A Review of
Dr. Leon James & Dr. Diane Nahl,
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Driving
Prometheus Books, 2000
by M. Heather Piper, April 24, 2003
The Book's Overall Content
The Difference Between Road Rage & Aggressive Driving (Chapter 1, pages 21-25):
What is road rage? "An extreme state of anger that often precipitates aggressive behavior, sometimes restricted to words and gestures, sometimes as assault and battery." When using the term road rage we are talking about the emotional state of the driver. Road rage refers to a state of feeling. Road rage can consist of mental violence with feelings of rage as well as wanting to punish or retaliate against other drivers. There are many different rages: parking lot rage, surf rage, air rage, and workplace rage.
I believe that it is imperative for one to understand that many people have the same feelings as you do. To recognize road rage in our day to day travels is essential for the change. I think the best part of this book was that I found a lot of other people that have the same feelings I do while driving. I had not ever thought that others have the same type of feelings as myself. I know that this knowledge has made me a much better driver. I now think how other people are feeling. It is not all about me.
What is aggressive driving? "Referring to reckless behavior, such as running red lights or giving someone a brake job, as well as to speeding, tailgating, and lane hopping." When using the term aggressive driving we are talking about physical acts and behaviors during driving. Aggressive drivers are the cause of many accidents costing the world $250 billion a year. Fact: Aggressive drivers kills three times more people than drunk drivers.
This is extremely vital to understand what exactly aggressive driving is. I use to tap on my brakes when another vehicle was tailgating me. Just as I saw yesterday, braking quickly can force the tailgater into the back of you. Now, before understanding aggressive driving I would have said "Good! Maybe that will teach you." But these little acts can cause a great deal of stress and strain on many families. So instead of braking I now just try to move out of the lane and let the other vehicle pass. We have to start lowering the cost of accidents and the number of injuries in this country.
3 Classifications of Road Rage (Chapter 4, pages 94-97):
The passive-aggressive road rage thinks that everyone on the road is there to make their lives more difficult. The passive-aggressive drivers have feelings of bitterness and hatred toward other motorists. These drivers often ignore other motorists; not allowing lane changes or blocking someone in. A good example is the left-lane bandit which is a driver that stays in the fast lane at a lower speed making other cars follow behind. Maybe they should just be called the inconsiderate road rage.
The verbal road rage is the most common form. This is drivers that relentlessly complaining about other drivers and the traffic. These drivers have mental attacks against anyone that comes along their path. Even though drivers make this form of rage a habit every time they drive, the purpose is always the same -- to make themselves look or feel better.
The epic road rage seems to be the most severe and the most dangerous. Fantasizing about ruthless behavior toward other drivers is where epic road rage begins. Imagining harsh behaviors and punishments such as chasing, ramming, beating up, or shooting can sometimes lead to acting on these impulses. That is why this can be the worst type of road rage. These types of drivers are trying to provoke others to confrontation and could be in search of revenge and possibly punishment.
This section in the book is very interactive. There are checklists at the end of each type of road rage so that you can calculate the type of road rage that you are most closely related to. To understand your type of driving it is important to understand how and what you think while driving. By doing the checklists you will be able to see the area's that you need to work on.
This part of the book is extremely relevant and vital for drivers trying to improve their driving. After understanding the difference between road rage and aggressive driving, it is time to calculate what type of road rage you have. This knowledge now provides specific area's that need a higher concentration of effort.
This was great information for me. I never knew that there were specific classifications of road rage. I have verbal road rage. After doing the exercises in the book, I now had a path to go on in the pursuit of supportive driving. I now have to see myself or listen to myself while driving.
This could be helpful to anyone whose has the desire to try to make our roads a safer place. Maybe this should be part of the training that is tested on to get your license. By knowing upfront before you have years of bad habits and negative feelings, could possibly change that person's future driving.
