for me. While I'm in my car, I guess I feel kind of good since I enjoy driving, but that's usually because I'm not in any kind of rush or anything. If I'm late, I'm late. I'd rather be late and alive than on time and dead. My boyfriend always tell me when a car goes zooming by, "You know, my father would always say that they're in a rush to get to their own funeral." I've been to three funerals in the last month (fortunately, none of them having to do with car wrecks), so I'm in no rush to get to mine. While thinking about these aggressive behaviors, I noticed that I was less likely to do any of them simply because I was thinking about them. I think there's a behavioral term for that but I can't remember for the life of me what that is. Since I started this forum discussion stuff, I've noticed that I spend a lot more time singing in my car than cursing under my breath, though. This is a good thing. As for my thoughts while doing this exercise, I was mainly thinking about how great it would be if everyone had to take a class like this. It would probably make the road a safer place. |
In this exercise, I was trying to pay attention and take not of every time I performed an aggressive behavior, such as tail-gating or turning without using my turn-signal. I honestly do not remember feeling much of anything because I was focusing so much on my behavior. Because of this attention to my behavior, I think that it introduced an observation bias because I knew that I was being watched. Therefore, I performed the aggressive behaviors less. I do remember that while I was observing myself, I was thinking that everyone should take a class like this. Really paying attention to my behavior was very useful in determining what I need to work on when it comes to driving. The response I received to this message was that they agreed with the fact that being aware of your emotions can make driving a safer experience and they also felt that everyone should take a class like this. I definitely think that it is important for me to continue watching myself for aggressive behavior and since I only seem to have a problem with a couple of them, I will have more energy to devote to working on just those behaviors.
| The only thought on that list of aggressive driving thoughts was the one about noticing whether someone makes me slam on the brakes. It's kind of hard NOT to think about that, since it's usually only necessary to avoid a collision. Having to avoid danger is definitely something that anyone would think about, not just aggressive drivers. All the other stuff is not important to me. I really don't care how many people I pass or how many people pass me. I'm just singing along with the radio and getting from point A to point B. I may speed occasionally and speed up at yellow lights, but I don't consider myself to be aggressive in any way. This shows in my personality outside of my car, as well, I think. :-) |
This exercise focused on paying attention to the thoughts going on in my head while I was driving. I determined that when I am driving, I usually think about things other than driving. The only thing that I really pay attention to is when I have to slam on my brakes because I do not want to rear end anyone, so I tend to focus on that. It does not make me actually angry, but I do tend to focus on it. Because that was the only thing that I focused on, I learned that I should probably follow people further back so that I have plenty of time to slow down if they slam on their brakes for whatever reason. The only response I got was someone telling me that they do not blame the person in front of them if they have to slam on their brakes since they probably had a reason to slam on theirs, which came across (due to the lack of emoticons) as rather self-righteous. I felt that the person obviously did not understand my posting since I was only concerned about slamming on my brakes because I did not want to rear-end anyone. This exercise made me aware that I need to continue to pay attention to my thoughts while driving in order to better control myself. It is very useful to know what I think about since more often than not, I drive on auto-pilot.
| I feel quite proud of myself. I had 3 "sometimes" and 7 "nevers" when I rated myself. I had 2 "sometimes" and 8 "nevers" when passengers rated me. So, I guess that means I'm in control and not prone to road rage. As I watched myself, I realized that I am a relatively calm person. I find this rather amusing, since I think that I'm a rather emotive person under other circumstances. I think the reason for that is that when I deal with other people on a personal or communicative level, I express feelings. However, when I'm driving, there is no effective way and, in my opinion, no reason, to express my feelings to the other people on the road. I don't know the cars around me and they don't know me, so why should I get mad at them? I only get mad at people I care about and that are important to me. Aside from avoided accidents, I really don't care about the people around insomuch as what kind of a day they're having. I don't want them to get killed or injured, but I don't care about their personal lives. Driving is one of the places that I feel like I can actually exert a decent amount of control in my life. It's not as easy to do that with interpersonal relationships. |
This exercise had to do with determining how often I perform certain aggressive behaviors. It was different from the previous one in that I rated myself and then I had a passenger, in this case, my sister, rate me as well. According to both my sister and me, I do not do a lot of these aggressive behaviors, which is a good thing. In fact, my sister told me that being a passenger in the car when I am driving is fun because we can sing together and I do not get psychotic like her boyfriend does. Since my evaluation and my sister's evaluation of my driving are pretty similar, I think I have a decently accurate perception of how I drive. I did not receive any comments to this post from anyone else on the board. I found it very useful to have someone else's opinion. It keeps things in perspective, so I will continue to ask the people around me for feedback on my driving.
