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Well to start off we all see that there is a need to improve on ones driving behavior because that has a direct effect on ones actions behind the wheel. This Driving Personality Make-Over allows one to identify the problematic feelings or actions and helps them to figure out a way to counteract that impluse to participate in that particular behavior. It is basically an experiment to supress the natural tendency to drive badly.
The first step is to identify a particular behavior that one wishes to correct. Once this is done then you can proceed furthur and devise a was of solving this problem. For instance, I choose to tackle the problem of my competiveness on the road. I thought that this problem is growing at an alarming rate. With the number of young adults and adolescences modifying their car so that their make considerable gains in horsepower and speed, we see the growing problem of competiveness on the road. A time not so far befor ethe writing of this article there was an incident in which a number of teens were killed in a horrific car accident on Moanalua Freeway. In this speed was a factor. The participants were not drunk but meerly trying to compete with eachother when things got out of hand. This is the sort of thing that I hope to avoid by doing this personality make-over.
I came across Caudia Kaneshiro's report and she describes a driving personality make-over as having several factors. It could be due to pollution, weather conditions, other people's driving abilities and waiting in traffic. She also describes her own driving personality make-over. She seemed to be genuine and took the assignment seriously. I felt that her evidence given made her sound fair to herself. It was not clear if she really changed her habits that she mentioned
Heidi Easley gave a very thoughtout and well organized description of what she thought a driving personality make-over was. I would refer to her page if doing this report for the first time or thinking about doing something like this. Her report sets the groundwork for others. And in my searches throughout the generational curriculum I have found many to use her report as a basis for thier's.
She gives four basic rules in which to follow.
1. Learn to become aware of your behavioral shortcomings
2. Identify these behaviors
3. Set up a strategy for improving these behaviors
4. Practice these strategies until the behavior has been modified
This is a behavioral model that entails a good deal of cognitive processes. It is interesting how this driving personality make-over follows much of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy values. One must identify the problem and come up with the strategy for overcoming this shortcoming. In my case I has to deal with my competiveness. Through the use of techniques I have learned throughout my schooling I will attempt to change my behavior so that I am not as cometitive and thereby reducing my agressive driving behavior.
I noticed that when I am driving ont he road I often have a personal vendeta against everyone around me. I am just the opposite of a defensive driver. I think that sometimes I am in a car race and the drivers around me are my competition. Because of this behavior and feeling I often do high risk manuvers on the road at the same time aggravating those drivers around me. It is not a rare occation in which someone I am cometing against on the freeway takes offense and tails me or something worse. I am not one to let this sort of thing go. I often go out of my way to get that person back. Revenge is sweet and there is a rush that goes along with being part of a chase. There is total lack of reguard for those with you and those around you. The focus is on the thrill and the feeling that this one particular driver has irrepribly harmed me in some way and I am on a mission to pay him back everything I owe him with interest.
I realize that this behavior of mine is very detrimental to my health. I may one day choose to mess with the wrong type of person and they could have a gun and shoot me. Or I could get into an accident because of my aggravated agressive behavior.
So to correct this I thought that I would have to change my behavior. I am not like this when my girlfriend is riding in the car with me so I thought about it and tried to convince myself that driving alone is the same as driving with her in the car. It was not easy but soon I was rather calm when encountering uncool drivers on the road. The more I practiced the more I felt at ease. I was proud of my self for not letting those kinds of things get to me.
Taking notes after I stopped I debriefed myself and found that I felt less agitation as time and circumstance permitted. There were those that wanted to goad me into my problem behavior and it took much of my will power to resist it. Racing is a thrill. Laws have been introduced so that one can get heavy fines and possible license suspention if caught. But racing has become a popular sport on Hawaii's and the rest of the nation's freeways. So many new part stores specializing in modifying cars have popped up in the past few months.
This is a growing problem on the streets of Hawaii. I was able to overcome this problem of mine but I have a feeling that this behavioral modifycation is only a temporary thing. I feel the natural urge to prove my manliness to the world by beating out my nearest competitor. I need to be king of the hill and maybe just maybe this is the last primitive link that we have to our neanderthal bretheren. We compete this way. We show dominance. Our minds lie more in the animalistic side when we are driving. But only through cognitive processes of higher thought can we access the true meaning of our actions.
Counting my times I compete in a day or had feeling in which I wanted to compete with another driver numbered in the 20's. After I started my intervention process in which I would resist purposely the drive to compete, I found that I got the number down to 3. This is a dramatic decrease int he amount of specific agressive behavior. The long term effects of this are not reliable because I know myself too well and know that one day I am going to slip and find myself racing on the freeway with a tuned Honda or Acura.
I find that this type of behavior is particularly detrimental and is not adressed enough. There should be traffic school that is mandatory for students who are going to take their driving tests. I feel that this type of agressive driving stems from the lack of education. I have to admit that I got my driver's liscense rather easily. I took lessons from an instructor but I did not learn anything about safty. I only learned the rules. It is like reading about football but then stepping out on the field without a helmet or pads. I was a naked boy in the cruel world. I found that I had a need for speed that needed to be scratched. My competitive drive grew from there.
I feel that my experience is not limited to just me. I feel that many other young men and women on the road today have gone through similar things. I also know that they are all not mature enough to realize that they have a problem.
I think that it would be a good idea if traffic school or driver's ed classes taught an intensive course in driving personality make-overs. I think that pioneers in agressive driving and road rage should lead the way since they have the expertise and knowledge that is required for such an undertaking. So I am asking you Dr. James. Help Hawaii and find a way to incorporate this idea of driving personality makeovers into the general public.
Start early. Take initiative and make this a project that you can be proud of. Think of what you need to change and take the time to actually change it. This project is a wonderful opportunity to change something that you don't like about yourself and you will get credit for it. There are a lot fo implications for futhur research here in my report. If you have the time and money it takes I think that this would be a very worthwhile undertaking. IT has so many redeeming values. But the idea is too simplistic and stronger rules need to be attached befor ethis can truely work for everyone who has a problem. There should be some sort of mentoring program. This is going to take a whole lot of effort but when it is done the driving community of Hawaii will be stronger and safer than ever before
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