4 Main Types of Drivers (Chapter 4, pages 97-106):
An automotive vigilante drives with verbal road rage, obscene gestures, and hostile motions with their vehicle. Often this type of driver is a bully on the road that can cause physical harm with their vehicle. This type of vigilante tries to reason out their actions by playing the victim. These drivers often see themselves as self appointed traffic police acting as judge, jury, and the one who passes down the sentence.
The rushing maniac is a driver that needs to drive fast and avoids slowing down. This is the most common form of driver. These drivers need to avoid slowing down and will have extreme anger toward any vehicle that helps slow them down. Often these drivers are running late for work or school so they feel the need to lane hop and drive impulsively and unpredictable by running red lights or not stopping at stop signs.
The aggressive competitor driver is exactly what it says; a very competitive game. Everything on the road is a competition. They like to be in the lead. Cutting a car off and getting in the lead can feel like a victory. But when passed by another vehicle this driver will feel a sense of loss and personal defeat. Often these drivers will scorn others when a mistake has been made, but feel very embarrassed when they make a mistake. They worry about what everyone thinks about them.
The scofflaw driver takes no notice of posted speed limits, stop signs, and other traffic laws. They feel that they are at liberty to break the regulations and driving laws. It is a form of driving rebellion. This driver thinks very pessimistically about everyone who has a part into making and protecting the driving laws like: police, legislatures, judges, county officials, and the agencies providing road regulations.
This section of the book has checklists in every section so that you can see what kind of driver you are. Hopefully you will do the checklists and figure out what type you are and start to correct some of your behaviors. I do think that a person could be a combination of two different types of drivers.
So, you now know the differences between road rage and aggressive driving. And you know what type of road rage you have, it is time to find out what type of driver you are. I believe that a driver could be a combination of two of these types. By doing the checklists honestly, I can figure out what type of driver I am. I am a rushing maniac. I am always in a hurry. I go to school full time and have two part time jobs. Understanding that I fit in this category I can now label myself and improve.
Again, this should be part of driver's training. By knowing what type of drivers there are, a new driver can avoid these types of aggressive drivers. If we educate the first time around, maybe our roads would be safer because it has stopped the prevention of bad habits. There seems to be a pattern starting to flow, education. Knowledge is empowering.
14 Suggestions on How to Handle Aggressive Drivers & Avoiding Road Rage (Chapter 4, page 107):
1. Avoid eye contact
2. Do NOT take your eyes off the road
3. Consider the effect of your driving on others
4. If you are followed, go to the nearest police station and call 911
5. If you are tempted to drive angrily, ask yourself: "Is it worth being killed over?" or "Is it
worth going to jail?"
6. Keep away from erratic drivers
7. Understand that you can NOT control the traffic, only your reaction to it
8. Stay cool - turn on your air conditioner
9. Driving is transportation, not a competition
10. Never assume that an aggressive act was intended
11. Pretend other drivers are people you know
12. Take it easy; why drive yourself crazy? Keep peace in the car and on the road.
Breathe in hate, Exhale love!
13. Go with the flow, no matter how slow
14. Do NOT slam on your brakes if a car is tailgating you
I have been in only two of road rage incidents. These fourteen tips could have come in extremely handy. I use to be very competitive on the road. I use to like to look people in the eye. That is so incredibly egotistical and confrontational. The road was not just mine and how presumptuous to think it was. Maybe if I would have known or seen these when I started to drive, I might not have been in a road rage incident. This should definitely be in the drivers handbook to get your license.
You can see that the book is moving along smoothly. I now know the difference between road rage and aggressive driving, I know what kind of road rage I have, I know what kind of driver I am, and I get introduced to fourteen tips that will help me avoid road rage. I am now on my way to supportive driving and safer highways.
This could be potentially save lives. It is relevant for every driver to know these tips. I was not aware that eye contact could be devastating and deadly while driving. Eye contact could be threatening. Knowing that most problems on the road start with a mistake. Most aggressive acts are not done purposely and calculated. To bring this to every drivers attention could greatly improve our transportation system.
