During a different driving experience, I was coming up the Vineyard on ramp for the H1 going east.  I put my blinker on to cut over into the left lane.  The cars in the left lane were very close together and did not make room for me to cut over.  I slowly started to drift over in order to "force" my way through.  The person that I cut in front of must have gotten really mad, because I looked back, and he was yelling in his car, and raising his fists.  He then proceeded to tailgate me until he could pull out from behind me, and then speed up really fast past me.

GUIDELINES FOR EVALUATION

*Widespread scale: 1-10, with 10 being the most widespread

*Type of persons that use this form of communication

*Effectiveness of this form of comminication

*Function for the doer

*Function for the receiver

Method #1: Waving/ Throwing Shaka

- Widespread scale:  9

- Type of persons: Waving mostly by women/ throwing shaka by local males

- Effectiveness: Very effective for both the doer and the receiver

- Doer Function: To express grattitude or to apologize.  For  example if someone accidentally cuts another person off,  they  may wave to indicate that they did not see that person while marging or changing lanes.

- Receiver Function: This is good positive reinforcemnet for the receiver.  They may be more encouraged to perform kind gestures towards other drivers more often.  It also makes the receiver feel good about doing something that another person appreciated.

Method #2: Accelerating very quickly/ racing

- Widespread scale: 7

- Type of persons: Mostly younger males and females driving sports cars

- Effectiveness: Very poor for the receiver.  It may temporarily release some tension of the doer, but overall effectiveness is poor for the doer.

- Doer Function: The primary function of this form of communication would be to express one's dissatisfaction with another's driving actions.

- Receiver Function: This form of communication expresses that the doer is impatient.  It also expresses that the doer has no compassion or understanding for others.  Most passive receivers of this form would just ignore it and move on!  I repeat, it is a highly INEFFECTIVE FORM OF COMMUNICATION!
 

Method #3: Blocking/ not allowing cars to merge or cut over

- Widespread scale: 4

- Type of persons: Mostly males or females wih attitudes

- Effectiveness: Effective, but not productive!

- Doer Function: The doer is either in a real hurry that they can't let a single car through, or they are inconsiderate and impatient jerks!  These people just want to communicate that they don't care about anyone else on the road, but themselves.

- Receiver Function: This method tells the receiver, "Forget it!  This guy is not going to let me through.  Okay, well someone else is...".

Method #4: Yelling/ Screaming/ Swearing

- Widespread scale: 8

- Types of persons:  No stereotypes here... any type of person you can imagine. Old, young, female, male, white, black, yellow, orange, I've seen it all.  Mostly men will yell out the window at the other person.  Mostly women will yell at people in their cars, but with out the other person hearing.

- Effectiveness: Depending if the intended receiver hears it or not, but generally it is of low effectiveness.

- Doer Function: Let off some steam, "let the other person know what an idiot driver they are", emabarass  the other person.

- Receiver Function: This method usually makes people mad and want to retaliate or it catched people off guard.  Most people get mad.
 

Method #5: Tailgating

- Widespread scale: 6

- Types of persons: Mostly younger to middle aged males, but females also do this.

- Effectiveness: Not very effective

- Doer Function: The intention of the doer is to teach the othe rperson a lesson.  They want to make it clear that they are unhappy with whatever the other person did such as cut them off or go slow in the fast lane.

- Receiver Function: Most victims of this method will feel threatened.  Some will not know that someone is tailgating.  Those that do know will want to brake suddenly or to go the same speed or slower.  The receiver will take this action to a negative act with little or no productive qualities.
 

Method #6: Cutting people off

- Widespread scale: 8

- Types of persons: Everyone does this, maybe not intentionally, but it happens, even to the best of us drivers.

- Effectiveness: Not effective, but highly dangerous.

- Doer Function: The doer is trying to communicate that they are not pleased with the actions of another.  It may also be to "teach someone a lesson".

- Receiver Function: The receiver like the other actions takes this to be a very hostile act.  They feel threatened and may take it personally.  This may lead to retaliation such as described in Situation #4.

Method #7: Staring (no verbal exchange)

- Widespread scale: 6

- Types of persons: No boundaries here!  Anyone and almost everyone does this conciously or unconciously. Here in Hawaii this method is also called "stink eye".

- Effectiveness: Not very effective, the receiver usually doesn't know about the action, except in maybe in Situation #4.

