According to Dr. James Tailgating is following too close to another car with the intention to coerce or punish the other driver when you think they have done something wrong to you. Here is a situation that all of us may have encountered being drivers. You start work at 8:00 a.m. and have left home at 7:30 a.m. You know you usually take at the minimum 45 minutes to get to work so now you're already in rush. You start out driving looking out for any police officers as you fly by speed zones of 25 mph. Suddenly you are on a roll on the freeway going steady at a pace of 55mph. You then approach a car that has chosen to drive at a speed of 45 mph and now you have slowed down a bit. Time is ticking and you have just minutes left to reach your destination. You start tailgating this car hoping that the car infront of you will pull over, move lanes, speed up, crash, etc. You get the idea.
Think about it, when you are tailgated how do you feel? Intruded upon, disrespected, angry, pissed off, irritated, enlightened? What about when you tailgate and the driver responds with sarcasm? They look in the rearview mirror or drive even slower? Thinking about the defintion given above, think about yourself as you read this report and try to think about your feelings, thoughts, and behaviors because it really does impact the way you choose to drive.
Cherilyn Okazaki
Cherilyn's report is short and sweet. I liked it very much. It was very concise and straight forward. Cherilyn admits to tailgaiting by saying:"Most of us have it at one time or another...the urge to get revenge! I, like many do it in the form of something called tailgating". Cherilyn's report contained a very valuable reason to why people tailgate. She says that "what you are doing when you tailgate is make the other person feel negative. You are projecting your negative feelings onto the next driver. Who in turn while thinking what he did to make you tailgate him, projects his negative feelings onto the next driver. It's a cycle. All because youcould not stop getting annoyed at the situation".
I would say that Cherilyn's tailgating incident matches the defintion of tailgating. She didn't give a personal experience on the road, but she did admit that we tailgate from time to time to get revenge. I think revenge fits with forcing one's will over other drivers.
Ryan Mitusi
Ryan Mitsui's report on tailgating gives a very brief, but very straight forward description of his experience as a tailgater. He described an incident and it goes like this: "I was driving home on the freeway when all of a sudden I see these two bright lights coming up really fast and at the last second he cuts into the next lane, barely avoiding me. I say to my self, "Ohh you fucken ass hole!!" and i immediately begin in HOT pursuit." He got very angry and decided to get revenge. He got back at the other driver by following hime on the freeway and tailgating him at a very fast speed. Ryan gives a scenario in which he was angered by an incompetent driver and gave his reaction to this driver. Ryan goes on to say that: "Regardless of all of my actions, when I sit down and think about it, I know that it is wrong". This statement comes from the "Moral Implications" section of his report.
Ryan's pursuit definitely forced his will over the other driver. His report showed intention. I'm glad he believes its immoral.
Kathy Teruya
Kathy Teruya Kathy gives a self-witnessing report of herself as a tailgator and she gives a good explanation of why she does it. She says: "So, I have a reason why I get nervous when people tailgate me. I trust my own reflexes but what about others. They may have the reflexes of a slug for all I know. On the other hand tailgating others is different story. I know, I know, what a hypocrite, but now I think that I am a little more self aware than i used to be. I would be (a)offended and angry when people would try to cut in front of me. I used to (c) think that I was justified in maintaining lane integrity because I thought I was right. If you can't wait in line then too bad. So, being the hypocrite that I was I (s)tailgated the person in front. I know in the back of my mind that it is illogical and not worth it, but my affective domain seems to get the best of me. It is something i need to work on.
Kathy's report included a section on reinforcing behavior. She believes that being successful tailgating can often reinforce tailgating behavior and allow the driver to continue to tailgate. Kathy is guilty of tailgating, but she doesn't think it is fair. I think she made a good point when she said that drivers often daydream and may not be aware of their actions. However I think she is right when she says that tailgaters often are aware of what they are doing. This I think is where she believes tailgating is immoral and unjustifiable.
Holly Ishikawa
Holly Ishikawa's report gives a segment that other reports didn't include. She stated: I also believe that tailgating is spiritually wrong because it also deals with our morals. Tailgaiting or any behavior is spiritual because it's a guiding force to what our behaviors are, and it is what attracts a person to act and/or behave in a certain way (to tailgate or not to tailgate)".
I thought this was a very different perspective and analysis of our behaviors. I don't know if everyone agrees with this perspective or not, but I think its another way to look at "why" we do things. Are we in control or is it an uncontrollable or destined force causing us to behave?
If Holly's believe that spirituality is involved, then I would think in this case this isn't forcing one's will over the other. I interpret this as the driver having no control over his behavior and that this was destined to happen or occur.