| The TEE card was talking about how different affective things lead to cognitive things which lead to sensorimotor things or behavior. I think that these connections were very relevant and true. When I'm thinking positively or when I have a positive affect, I notice that I drive much more safely. When I was driving over the weekend, I tried to focus on my mood. When I made sure that I was in a good mood, I drove carefully and responsibly. If I ever fell into a bad mood, which I tried very hard not to do, I was less likely to signal and more likely to speed. When I'm on the road, I try always to be attentive and respectful of others on the road. I'm very aware that I'm not the only person who has to get somewhere. We are all trying to get somewhere. That's why we're driving, theoretically. When I actively think about safety, I'm much more likely to remember all the safety things that I was taught when I learned how to drive. My having a good mood and safe thoughts, I'm a careful, responsible driver and I think that's definitely something to be proud of. |
In this exercise, I was actively trying to control my affective domain (feelings) in order to determine how it affected my driving. I determined that my mood definitely affected my driving. When I was happy, I drove more safely and was less likely to get emotionally stressed. When I was in a bad mood, I noticed myself exhibiting more aggressive behaviors. I also determined that thinking about safety made me more likely to drive safely. I received several responses, agreeing with me about the fact that mood affects driving. I also got several reinforcing words of encouragement about how well I was able to control myself. A couple of people also noted that actively thinking about safety is a very good idea. I hope to continue to drive while in a good mood and if I do happen to be in a bad mood, I will do my best to change it so that I am not an aggressive driver.
| As I read through the various methods to keeping my temper in check, I realized that I already do most of them. I try not to jump to conclusions about why someone acts or drives the way they do. I don't make funny noises in the car, but I do sing in the car a lot, which makes me happy and usually amuses the people around me, as well. Counting to ten doesn't work for me. It never did. I think I associate counting to ten with my mother being really upset with me for something, and that if I didn't shape up in those ten counts, then I'd really be in trouble. I don't want to feel like I'm being punished in any way in my car. That only makes traffic that much more stressful and upsetting. I almost always wave or shaka if someone lets me in or whatever. In fact (and this is somewhat counter productive) sometimes I actually get pissed off if I let someone in and they don't wave a thank-you at me. But then I just keep in mind that they probably weren't brought up with manners like I was and that makes me feel pretty damned good about myself. |
This exercise involved using different anger management techniques. Instead of making funny noises, I sing, and instead of jumping to conclusions about other drivers, I tried to realize that there could be a good reason for the other person driving badly. I also found that conscious breathing is a very useful tool in averting bad behavior. However, counting to ten just stressed me out more. One person suggested that I try counting in a foreign language and another person agreed that different techniques work in different ways for different people. My favorite technique is definitely singing and I will continue to do so in order to keep myself calm and in control.
| This three step program in behavior modification is an interesting one. It has certainly proven to be very useful for me. I consider myself to be a reasonably okay driver, but certainly not excellent. I make a lot of mistakes. I'm afraid to drive too fast or too slow. I'm afraid of changing lanes. Those are just two of my many errors. Acknowledging that I'm not perfect isn't that hard for me. Many things have happened in my life that have proven to me and those around me that I'm not perfect and that there's ALWAYS room for improvement. In my opinion, anyone who thinks that they don't need to learn anything are the dumbest ones of all, but that's just a side note. The second step, which was taking in stock in my not so great behavior, was relatively easy, as well. I kept a piece of paper in my glove compartment with different "offenses" written on it. AFTER I got to my destination, I'd just make little ticks under all the ones that I did. So, that way I'd know exactly what to work on. The final step, change the behavior, is still going on and probably will continue to do so until I die or stop driving, whichever comes first. I honestly believe that learning to be a responsible driver is something that needs to be continually worked on and I hope to do that... |
This exercise involved a three step behavior modification program. The first step is to acknowledge that a change is needed. This is probably the hardest step for most people since no one want to admit that they need to change. All people could use improvement nd I am no exception. One thing that I did in order to make it easier to believe was saying that I needed improvement out loud. The second step is to take stock of my aggressive behaviors. While I was driving, I made mental notes and then when I got to my destination, I took out a piece of paper and made little tick marks next to all the bad behaviors that I performed. It was very useful to have a quantitative measure of what I needed to work on. The third step involves actually changing the behavior. This is an on-going process and I am still working on it today. This step will continue forever. Many people agreed with me that learning should always occur no matter how old we are. It was also mentioned that we should apply these techniques to all aspects of our lives and not just driving. It was suggested to me that I should have someone else evaluate me, as well. As I said before, changing the way you drive in an on-going process and behavior modification is a useful way to do this. I will very likely continue to do this and I will try to figure out a way to put some positive reinforcement in there somehow.
