My QDC Report:
The First QDC
| Intro to QDCs | My SWRs | Summary of My QDC Participation | Summary of Other People's QDC Participation | Conclusion | Suggestions for Future Generations |
1. What is a QDC?
A QDC (quality driving circle) is composed of people who communicate face to face or virtually with each other about driving. The goal of a QDC is to promote safe and responsible driving behavior. Too often, experiences we have in our vehicles lead to negative feelings and behaviors that endanger ourselves and others. By participating in a QDC, drivers can find and contribute to a supportive atmosphere that promotes understanding of how to deal with these stressful situations when they occur.
2. What is my idea of a QDC, and do I see myself as a lifelong member?
I enjoyed participating as an virtual member of a QDC community. I think that the Internet is an excellent way to communicate with drivers from different areas that travel in diverse situations. It can help a person realize that their frustration is not reserved for them alone, everywhere, people are dealing with potentially aggravating situations when they drive. Communicating with a wide variety of people will usually result in seeing that there are a wide variety of ways to react to a potentially stressful situation.
Participants in a virtual QDC should post their opinions and share situations for other participants to think about and respond to. Respondants can support what was said or object in a non-inflammatory, constructive way. This is not an arena to bash people, it is where people can help other people.
I can see myself continuing to participate in a QDC. I might not do it on a regular basis, that is probably because I don't do many things on a completely regular basis, but I would want to check in and see what was going on. I would want to see if I could offer any advice, find useful advice for myself, and track the progress of other participants.
3. Are QDCs needed?
I think that something needs to be done to improve the atmosphere on our roads, and QDCs are a valid option for doing so. I have found that our QDC has made myself and others more aware of what we are doing while we are driving. Once we become familiar with our tendencies, if they are negative, then during the QDC we can share ways to modify that negative behavior and make it more positive.
My SWRs (self-witnessing reports)
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01/20/00: I believe that driving during rush hour has the potential to be one of the most stressful and frustrating situations in life. I think that it can be both physically and psychologically draining. While I sit in traffic, I can visualize the times when I have driven freely through the traffic light which I find myself now having sat through for the fourth time. I wonder to myself,why traffic has become so bad? Was there an accident? If so I hope nobody was hurt. Are there just too many cars on the road? If that is the case, why didn't city planners foresee the types of roads we would need to sustain the amount of drivers here? I think about how I would love to be home or how we should go back to using horses for transportation. If I allow times like these to get to me, I can definitely feel a psychological strain. On the physical side, my leg gets tired of hitting the brake. My eyes and neck also tire from looking to see if somebody is trying to merge into my lane and checking my rearview mirror to see if the person in back of me will stop in time not to hit me (this is a worry experienced by someone who has been rear-ended 8 times while riding in or driving a car). I think that with strain and fatigue we become more vulnerable to losing control of our emotions. I have found it logical to try and blame someone, anyone, for the difficulties I have experienced while driving. I have felt anger and frustration and at one point after my radio had been stolen and my air conditioner had broken and I sat in a silent and hot car in bumper to bumper traffic, I decided that if there was a Hell, this is what it would be like. I am not a confrontational person though, so I would never openly express animosity towards another driver. Because I contained all of my feelings, I was the only one who suffered from them. I'm am not sure through what process it happened, but one day I decided that I should not have to suffer. I decided to become as much of a relaxed and giving driver as I could be. When I feel stress and anger starting to wash over me, I smile, sing, and dance a little more in my seat. I tell myself that getting worked up will not get me where I am going any faster. When traffic is bumper to bumper, I allow a large gap to open up infront of me, this gives people a chance to change lanes without my having to worry about them. I also feel good about hopefully having made someone's life a little bit easier, since they didn't have to fight their way into the lane. The large space also allows for easy braking on my part if the people in front of me slow down. I can't say that I never feel frustration on the road, but realizing that in every car there is another person a lot like me and through practicing what I explained above, my driving experiences have become much more pleasant. I just hope that other drivers will try and make driving a more pleasant experience for themselves and others. Reaction In this posting, I am portraying that I have felt the effects that mental and physical strain can have on a person while they are driving. Fatigue can definitely lower a person's ability to deal succesfully with stressful situations. Although it might be more difficult in times where our bodies and minds are tired, we still have control over ourselves and can choose whether or not to let a situation get to us. In this posting I shared a few ways that I make driving a more pleasant experience for myself. I distract myself physically by smiling and dancing in my seat, I allow my mind to become distracted by songs so I won't focus on how slow I'm going or what I just saw someone do, and I release pressure on myself and others by allowing a space to grow in front of my car so others can change lanes freely and I don't need to constantly be on the look out for the next time I have to slam on my brakes. I thought this was a realistic representation of the way that I drive. I will not say that I am always successful in my attempts to combat stress but the majority of the time I am. I hoped that these suggestions could help my fellow QDC members to get control of themselves while driving. I have continued to exercise these techniques, they seem to work very well for me. The more I practice not allowing situations to get to me, the easier it has become. I have become a less irritable driver and need decreased efforts to keep me that way. I have never been a terribly angry driver and my goal is to never become that way. As of right now, I foresee no problem in achieving this goal. |