3 Levels of Emotional Intelligence (Chapter 5, pages117-120):
Level 1: Oppositional Driving - "Me" Driving
One out of three motorists are at this level in their driving. Drivers are really unfit to handle road exchanges. Their feelings are very negative and the thought pattern is very irrational. These drivers are self serving, only thinking of themselves. They often have hostile driving styles. They are normally reckless, impulsive, feel that everything is directed against them, and can feel insulted and insecure.
Level 2: Defensive Driving - "Them & Me" Driving
The defensive driver will concentrate on safety. They will try to reduce irrational decisions. This driving style encourages a more logical thought pattern. Their actions are more prudent and thought through. There is still a feelings of negativity and an intolerance of the faults of other drivers. But there is still a competitive environment on the road. They are normally suspicious, restrained, and will express worries and complaints.
Level 3: Supportive Driving - "Us" Driving
This is the prosocial form of driving. This driver is concerned with the mental orientation that allows the driver to manage using a positive outlook. They will try to stay away from built in negativity of the other two driving styles. This feeling of prosocial behavior promotes helpful actions and constructive behavior. They focus on the enjoyment of driving even in congestion problems. They are oblivious to even the smallest driving hassles. They are normally helpful, friendly, expresses enjoyment & optimism, and give others the benefit of the doubt.
The book now moves to part two of driving metamorphosis. Now that I realize what kind of driver I am and what type of road rage I have, the book now prepares me for change. This chapter is one of the most important in my opinion. It explains what the three levels of driving are. We are all trying to arrive at level three. By considering how each level progresses, gives the driver an advantage in this goal of prosocial driving. There is a attainable goal in sight. I now know what I must do to reach the goal of supportive driver.
I had never thought about driving in this way. This was new to me. I did not realize that driving could be mapped out this way. If every driver would take the time to read this chapter, I think our roads would be particularly safer. If we all would be a little more considerate to other drivers, I bet we would all live much longer lives. Life is not a competition. We all can absorb some of this wisdom.
3 Step Driver Self Improvement Program (Chapter 6, pages 135-144):
The first step that is required for every driver is to acknowledge the need to recognize what kind of road rage you have and to acknowledge what kind of driver you are. This is the most complicated step in the pursuit of emotional intelligence. You need to acknowledge that there are behaviors that need to be changed. We all have habits of traffic emotions and attitudes, habits of thinking a certain way (thoughts), and habits of operating the vehicle (overt actions). You need to be as specific as possible about all the details.
The second step is to witness your day to day behavior while driving. There needs to a better understanding of your thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and your actions in day to day driving life. Self monitoring is a proven method to recognize inappropriate driving behaviors. Some ways to self monitor is video taping yourself while driving, voice record while verbalizing your feeling and thoughts while driving, or have the passenger write notes for you. There are checklists in the text (page 141) to help with witnessing your emotions, thoughts, and actions.
The third step in the self improvement program is modify your driving personality. This requires the driver to modify their life long driving habits. It is important to do this in steps working on changing one behavior at a time. You will become overwhelmed and possibly give up if you try to do it all at once. You must target certain emotions, thoughts, and conduct while driving a vehicle. Continue to witness yourself throughout this process. It would be encouraging to be able to see definite changes.
Dr. James and this book now give all drivers the guidelines for change. It is very simply laid out. It is not hard to grasp, just plainly; acknowledge, witness, and modify. This natural progression gives the reader the responsibility for their change. It moves efficiently to each progression of change.
The first part of the book was to educate the reader to specific terms. It also showed the reader what type of road rage and what type of driver they are. Knowledge is the key. Now that we know, it is time for the change. Everyone should use this philosophy. Every time I drive, I try to work on one aspect of my driving. I first acknowledge the problem, then I witness what my actions or thoughts are, and finally modify that certain behavior.