| I'm sorry, but s**t like this really pisses me off! When I read about things involving senseless violence, I get very noticeably ANGRY. I supposed I really shouldn't let it get to me, but I can't seem to help it. I react this way to television and movies, as well. I actually read the TEE card two days ago and when it made me feel angry, I felt compelled to not write anything because I thought I would probably be able to think better and express myself more efficiently if I took a day or two to breathe. It is truly sad and pathetic that such events occur on a regular basis. I'm happy to say that I'm pretty good about avoiding confrontation when I'm on the road and there are certain things that I can do to make it stay that way. Basically, I like the fact that I'm alive and I have no desire to cut this bizarre life short for any reason. Some moron hitting my car is not something that I would be willing to die for. It's just a car. It's an inanimate machine. I'm alive, thinking, feeling, and all that, so I don't think that an inanimate object is worth giving all that up. I am very aware that some people would certainly disagree with that, and that's their problem, I guess. I would hate to think that they would die, though. No matter how stupid or immature someone might be, I would never wish death on them. As the TEE card points out, there are many ways to avoid situations like this one. The easiest way for me to avoid road rage, though, is to just let it go. I never make eye contact with other drivers because I'm terrified that they might have a gun and kill me or beat me up or something. And I certainly wouldn't go chasing someone who hit me. If my car was still capable of working and someone hit me and took off, I'd call the cops, try and describe the car, and just deal with it. Retaliation isn't worth my life. Then there's the whole stupid idea of carrying around a concealed weapon. Who in their right mind would do such a stupid thing?! My boyfriend is from Texas and he tells me that it's a very dangerous place in some areas. I don't doubt that for a minute, but if I'm carrying a gun, chances are that the person I'm mad at is carrying one, as well. In that case, I should just get away and save myself. Life is precious. Don't throw it away. |
In this exercise, I primarily just responded to an article describing an incident of road rage which ended in unnecessary death. Reading the article made me extremely angry, which is very obvious in the tone of my post. I even waited two days before posting because I did not want my emotions to take over. Obviously, it did not work very well. The article reinforced my idea that nothing on the road is worth losing my life over. I am very happy to be alive and I thank God every day that I am, so the whole idea of throwing away our gift of life over a fender-bender makes me very sad. I hope that those around me are sensible enough to avoid losing their heads since it could possibly lead to their losing their lives. I got one response from someone saying that they were happy to be living in Hawaii, since there seems to be less road rage here. They also pointed out that carrying a concealed weapon is illegal. However, I do not think that really makes a difference. Someone might have one anyway. The person who responded suggested that we should make sure that we do not have a gun in the car and that we should not get out of the vehicle for a confrontation. Even without reading this article, I knew that confrontation can be extremely dangerous. I value my life and I think that all people should learn to feel that way. Avoiding confrontation is probably our best bet.
| Okay, I don't really watch television, so that's why it's taken me so long to write this one. I go to the movies and I rent anime. It took two or three weeks before I actually encountered something with driving since the anime I watch is usually the type with no vehicles other than horses or mythical flying creatures. On top of that, I refuse to watch television just to watch people driving stupidly and all that. I think that TV is an insult to a person's intelligence and I'm too busy to find that insult acceptable in my daily life. And the movies I've been going to haven't had any driving. Finally, though, on Friday night I went to see "Wonderboys," and fortunately for me and this class, a lot of the movie took place in a car. In fact, the car was one of the important parts of the story in a rather roundabout way. And it is PERFECT for talking about drivers behaving badly.
Michael Douglas(s?) is the main character, who's a writer and university professor. He's writing a book that's not going anywhere and he has blackouts probably due to some incredible stress or something. First of all, when he's driving, whether alone or with a passenger, he's almost always smoking a joint. He spends most of the movie stoned out of his mind. So, there's an example of DUI in a movie. Second, when he's driving and he's got someone in the passenger seat, he's usually talking a lot. (Pot does that, I think. Make you talkative.) But instead of keeping his eyes on the road and talking, he feels the need to make eye contact on a regular basis, thus taking his already bad, chemically altered attention away from the road. Those are the two main things that he does while in a car. (I won't even go into the fact that he's got a dead dog in the trunk!) It was a very good movie, however, but that's not related to his poor driving. Needless to say, he does not portray a good role model for driving in this movie, but in what movie can we find someone who is? |
I had to find an example in a television show or some other media of a driver behaving badly. Then I had to try and identify as many of them as I could. I chose the movie "Wonderboys" because a lot of the movie takes place in a car. The main character exhibits two main behaviors: driving under the influence on marijuana and other drugs and maintaining prolonged eye contact with his passengers. This movie was a perfect example of the fact that characters in movies serve as very poor role models, which is probably why kids are so messed up when they finally get behind the wheel. Between the media and their parents who already have their own bad behaviors, it is a wonder that kids get anywhere alive these days. The one response I got was a very adamant message about the fact that he/she will not, under any circumstances, make eye contact with a driver when they are a passenger. This way, the driver will keep his or her eyes on the road, which is very important in staying out of accidents. It is very important to realize that television can give us bad messages, so when my son and I watch television, I try to point out all the people behaving badly, so that he does not get confused when he gets older. Also, when I drive with him in the car, I try especially hard to be a good role model for him.