Report from Newsgroup on Traffic
This is not a report from a prior generation, but it is an email message that I received that gave some opinion, attitude, and reason for tailgaiting. I think it gives another perspective since she lives on the U.S. Mainland. I got this response from participating in a newsgroup on traffic: Sharon Furman responded:
"You are the only one on the road! So who else matters, if it is your choice to listen to music, tailgate, whatever, do it. If is someone else doing it to you, slam on your brakes or honk your horn or simply put the car in park and go to the driver of the car. Not advisable, but it depends on where you live and what highway. If someone is really ticked off at you, roll down your window, wave, roll up your window (with door locked) and get a phone that looks like a cell phone and act like your calling the police. Get a license plate #". sfurman@dreamscape.com
I attempted to give an opinion on tailgating from a different perspective. Look at the attitude that this lady has about tailgating or whatever you do. She obviously knows that irate behvavior can be dangerous (as she says look your door and roll up your windows), but she still seems to think that it is worth it to endanger herself and other drivers. I know a lot of people who have done this and she suggests it: "Go up to the driver of the car". Unlike the previous reports by students, this lady is totally unaware of the implications to aggressive driving as well as aggressive behavior in general. This is the kind of person who really needs to basically identify her behavior before anyone can convince her (or someone like her) that being aggressive gets you no where. This report definitely incorporates the definition of tailgating. Although she doens't give a personal scenario, her attitude speaks for the "intentinality" of aggressive behavior on the road which includes tailgating.
After reading the reports given by other students, I inferred that tailgaiting is common, we all have done it and may still be doing it. Every student admits to have tailgated so there must be a reason why we do it. I believe that there is an agreement that tailgating is an issue and that it is something that shouldn't be taken lightly. The reports gave personal incidences in which they were tailgated as well as reports in which they were the tailgator.
I would like to make coments on whether or not Tailgaiting is right or not, but I think it is impossible to think believing if its right or not would make an impact on drivers to stop doing it. I would like to say that it is a serious matter and I think the only way to change this behavior (if it is wrong), is to educated and spread awareness. I think we have always learned from using tragic examples of people who have died from this kind of engagement. I think we should attempt not to justify this behavior, but to spread awareness of the implications of it. Furthermore, we should give alternatives to it so drivers can see their options and make their final choice. After all, we can't change anyone's behavior, but we may be able to influence their decisions. So let me end this section with valuable points that gives some opinions on the morality issue of tailgating. I believe these are worth restating.
Important aspects of Tailgting from prior students:
*Cherilyn Okazaki="What you are doing when you tailgate is make the other driver feel negative".
*Ryan Mitsui="Regardless of all of my actions, when I sit down and think about it, I know that it is wrong".
*Kathy Terya="being successful tailgating can often reinforce tailgating behavior and allow the driver to continue to tailgate.
*Holly Ishikawa="I also believe that tailgating is spiritually wrong because it also deals with our morals. Tailgaiting or any behavior is spiritual because it's a guiding force to what our behaviors are, and it is what attracts a person to act and/or behave in a certain way (to tailgate or not to tailgate)"
I must honestly say that I am another guilty party! I have tailgated people before! However, I am still a victim of tailgators. In recent years I have learned to adjust to different driving situations. I lived on the island of Kauai, Hawaii until I graduated from high school. After high school I moved to Oahu, and recently I just moved back from California. Having experienced the diversity in traffic and envronments in general, I realized that "tailgating" can mean differently in different situations. I really believe that "tailigating" can have both a negative as well as positve effect depending on where you're driving and when you're driving.
On Kauai, there is just a highway and roads. There are no freeways where you can drive at high speeds for long distances. You will often slow to a speed of 25 to 35 mph. Tailgating in my opinion is not tolerated here because heavy traffic occurs at special times. Early morning and late afternnon and on Fridays when everyone seems to be out on the road more. On Sundays it's leisure time and I think a lot of people aren't really in a rush on this day.
On Oahu, my experience there was "exposure". Traffic is always a concern and you never know when you'll be caught in traffic on any particular day. Traffic lights, more lanes and freeways are the differnce from Kauai's highways. To me if I was tailgated on Oahu I would know. You can feel the intention behind it. Other times, when cars are following close, I woudn't mind because it's to keep traffic flowing. On the freeway, I think keeping a fair amount of distance is okay even if it is "close" at times. I usually try to be defensive when traveling at high speeds and take precaution when I slow down (checking to see if the car behind me can slow down too).
In Los Angeles, California, I was skeptical to drive only because I wasn't aware of my surroundings. It is a bigger city of course and freeways, roads, etc. are very different. Signs are different in color and size. After getting use to direction and routes, I was able to drive without assistance from friends. I did notice that my friends would instruct me differently. Everyone drives in the same manner (so it seems) as compared to here in Hawaii. There are speed limit "MINIMUMS" which was new to me. The minimum speed in L.A. can be our max speed in Hawaii. I noticed that everyone would follow driving rules and not be so "nice" and let cars go and hold up traffic. When it's your time to go, go! On the freeways, everyone seems to move smoothly and merging from on-ramps isn't a big deal. Everyone flows..............This is my experience. I know that there are incidences all over the place, but I witnessed a very organized and systematic driving.