This pathway of change works in all dimensions of life. This is not just for driving education, but can be used in every aspect of life. It can be adapted to relationships, employment, and day to day life issues. Because of the versatility of this learning program, every person could find this information useful. I do have to mention that the person has to want to change. It will not work if it is forced on someone. That is why it is important to be educated that these issues before we are in driving trouble. This probably would not work on repeat offenders. They generally do not want to change. We need to start early in our lives to avoid "stinking thinking."
Lifelong Driver Education (Chapter 9, pages 190-199):
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has developed a computer program, Driver-Zed, that will assist in the teaching of risk management. This is due car crashes killing more young people between 15-20 years old. This is mainly due to the lack of experience. Just one year of experience can make a 42% reduction in car accidents. This program assist in creating a new set of positive beliefs.
Driving could become a new segment in our education from kindergarten through high school. The book suggests that starting in kindergarten and elementary school we should focus on the affective driving skills. This would be the driver's feeling, emotions, attitudes, and values. Teaching kids the consequences of certain actions and focus on coming up with positive conclusions for different situations.
In middle school they would focus on the cognitive driving skills. This would be the driver's thoughts, judgments, and knowledge of driving. Students would learn to think about others while driving. they would learn to acknowledge passengers' rights, rights of bicycle riders, rights of truck drivers, and the human rights of all drivers. Future drivers would be able to recognize the benefits of being a supportive driver.
And in high school the focus would be on the sensorimotor driving skills. This would be the driver's vision, motor reactions, fatigue, stress, and pain. There would be simulator driving and supervised highway driving. Students would self-witness in order to gain appropriate skills. This will help to prepare drivers in handling emergencies, handling road rage and aggressive driving, train in multitasking while driving, and to act with respect toward traffic laws, traffic enforcement, and education.
Once again Dr. James has made a transition in this book that continues to build on the last issue. He mentioned education and now he explains how the education should be broken down. Chapter nine shows how this education should be broken down. It breaks downs education into three categories (affective, cognitive, sensorimotor) and matches it up to the three levels of education (elementary, middle, and high school). I had never thought about this in depth before. It makes perfect sense to break it down into these developmental phases.
I do believe that driving education is vital and relevant. But I know that with all the cutbacks in education, driving education will not be added to the general curriculum. That is why every parent should have to read this book or at least chapter nine. Since our schools will not be able to provide this education, it should be the parents responsibility to start the education while their kids are in elementary school. If parents would follow the steps in this chapter, maybe our roads would be safer. This education could save many lives and a lot of money.
Crazy Statistics That Should Make You Stop & Think (Chapter 10, pages 219-223)
425,000 Fatalities per decade
35 million Injuries per decade
$250 billion per year
In 1996, 41,907 people died & over 3 million more people were injured in police reported crashes
Collisions due to aggressive driving cost the US over $150 billion each year
1/3 of these crashes & 2/3 resulting in fatalities can be attributed to aggressive driving behavior
16 states in 1999, made common driving behaviors defined as crimes; misdemeanor or felony
1999 the 10 worst cities in terms of road rage fatalities due to aggressive driving:
1. Riverside, California
2. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida
3. Phoenix, Arizona
4. Orlando, Florida
5. Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Miami-Hialeah, Florida
7. Ft. Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida
8. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
9. Kansas City, Missouri
10. San Antonio, Texas
No one ever wants to be a statistic. That is why I think that it is so very essential to bring these statistics home. Maybe by letting people know these alarming statistics, it could be a helpful prevention to unnecessary deaths. I was not aware that these numbers were so high. It makes me think how many people could be saved in a year - 42,500 deaths per year.
I think it is good that the book ends by thinking of the future. It can only get busier and more congested on our roads. We need to start thinking of the future drivers. We should start educating are kids when they are young. This effects everyone. If not physically, it effects you financially with increasing insurance costs.
My Impression of This Book:
I think that this book is put together in a very good way. There seems to be a natural progression when reading the chapters. First we learn where the rage comes from, then we learn the driving psychology, and finally the future of driving. Each section has relevant information that adds to every new section.
