The site assigned for my 15 minute oral was titled Capital Beltway Update: Beltway User Focus Groups, Final Report. It was authored by The US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Also known as NHSTA. The site was dated April 1998.

2) Site Navigation:  Take a few minutes to click on all the links, just glancing at the page. Don't skip any links, including Contacts, Site Information, Articles, Related Links, etc. If there is a search engine, use it with a few words to see what you get.

Navigating on this site was fairly simple. The site itself is based on one page. Below the title of the report there is the table of context. Each title is linked to that area on the page. The whole page itself is 73 pages long. I found this out when I tried to print the page on the soc lab.

This page is on a report done on the Capital Beltway Update: Beltway User Focus Groups in April of 1998. the format of the page is done in a form a formal report. The following sections were included in the paper:

Detailed Findings

I was rather disappointed in this site it did not include contacts, other articles, related links or a search engine. Through out the paper the author often compared the 1998 study with the study that was done in 1994. I was also disappointed that there was not a link to the results of that report. When I scrolled down to the end of the page it did not include the references. The last line of the page read Appendix B Beltway Truck Driver Discussion Guide·. And nothing else. It gave me the impression that someone either forgot to upload the whole page or the page was outdated.

Another disappointment I had about this site was that after I went through the site I still did not have a clear idea of what exactly was the Capital Beltway. Through this page I came to the assumption that it was a heavily used road way. But I did not know what state it was in. since this site did not have other links or a search engine, I went to the google search engine and did a search. The first word that I searched was Beltway. The results from that search was pages on the Beltway Boys or the Beltway railroad track. Then I typed in Capital Beltway it resulted in pages other studies done on the Beltway. After picking some at random I found a site that had a map of the Capital beltway. From this map I was able to why the Capital Beltway was such a busy highway. It is the meeting area for 4 interstates highways. Those four highways make a loop and create 6 other interstate highways within it. By using the Capital Beltway a driver is able to travel from one part of the counrty to the other side while staying on a major highway in the most direct route. A second feature that the map explains the congestion that occurs on the Capital Beltway is that there are several major sites around or within the Beltway. Some of these sites included the Union Station, National Airport and various businesses along side the highways.

3) Overall Interest:  How interesting was it to navigate the site? Did you get a mental map of the site, its layout, and its content? How extensive is it?

This page was easy to navigate since there was only one page. I would suggest that on the table of contents the author of this page include a brief summary of the section it was going to link to. With so much information in on if would be helpful to know what each topic was about.

I was able to create a mental map fairly quickly because there was only one page to this website. But with only one page I was overwhelmed by the amount of information that was given at once.

4) General Content:  What was the general content and purpose of this site? Who or what organization sponsors and authors the site?

As for the general content of this page, This reportâs main purpose was to reassess Beltway Drivers; perceptions of problems they experience on the Beltway and to document their reactions to suggestions to possible improvements. The second goal was to assess motorists awareness of the "Smooth Operatorâ program which aims at reducing unsafe driving incidences. The last goal was to explore the topic of aggressive driving

In the study drivers from three commercial truck companies participated in the study. This study was done in 1994 and two of the companies that participated in the 1998 study. The companies were Roadway express, North AmericanVan Lines, and Skippyâs Trucking. 52 drivers participated in this study. Of those 52 drivers each were both audio and video taped whiled they were driving on company time and interviewed and observed during discussion group.

5) Specific Content:  Select one or two articles and present their content. Be sure to evaluate or critique the points you report from the articles.

The content of this page was to inform the reader about the findings found in the study

While in the discussion groups each group discussed the following topics:
perceived problems
Suggested solutions
Safety issues
enforcement issues
Incident and traffic management
Work Safety Zone
Operation and Design Enhancements
Education and public information

In each of the disscussion responses it mentioned if the indiviual is a General or Aggressive driver.