- Doer Function: The function of this action for the doer is to make the other person feel like they did something wrong.

- Receiver Function: This method is not very effective, and most times the receiver does not receive the "stink eye".  Therefore, not reaction or little reaction may result from staring.  Some receiver may take this action as a threat like the guy in Situation #4.
 

Method #8: Intentionally damaging a vehicle

- Widespread scale: 2

- Types of persons: Angry ex-boy/girlfriends, mentally disturbed individuals

- Effectiveness: On a scale of 1-10, it would be a negative 100.  Translation: Low effectiveness

- Doer Function: This person is thinking that they are going to teach the receiver a lesson.  Sometimes an act like the one described in Situation #5 may result from pure anger where it becomes like a instant reaction. It may also be the intention for the doer to comminicate that "No one can mess with them!"

- Receiver Function: This action tells the receiver that they should be careful of this person.  They may do something to physically harm them.  Some people may take this action as a direct threat to them, and feel compelled to act aggressively in return.
 

Method #9: Opening someone's car door

- Widespread scale: 1

- Types of persons: males with anger management problems

- Effectiveness: Very, Extremely, Highly, Poor Effectiveness

- Doer Function: The primary function of an act like this would be to scare the other person into intimidation.

- Receiver Function: The receiver takes this as a threat to themselves, and they are forced to defned themselves by confronting the doer or running away.

    There are not many effective and economical ways of having a communication system among drivers.  The most difficult obstacle dealing with a uniform method of communication is approval or cooperation from drivers.  One way of communication that I think would be effective is a uniform electronic sign across the back of each car.  It would be able to flash messages such as, "please allow youself one car length", "My apologies", "Thank you",  etc.

    These messages would be uniform and regulated.  They can be flashed to display a message to another driver that would not be offensive to others. It would not have to be taught in a formal classroom.  Instruction on how to use each electronic device would be found in the instruction manual of each car.

    To research the effectiveness of this method, volunteer would participate in a virtual reality experiment.  They would be placed in a situation where it looks like they are driving.  Different senarios happened through ut their "virtual drive" where other cars would be using their electronic sign communicators.  The volunteers can express their feelings, thought, and suggetions afterwards.

    The use for this electronic communicator would be to cut down on any confusing communication happening between drivers.  It allows people to express themselves in a more productive and efficient manner.
 

    Brandi Ashby's report is very interesting.  She is very careful in describing each situation and method.  However, I do disagreew ith he about the drivers in Hawaii being kind and considerate.  Though I have heard that drivers here are more kind than those on the mainland, I still feel that Hawaii drivers have a lot to learn.  Not everyone drives with the aloha spirit, but she does mention that also.

    Kristin Evert's report is the next one that I found on driver communication.  I like her report, because it more accurately portrays drivers in Hawaii, from my perspective.  She poses a very interesting question, "Why can't we all just get along?".  It would be an ideal place to be, but unfortunately that's what it will always be...an ideal place.   People are living, feeling, changing, and reacting all different kinds of stimuli.  There are very few people that are always in a good mood.  Kristin has the right idea about educating drivers about road rage and what to do about it.  Also I like her idea about teaching common courtesy to drivers, because unfortunately, it isn't always common.

     I recommend that future generations should not be the drivers when going out to do the obeservations.  Recording this data can be a distraction.  In fact I got so caught up in collecting data that I did not realize that I was driving slower than I normally do.  Maybe I was creating a traffic hazard?!  It's easier to observe what's happening around you when you don't have to drive.  For example, have you ever been the driver while sightseeing?  It's difficult to concentrate on the road and appreciate teh beauty around us at the same time. So, if you have a driver, then you can look around more, observe people more closely and carefully.  You can actually follow other drivers to observe consistency in driving behavior, to a certain degree...

    Mostly, please have fun.  It's an enjoyable report that allows you to really experience the driving community.

    This report is a fun report to do, because you become more aware of the driving environment.  I can say that I used to drive, but not really pay attention to what other people were doing as far as communication goes.  I have learned a lot from doing this report.  One thing is how much we need an effective method of communication.  I really didn't think about this before, but a really good way of communicating with each other could really help alleviate road rage.  I feel much more enlightened about the people and their methods of communication.  I am more comfortable driving now knowing more about driver communication.  As far as driving, I have been waving more, using my blinker more, and allowing more people to pass and cut over.  I can say that I am more tolerant of other drivers.
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