The first section of the book deals with defining road rage, finding where these feelings come from, the causes of driving hostility, and understanding the different types of road rage and the different types of drivers. I enjoyed this section of the book because I always need to know "why".
The second section of the book deals with learning emotional intelligence, a self improvement program, understanding what supportive driving is, and lifelong driver education. This part of the book helps in identifying your specific traits and behaviors and begins to direct you to supportive driving which is the goal.
The third section of this book tries to help all of us drivers recognize what could happen in the future if we do not start making huge steps in the direction of improving our drivers and making our roads and safer place. This section also discusses speeding as the great motorist rebellion and the tools to use to minimize it. The book ends by reminding us that the world of driving is becoming more complex and detailed. More than ever, we do more activities (more complex car stereos, cell phones, dashboard dining, mobile computing, video games, DVD) while we are driving.
I am very interested and intrigued by aggressive driving and road rage. So many of these topics were ideas that I have thought about. But the book seems to go very much in depth in understanding this phenomenon. I can see this book being interesting to others that are trying to improve their driving habits and behaviors. It might be smart to have an aggressive driving course for drivers that get criminally charged with aggressive driving or road rage. This book opens your mind into the understanding of the road rage phenomenon. It could possibly be a tool for learning to be a supportive drive and prosocial driving behaviors.
The Book's Importance
I believe that the largest problem that we have today is driving education. Too many of us do not or have not gone to drivers education. When I was growing up this was not required. I know now that it is part of the curriculum of many high schools. Most of the time I hear about people going to a driver’s education classes only after they have done something wrong and have been caught. The courts then require some additional training. I believe that it is too late. We should be educating people before mistakes or accidents happen on our roads.
The book suggests that driver’s education should be part of the curriculum starting in kindergarten through high school. Dr. James suggests that in kindergarten and elementary school the driving education starts working on the affective (feeling) part of driving. In middle school students start learning about the cognitive (thinking) part of driving. And in high school students would be learning the sensorimotor (physical actions) part of driving.
I believe that hands on experience is the best tool for learning. I know in a lot of states, the learner’s permit is only issued six months prior to getting the license. This is not enough time to have good hands on experience. In Alaska, where I grew up, we got our permits when we turned fourteen. This gave us two years to drive with our parents and get more of the hands on driving experience. I do believe that parents need to spend more time with their children assisting in learning to drive. It has been shown that more experienced driver’s have fewer accidents.
This is everyone’s problem. This is relevant to all of the public. Remember the statistics: 42,500 fatalities per year, 3.5 million injuries per year, and $250 billion per year. These are huge numbers for just the United States. This will affect everyone! If you do not get in an accident, there are plenty of other people out there that do which causes all insurance to go up. So you may not be the car having accidents directly, but you sure are paying for others accidents. Even if you do not drive, you still have to walk or ride a bike, which is not as safe as it used to be. I want to make sure that all drivers are competent, making the roads and sidewalks safer for everyone.
Another major issue that the book talks about is our feelings and attitudes have changed. We seem to be a very angry society. We have become very confrontational. We are also always in a rush. What has changed in our society that we are told not to say “I’m sorry” when in an accident. It is amazing to me that we think so little of others while driving. There have been so many cases when I hear about someone giving the finger to another driver or cutting another driver off and it results in a death by shooting. Why are we so quick to pick up weapons and fight with others?
Many psychologists believe that if we surround ourselves with violence than we are going to be violent. Are we watching too many violent TV shows or movies? Are we playing too many violent video games? Are we seeing too much domestic violence in our homes or friends homes? Why are we are seeing so many school shootings? We need to answer these questions to try to understand where all this new violence is coming from. We need to understand how our children are thinking and responding to violence.