For the topic of aggressive drivers the groups defined what they saw "aggressive driving" to be. Their definition included drivers who weaving in and out of traffic to get ahead, tailgate, exceed speed and conflicts with other motorists. This disscussion lead to the topic, are aggressive drivers are competitive. The questions were:

1.blocking cars trying to change lanes

2.block cars trying to pass

3.drag race at stop lights

4.compete with other cars in traffic jams

5.impatient when car ahead slows down

6.passenger tells driver to calm down

7.angry when cut off

The results of the questions were that the drivers that were labeled as being aggressive would particpate in the mentioned actions.

In the general and aggressive drivers groups both groups stated that they do not obey the speed limits while on the Capital Beltway. Their average speed ranged between 60 to 70 miles per hour. All drivers perceived this speed to be safe and they agreee that anything over 75 would be unsafe. For the speeders who drive over 75 miles per hour the drivers in this study suggested the following suggestions:

1.More law enforcement presence

2.Photo radar

3.Speed warning deices (this included signs informing the driver of their speed)

4.Higher speed limits, but with zero tolerance for violators to the higher speeds

5.Variable limits relating to road conditions

6.Different limits for each lane

7.Dummy law enforcemnt cars and drone radar

In the disscussion the drivers stated that it is a given that drivers will exceed the speed limit by 15-20 miles per hours. Since everyone accepts this fact the drivers aggreed that a solution for speeding drivers is to raise the speed limit and increase the consequences for those who exceed the higher speed limit.

The discussion group also noted that at different times of the year and day the driving conditions are variable. This would include climate changes and the presence of heavy rain, snow, glare from the sun. in addition the disscussion group also mentioned that at certain times of the day the traffic is lighter or heavier. A solution to reduce the effects of congestion is to allow higher speeds to move the traffic along more quicker. One flaw I saw in this suggestion was that if a person was traveling in one area then traveled into another area that had a lower speed limit everyone would not slow down at the same time or the same limit.

A third suggestion that I thought was interesting was the suggestions to have a different speed for each lane. With this suggestion I saw there would be a great danger for those who would like changing lanes. Thinking about the situation we have currently with people who weave in and out of lanes. Imagine what would happen if each lane was at a different speed. This would create an even greater hazard for people who wish into the fast lane because they would be going at such a high spee. Also there would be great confusion for driver who never drove down the Capital Beltway would have when they see three different speed limit signs.

The main reason was that it saves time getting from one point to another. Participants perceive it as being quicker because there are no traffic lights and the speed limit is higher. Some participants added that they use the Beltway only when there is a time advantage. They seek alternate routes when they know there are delays.

But the Beltway is the only way to get between Maryland and Virginia because there are few other ways to cross the river. A few people suggested alternate ways to cross but all agreed that unless Beltway traffic was really bad, the alternates often would require more time than waiting out traffic on the Beltway. Usually, it is the most direct route between destinations. Many participants remarked that their business takes them to other businesses located close to Beltway exits therefore they use the Capital Beltway.

The reasons given for driving the Beltway did not vary much between the general and aggressive driving groups and truckers. The reasons given in the 1997 groups also were consistent with the reasons given in 1994.

The first complaint was congestion. One participant said she had a love/hate relationship with the Beltway. Sometimes people can drive down the Beltway and get to a destination very quickly. Other times, they just sit for hours stuck in traffic.

One of the aggressive drivers said that it is congestion that leads to all of the other things he does not like about the Beltway: unsafe lane changes, tailgating and general hostility. An aggressive driver said she never likes the Beltway because it is always jammed with traffic. Another added that it is often backed up for no apparent reason. One of the men responded that it might be the result of the rubbernecking that happens every time a law enforcement officer pulls someone over. Another woman complained that she does not know any good ways to get off when it gets jammed.

In conclusion my opinion of this page is that it was very informative. It pertained to this class because it went into detail about how to deal aggression while on the roadways and solution from people who drive one the road. And I would suggest this page to other students in this class for informational purposes. But I would also inform them of the flaws I mentioned earlier.

. 6) Before you start, write your name and email on the blackboard. Students who want to make a comment on your presentation may do so by email.