Definitions of Traffic Psychology:
What A Driver Knows

 
 
 

Instructions For This Report	Lisa Among, G6	My Experiences
Cheddiemae DeRizzio, G8	Cherilyn Okazaki, G4	For Future Generations
Chris Murakami, G6	Sandra Scarbrough, G4	Epilogue

Cheddiemae deRizzio, G8

    Cheddiemae did not state outright her definition of Driving Psychology but she did explain her thoughts on the subject.  Basically her definition is that it is the study of everything related to driving especially on the cognitive side.  How people think about what's going on on the road from all the different points of view: passenger , driver, cyclist, etc.  She talks a lot about her past experiences on the road and about she felt and what she thinks about certain situations.  She believes that one needs to think about the people in the other roles and not concentrate only on his or her own needs all the time.

I agree with her on the fact that the cognitive side is very important in understanding drivers.  But I disagree with the fact that she makes no mention of the other two aspects, the affective and sensorimotor domains.  All three play a part in understanding traffic and driving.  How you are feeling will definitely make a difference on what you are thinking.  Sometimes your feeling can take over and you won't even think before you act.  All these things are important and should be discussed.
 
 

Chris Murakami, G6
 

    Chris' definition of Traffic Psychology is, "Traffic Psychology is the study of traffic and the effect it has on the driving
behavior of all road users."  He goes on to say that not only drivers of cars need to know about this subject but also pedestrians, passengers, bicyclists, etc.  Basically anyone who leaves the house and goes near roads needs to know about traffic.  He believes that communication is the key to better driving.  People need to pay more attention to how they drive and to how others drive in order to make the roads safer.

    I think that his is a good definition for traffic psychology.  I agree with the fact that people need to be more informed and educated on how to recognize different things on the road.  I disagree with his statement that passengers can't do anything and are just "helpless" in cars.  I think a passenger has a duty to watch for things on the road that maybe the driver can't see.  I also agree with his view on aggressive moped riders.  Anyone who has been on the University of Hawaii campus knows this to be true.
 
 

Lisa Among, G6

    I think that Lisa offers a very broad and simple definition to what driving psychology is.  She says in her report. "What is Traffic Psychology ? A very basic description would be the study of a person while driving."  She says that driving is a social act and that people need to think about their actions and how it affects all the other people on the road rather than just concentrating on their own destinations.  She also thinks that people get their bad driving habits from imitating what they see on TV.  She goes on to explain some ways you can change your own bad habits on the road.

    I agree that traffic psychology  is the study of a person while driving, and I think people do act differently behind the wheel than they do in real life.  But one thing that it made me think is that if you modify your own driving habits and try to make yourself a better driver then you will end up with the belief that you are a "good" driver.  By thinking that you are good driver I think the more you will tend to be critical of others possibly resulting in ever more road rage.  I think we need to do more than just modify our own behavior, we need to realize that there are different driving personalities on the road and we have to know how to recognize them and how to deal with them.
 
 

Cherilyn Okazaki, G4

    Cherilyn's definition of traffic psychology is the study of how to change one's negative actions while driving into positive actions.  She believes the best way to do this is to find the reasons why the action is occurring and then to change or modify the behavior.  She goes on to mention an incident where she experienced  road rage while driving on the freeway.

    I think that getting rid of our bad habits on the road is a very good idea.  The changing of bad behavior is always a good idea but I'm not sure that it is that easy.  I like what she says about having to look to the source of the action.  This is like the affective and cognitive domains.  Then to change the actual behavior you need to take into mind the sensorimotor domain also.  She acknowledges the existence of the three domains and relates them to the problem.  She also believes that traffic psychology is very important in the behavior modification process.
 
 

Sandra Scarbrough, G4

    Sandra agrees with Dr James' definition of traffic psychology, "Traffic psychology refers to the knowledge one acquires about how to use behavioral principles to modify one's own style of conduct in traffic situations including driving, bicycling, walking, and other forms of locomotion in shared places."  She also believes that the major cause of road rage is the feeling of frustration.  This fits into the affective domain.  How a person feels is important to her understanding of how people act on the road.  She also explains that if more was known about driving and people's feeling then the number of accidents would be less and car insurance prices could be reduced.  People should not drive if they are mad or frustrated, and they should find some another place to release their anger rather than taking on the road with them.

    She makes a good point that traffic psychology could reduce accidents and save people a lot of money.  I also agree with the fact that how people are feeling when they drive has a lot to to with how they act.  If you are not in a rush you tend to drive slower and to not be bothered as much by the people who drive in ways you do not like.  But to me this has less to do with the social aspect of driving and more to do with a person's own problem of anger management.  Just because you are mad doesn't mean you have to drive aggressively.  You could realize there are other's on the road who did not cause you anger and wait till you get home to let your frustrations out.  So you could be mad but still drive responsibly, it's possible.
 
 

As a Driver:      As a driver I often experience people doing thing with their cars that they should not be doing.  At times I do get angry and wonder what the other person is thinking to making such a stupid move.  Traffic psychology is needed in this case because if more is known on why people act the way they do then maybe I wouldn't get as mad because I could under stand whet is going through their minds and maybe see it as normal.

As a pedestrian:  I think pedestrians need to watch out for the cars on the road.  If you are going to cross a street you have to under stand that the street is made for cars , not for walking.  That is why they make sidewalks.  I don't under stand the people who step into the road without looking and then when they see that there is a car there they look at the car as if thinking, "What are you doing not stopping for me?".  And they continue to take their sweet time crossing.  Traffic psychology need to be taught to everyone, even the ones that don't drive.  That way they can see the point of view from the drivers.  In the law it does say that pedestrians always have the right of way, but does this mean they can cross a road anywhere at anytime regardless of the traffic on the road?

    As a passenger:  A passenger is a driver's best friend.  To be a good passenger you need to help the driver in situations where they need help.  One example is when pulling out of a driveway.  Sometimes the driver is not able to see because of his position in the car.  But if has a passenger he can ask the person to let him know when his side is clear.  Traffic psychology could help to teach people how to be good passengers by helping the driver in the sensorimotor domain.  Being another pair of eyes and ears only adds to a safer trip.

As a moped rider:  I ride a moped and I feel sorry for them but moped riders are probably the most aggressive drivers on the road.  They speed up and pass cars in the same lane, they ride on sidewalks, etc.
 
 

    I think that the future generations who chose to do this report one way to improve is to use more definitions than just five.  Also they will have one more generation to search through to find new definitions.  A good way to learn more is to go to other sites that also speak about traffic psychology.  This way you have the points of view of not only students but also experts.  Also I would say that you should not try to finish the whole report at one time.  I think it is better to add to it as the semester goes on.
 
 

    This report was fun to do.  It was interesting to read through all the prior generations reports on this topic.  As I started I was frustrated because I could not find someone who had a good definition.  But the deeper I looked the more I found.  I learned a lot about the field of traffic psychology.  Dr James' site is also a good place to go to for multitudes of information on the subject.  I was very pleased with the outcome of my search and also with the way my report turned out.  I hope you will have as much success as I did.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

My Home Page

Class Home Page

E-mail