This is relevant to me as a psychology major because in the past fifty years driving has changed a tremendous amount. This is definitely a phenomenon that we need to study. What has changed in people's minds that create a tendency toward violent behavior or violent thoughts? How are people thinking differently? What has caused this change? We seem to be a society that only thinks of themselves. We do not even want to say "I'm sorry" when involved in an accident. What has happened to our humanity? If this has happened to our way of transportation, when will it infect our jobs and interpersonal relations?
The Book’s Structure
This book reads very easily. Throughout the chapters this book gives you exercises and checklists to use. This book is very interactive. It makes you get involved and interested in doing the exercises and checklists. It is so important that you take these tests because what we think we are is not always what we are. The tests will figure it out for you and have you starting to work on those bad habits right away.
It was entertaining and educational to do these exercises. I was interested in knowing what kind of driver I was and what kind of road rage I have. By doing these exercises, the reader is able to comprehend their own driving style and what is needed to change it. I seem to have "verbal road rage". I marked four out of the ten on this checklist. I talk a lot while I am driving. I complain about other drivers on a regular basis. So now I know that I need to start watching what I say while I am driving. My husband and myself try to help each other and make a game of it. "Breathe in Hate, Exhale Love!"
I also did the checklists for what kind of driver I am. I had five out of the ten marked. I am definitely a "rushing maniac." I am always in a hurry. I go to school full time and have two jobs. I rarely have time to waste. Sitting in traffic is one of the hardest times for me. I have to leave one and a half hours before my first class to drive only fifteen miles. I have trained myself to pick out cops on the road. I also know where many of the speed traps are on my drive. I unquestionably, absolutely, without a doubt am a rushing maniac.
Throughout the book there were many tables of data to make the understanding of the concepts much easier and in an organized way. Much of my understanding came from the tables like the one for emotional intelligence on page 117. It was much easier to understand the different levels and stages by looking at a table while reading.
The index in the back of the book seems to be very thorough. Everything that I tried to look up something, I found listed in the index. The chapters had appropriate titles. And from within the chapters, the subtitles of the subsections were titled to find what you are looking for especially easy. I would have liked to see a conclusion at the end of each chapter stating what the author thought was most important. I think the layout was extremely logical in the progression of the book.
I think that the book is a good size. Dr. James has said that the book is not a best seller. If he were to enlarge the font size or add several more chapters, I think that it would do even worse. It is hard enough to admit that someone is an aggressive driver and that they need to change. When they read the book that could possibly help to encourage that change, people do not have a lot of time to sit and read, so the book must be of modest length. Also when I pick up and look at a book, I look for tables, exercises, pictures, or anything else that is not writing. This book does have excellent exercises to do and tables to look at. The only thing it did not have were pictures. Several comics or photos would make a nice addition in the future.
Critique of the Book
I have known for a while that I do have some sort of road rage. When I saw the opportunity to take a class in psychology about road rage I was quite excited. This class has been my favorite this semester. Discussing the book in depth each week has opened my eyes to several area's that I need to work on. Here are a couple of passages that drew my attention.
"The cumulative effect of our daily encounters with pervasive hostility toughens our hide, and promoted a culture of mutual disrespect on highways." (chapter 1, page 28)
This is a subject that I still am not fully convinced is true. I know by "priming" ourselves to violence, psychologist's say it is desensitizing ourselves to violence. I still believe that we all make choices. And some of us choose violence while most of us do not. I think this issue has many different sides and perspectives. Maybe our punishments (convictions & sentences) have become to easy on our American people. Maybe parents in this country are not raising their kids with good morals, beliefs, and values and teaching them right from wrong. It is most likely a combination of all of these.
"We have the means to turn ourselves toward the philosophy of supportive driving, but it requires both intellectual and emotional effort." (chapter 5, page 119)
Aggressive driving is very similar to an addiction. I believe road rage could be on addiction. We know that when people get very aggressive, the endorphins kick in. I know that I love to get scared because of the "rush" that it provides. And just like addiction, to turn an addict toward sobriety is going to require both intellectual and emotional effort. It can be done with a tremendous amount of effort. I guess the same applies to driving.