| I have to admit, doing these QDC forum discussions has made me much more patient while driving in my car as well as in other places. I still get angry when I drive if someone cuts me off or something, but I'm a lot less likely to act on that anger. I don't tail-gate or yell out the window. I never did much before, anyway, but I used to WANT to a lot more. Now, I just keep singing in the car and let it pass. It allows me to get to wherever I'm going in a much calmer, happier mood. As I was reading this last TEE card talking about the fact that most people who make mistakes while driving are not actually out to get in my way, I was thinking about that joke, "Just because you're not paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you." :-) The people on the road don't know me and I don't know them, so how could they possibly be trying to personally upset me? It's a very useful way of thinking about things. These strategies really help me keep from inciting road rage situations. Thank goodness. |
In the final exercise, I thought back over the past semester to see if doing these forum discussions actually made a difference or not in how I manage my anger while driving. I believe that I have become more patient and get to my destination in a much better mood because I have a better understanding of myself and the drivers around me. Since this was my last post, I did not receive any comments. I honestly hope that I can continue to manage my anger on the road since it makes me feel a lot better about things and it lessens my everyday stress.
I think that I changed a lot doing these exercises, but there is still much room for improvement. As the semester progressed, I felt that I became less and less resistant to change. While I may not continue to post on the message board, I think that I will always keep the things that I have learned in this forum at the front of my mind. I definitely think that this class would be useful for others, as well. According to their posts, many of my classmates agree with me on this. As I read the posts of the other students, I definitely got the impression that some of them actually cared about changing their driving and that some were just trying to get by and make a decent grade in the class. I also thought that, much like me, some of the other students started off very resistant, but then they became more and more open as time passed.
At first I did not have many feelings about participating in the online QDC. Initially, I felt that it was a mostly a hassle with little value, but after the first one or two exercises, I quickly changed my mind about its usefulness. I also felt a little wary about sharing my thoughts and feelings with others, since I have always been somewhat afraid of what others think of me. I was afraid that I would be insulted or laughed at, but I soon learned that everyone on the board was encouraging and respectful. It felt really good to offer advice, suggestions, and positive reinforcement to the other people in the group. I feel that my greatest contribution was that I was always open and honest and not just saying what I thought that others would want to hear.
QDC's are definitely useful when taken seriously and when there is a true desire for change. I feel that it has changed me and the way I drive in a very positive way. Writing this report about QDC's has also been very useful since it has allowed me to organize the information in a more coherent way. Also, by explaining it to others, it helps me understand it better. I definitely believe that this exercise will help me be a better driver. We all must keep learning and changing every day. Change is the only constant in the world, in my opinion. There is always room for improvement. I think that QDC's should be a prerequisite in getting a driver's license. Although it would be a forced class and people may not want to change, it will at least give them something to think about.
Learning to focus on, differentiate between, and bring together the three domains of driving presented the biggest challenge to me. It was important to focus on how the affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor domains interacted with each other, but at the same time, it was also very important to be able to understand them and focus on them on an individual level in order to make the necessary changes in behavior. I experienced many changes in all three domains while participating in the virtual QDC. In the affective domain, I felt happier and wanted to learn to be a better driver. In the cognitive domain, I acquired more tools to learn how to control my feelings, thoughts, and actions, so that I can avoid driving dangerously and hurting other people around me. In the sensorimotor domain, I tail-gate less and sing more. :-)
I think there are a couple of ways to make this experience even better for students taking this class. First, when someone responds to your initial post, respond back, if it is called for, so that you can start a dialog about what you are posting about. This way, there will be better understanding about what is being discussed. Second, instead of having ten exercises, maybe doing five would be sufficient, so that more in depth discussion could occur. With more specific information, students can do a report about more specific aspects of learning to drive more safely by participating in QDC's.
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