Chiara McGowan

2/28/01

PSY 409a/1-3:30pm

3-Minute Speech for 2/26/01

Page 52

        One of the main points on this page is that driving in traffic involves events and incidents.  He defines events as normal sequential maneuvers that are usually safe and predictable (like stopping at stop lights or changing lanes).  Incidents are defined as frequent but abnormal events like violent exchanges and beings insulted by other drivers.  They are more unpredictable and can create danger, stress, and crashes.  He also lists fifteen stressors which represent emotional challenges that are common occasions for expressing hostility and aggressiveness on highways and streets.  Two of the stressors it lists are immobility because you are just stuck in the car held down by a seat belt while driving and restrictions because there are many rules and limitations while driving.

        I chose this page because it helps me understand where the anger or rage people feel while driving stems from.  When I first read it I agreed with it.  I found it interesting that all of these frustrating feelings can be so simplified so it makes it easier to analyze so I can solve it.  I feel it relates to the course topic because that is what we are trying to look at right now.  We are trying to figure out where this rage comes from so we can target it and extinguish it.

Page 56

        On this page the main points were made by Roland Maiuro, M.D..  He summarizes that there are three sets of factors that influence aggressive driving:  socioenvironmental factors (population growth and traffic congestion), mental illness factors (anger disorders triggered by pressures of driving), and cultural habit factors (faulty attitudes, inadequate driving skills, lack of education).  He also attempts to profile the drivers most likely to engage in road rage:  males under 26 years of age, the Type A personality, persons with displaced anger or projected rage, the passive-aggressive "Jekyll and Hyde", and the "polite" rule enforcer.

        I chose this page because it gives another view of the causes of road rage.  I pretty much agree on a lot of the characteristics of the typical road rage driver.  I felt that the other factors said a lot of the same things as they discussed on page 52 so it helps to make the theories a little more reliable. I overall agree with everything that was said on this page but I feel that those are the causes to a lot of the problems in society, not just road rage.  This page relates to the course topic because it gives some explanations and warning signs of road rage.

Page 58

        I chose Table 2.2 from this page.  The main point it is trying to make is that men report more aggressive driving behaviors than women in every way.  What I found interesting is that the aggressive driving behavior that the highest percentage of people did was swearing and name calling which was 59% of the men and 57% of the women.  The biggest difference in percentages in the self-reporting of aggressive driving behaviors between the sexes was chasing other cars in hot pursuit, there were 15% of men who had done it and only 4% of the women had done it.  These percentages make sense because everyone does swearing and name calling because it's pretty harmless but there is actual danger involved when chasing a car down and the woman would probably get hurt if she chased down some big guy. 

    I agree that men have more aggressive driving behaviors than women but that is true for many things in society.  Men are the ones who are supposed to stand up for themselves to protect their image and they are more likely to be able to hold their own in physical confrontations.  I feel that this applies to the course topic because it helps you know to what degree each behavior is happening and who is more likely to engage in them.