I learned so much from this book. I think the first step to changing is to understand the goal and what it is going to take. I know have a more in depth comprehension of the stages I will be working through. I think that I am a defensive state of feelings (level 2 in emotional intelligence). My sequence of thoughts is logical most of the time. I do have to try to remind myself that there are thousands of different drivers out on the road and not all of us learned to drive the same way. I always watch out for other cars because I have been hit so many times. Sometimes I just try to get home real fast because the other drivers are very scaring in their driving. I am working on getting to the next level of supportive feelings. I think that this might take several years.
I like to read lots of statistics. I am a real numbers person. A strength of this book was the statistics that were given. But I believe that a weakness of the book was the lack of those statistics throughout the book. Chapters one and ten were the chapters that had the most statistics. I wanted more statistics throughout the whole book. I would have liked to see more statistics in the speed limits chapter eleven. This is a huge debate in the driving world. I would like to see some more recent data about speed limits.
I think a weakness of the book was the explanation of how to implement the lifelong educational programs. In our schools now we are cutting the music and the art departments. How are we ever going to pay for drivers education starting in kindergarten? Learning how to drive has always been the parents responsibility. Why are we not holding them more accountable. Perhaps the parents and the teenager should take a class together about driving, road rage, drinking & driving, and aggressiveness before the teen gets a license.
The greatest strength of this book is the in depth look on how our thinking must change and the specific levels to do that (chapter 9). The knowledge that we must change the affective aspect (feelings, emotions), the cognitive aspect (thoughts, judgment), and the sensorimotor aspect (motor reaction, vision, fatigue). This would be vital information to know when wanting to change driving patterns. Work in levels or small steps. You will not be able to conquer everything all at once. Start with a small step everyday while driving. Get in the habit and it will become natural.
Knowing that other people feel exactly like I do was a huge strength of this book. There were phrases and true life examples throughout. To change it is important to understand that I am not alone. I need to know that I am the only one out there that has certain thoughts and feelings while driving. It is easier to change if a family group does it together. You could make it a game with prizes and rewards.
I found many websites that had other reviews about Dr. James & Dr. Nahl, Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. I only found good reviews. Actually I should say great because I did not see anything below four and a half stars. I believe the half star lost is due to the reading level needed for this book. I would say that it is written at a college level. I also found it for sale on international websites. Dr. James seems to be the leading expert on road rage and aggressive driving. Here are some of the links to the websites with other reviews. You may have to scroll down to read the reviews.
Customer Reviews: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare
A Review of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving:Steering Clear of Highway Warfare
My Thoughts
Just to add a few more of my observations about the book. I thought that chapter seven, "children and road rage" seemed a little out of place. It kind of broke the flow of the "driving psychology" section. I think that this should be thought in the educational section. Some people, like myself, do not have kids. This should be taught to parents that have just had children. Maybe a pamphlet needs to be given out in the "leaving the hospital packets."
I have further question about statistics. I have always have driven a manual transmission (5-speed). I just feel like I have more control over the vehicle I am driving. I will not buy a vehicle that is not manual. Are there any studies that have been done about the the safety of a manual verses an automatic transmission? I was taught on a 5-speed when I was twelve years old, got my permit when I was fourteen, and my license at sixteen years old. I have never owned a car or truck that was an automatic. It would be interesting if there is a difference in the number of accidents (per capita) between manual and automatic transmission. I seems that you have to concentrate more on driving when you are driving a manual transmission. Are they better drivers?
I think that this book should mention safety a little more. I do not remember this book ever mentioning how important a seat belt is. At seventeen years old, I had a head on collision with a truck. Without my seatbelt, I would have gone through the windshield and more than likely died. Even with my seatbelt on, I hit the steering wheel and had over two hundred stitches in my face. I am missing three bones from right above my nose. I know the seat belt is what saved my life. I just think that some statistics about the amount of deaths or serious injuries with or without seatbelt use should be added..