I must say that when I drive on Oahu, I do see people with much more frustrated faces than I did in California. In California, people anticipate traffic and know that traffic is out there. Commuting very long distances took me shorter time than driving a short distance on Oahu. Is it the difference in how everyone drives "together" versus in an "individualistic" manner?
To conlude on my behavior, I think when I tailgated it was becuase I am in a certain mood. I was in a "bad mood", I was rushing, or I got ticked-off by someone because they took too long to go when the light turned green. I think my thoughts were feelings at the time were negative, my thoughts were irrational, and then my behavior was a result of all this negativity. These days, I have learned to "sit it out" when I didn't have a choice. In actuality you don't get anywhere or move any faster by getting upset. Getting frustrated and angry makes your "wait" in a jam seem longer than it acutally is. I think we need self-control like in any situation whether it be driving, doing this report for Dr. James, or being patient with children who can be very annoying and irritating. Changing the way we look at anything in life can ultimately control the way we feel and let us enjoy life. Life shouldn't be a mess just becuase of a "bad" experience. Once I got the idea, all aspects of life has been impoved.
Monday:Overall mood: tired, worried about my meeting with my boss, typical Monday (trying to get over the weekend). Today I didn't speed. I left for work about 10 minutes early to beat the heavy traffic. I didn't encounter any problems on the road. I had to detour to get around road construction. I didn't speed since I was early.
Tuesday:
Overall mood: cheerful. I left for work in a happy mood, but I was running late. I was about 5 minutes behind my normal schedule. I followed a truck that was hauling sugar cane and had to follow at a speed of 40 mph for about 5 minutes. I was a little worried, felt a little tension, but tried to wait for a double lane so I could pass this truck. (Remember...We have only a 2 lane highway with contraflow in certain areas). I was 2 minutes late for work. No stress encountered.
Wednesday:
Overall mood: Stressed. I had minimal sleep because I was working on my homework all night and I also got assigned to a new client (I am a Special Ed. Teacher/Therapeutic Aide). I blasted my radio all the way to work. I did speed through a 35 mph residential zone since I didn't see any polic officers today. No tailgaiting.
Thursday:
Overall mood: Overwhelmed. I drove very slow this morning. I left for work on time, but I was already irritated because I had a hard time ironing my blouse. The highways seemed a little crowded and traffic was a little heavy (it was a rainy day) due to poor visability. I get anxious driving in raining whether some times. It's hard to see and I don't feel secure. No speeding!
Friday:
Overall mood: HAPPY! It's Friday. Going to work wasn't a problem. Returning home from work was a problem. I followed a car for almost 10 miles going 40 mph. It took me an extra 10 minutes to reach home. I couldn't go any faster and I had to pick my son up from school. I had some tension building up, but I didn't tailgate.
Looking at my journal of "driving" for this particular week, I realize that my mood (affective domain) really affects the way I think. If you feel negative, happy, sad, cheerful, anxious, then often times it reflects how you think (cognitive). What you think often precedes what you do (motor). So, I conlcude that when you start to think negatively, you should try to negate, change, or re-phrase your thoughts. When you start to think illogically or irrationally, there is a way to change it by looking at or thinking of the situation in a different way. I think this is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced.
Look here for a list of irrational ideas people may have during driving.
By doing this report I have become informed of the issue of Tailgating and I don't think this issue has been taken seriously. Reports from other students and the one report I included from a newsgorup didn't see it a something that is of top priority even if it concerns all of us and our lives. I do however thinkt that this report contains infomation that can give us clues as to what triggers someone to tailgate. My experiences as a driver has been fortunate so far, but I now realize that I am fortunate that I have not been a victim of an accident due to someone tailgaiting me. I would like to further my ideas in my Newsgoups Report. Take a look at My Newsgroup Report for more information on aggressive driving (road rage in particular). I think Tailagating is one facet of the larger problem of "road rage" which is under scrutiny.
For all you students taking this course for the first time, like I was told "START YOUR REPORTS EARLY". It takes a lot of time, organization, and revising to produce something decent. What make anything easy to do is doing something you really like. Choose something you have interst in and I think your thoughts will flow easier writing on something that if of interest to you. Give your insight on reports rather than just restating what someone did. You might find it hard to analyze rather than paraphrase, but try to be critical. I had a hard time commenting on the "content" of the report. I started out writing how I felt about the report which is of no use to the reader.
Future Students, As a first time student taking Dr. James course course, I would like to let you know that this course has allowed me to change a lot of my behaviors on the road as well as my behaviors in general. I have been able to identify my bad driving habits (mostly speeding), and I have realized that I am endangering my life as well as the lives of others by speeding. I have changed my behavior and I don't feel rage when I drive. I am much "cooler" on the road and it allows me to have a better day. It's bad enough that we need to go to work, but now I don't make it worse by starting my day "bad" driving to work.
Look at Dr. Driving Road Rage Emotional Intelligence For Drivers report for a Traffic Psychology Resource.