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01/29/00: I think we can all at times be found guilty of participating in at least a couple of these ten offenses. Honestly I do not feel bad about participating in a few because it is not like I do them to be an impatient and angry driver. At times when I change lanes, I do have to squeeze myself into tight situations were I might have had to cut somebody off. I did not want to harm this person, but if nobody was going to let me over, I had to make a move so I could get where I was trying to go. I think a lot of the time people are too focused on getting where they personally need to go and not concious enough of the fact that other people need to get places too. If drivers would be considerate and allow space for others to change lanes, I think that the amount of complaints about being cut off would go down significantly. At times I find myself shooting through a yellow light, usually though I try to wait, much to the dismay of the people behind me. Sometimes it just comes down to deciding which the lesser of two evils is. Do I slam on my brakes to stop at the light or do I give my car a little more gas and glide through it? I don't mind using my brakes but I worry if the people behind me will be able to stop in time. I would much rather go through a yellow light than be rear ended. What frightens me is when people go through blatantly red lights, thinking that they still have time before the other traffic starts to move. I have had a few close calls with people who have done this. Sometimes I do take too long to start moving after the light turns green, maybe I was looking for something that dropped on the floor or was lost in thought. This is one thing that scares me about driving in some parts of the mainland. When I visited Washington D.C. many drivers there would honk if they thought people were taking too long to move, many would instantly honk when the light turned green. I would not feel comfortable in that type of driving situation. To digress, I also feel that horns should be reserved for situations of emergency, otherwise no one will take notice when they really need to. I never honk at people even if they sit at a green light for what seems like forever, I know they will figure it out eventually and they will feel foolish enough without me honking my horn at them. Sometimes I will pass a person turning left but only if there is plenty of room and they look like they will be sitting there for a while. I have also caught myself mumbling things like "thanks a lot" to other drivers, which I don't think is particularly bad. Anyway, I like to consider myself a pretty level-headed driver and I personally think that my driving flaws are minimal. Reaction In this posting, I am presenting reasons for why I do things that could be considered bad driving. When I rationalize these situations, I am giving examples of my cognitive workings while I am driving. There is a lot of decision making to do while driving, and I show some examples of how I need to decide between the lesser of two evils sometimes when I'm on the road. Examples that I have included are being aggressive while changing lanes versus not being able to get where I need to go and braking suddenly for a yellow light or going through it. I talk a lot about my affective functioning in this posting, there is fear, embarrasment, frustration, etc. I think what I say shows that I am not an angry driver, I am more of a timid and concerned one. On the psysical level, I describe how putting my foot on the gas or the brake makes the move as to whether I stop for a yellow light or go through it. I also desribed my feelings about honking, some people's hands immediately gravitate towards their horns, mine on the other hand rarely move towards that area. I still believe that while I do partake in these bad driving habits occasionally, sometimes they are necessary and my reasoning is valid. I'm not a horrible person or driver because I'm not always perfect. I will continue to drive the way that I do because my goals are to be considerate, kind, and responsible. I will continue to have to make judgement calls as I drive, weighing them with my driving goals in mind. |
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02/04/00: I think that it is hard not to make note of other drivers who put yourself or others in danger, it would mean that you just were not paying attention. I don't think that I personally keep a mental catalog of all the things that happened to me while I was driving though. If you asked me at the end of a trip what happened, I normally would not be able to tell you. If I set out with the intention of keeping track of these things then I will have a better recollection. This is what happened to me after reading the tee cards. After being asked to make note of how many times I notice what I and other drivers do, of course I am going to remember better. On a normal basis though my biggest problem would be that I was less than observant. I would have to say that I am one of those drivers who frequently finds themself at their destination and doesn't remember the trip. Unless something happens that is particularly out of the ordinary, I tend to forget about it and fail to mention it. Reaction This posting was about how I usually let things slide when I'm driving, as opposed to taking detailed mental notes about things that happen and being angry about them. I don't know what I'm thinking when I drive somewhere and don't remember the trip. In retrospect it seems like I must not have been thinking about the road, but I did make it safely so there must have been some part of me paying attention. Even when I do see drivers making mistakes, for the most part it is not worth it to me to get angry, it won't get me anywhere. So affectively I try to be level-headed while driving. Physically my body seems to go on autopilot or something on these trips where I don't quite remember the drive. I think your body can do this while you are participating in anything that your body is very accustomed to doing. I remember when I used to play piano, sometimes my fingers just played, it didn't seem to have anything to do with deliberate thought. I suppose it is always good to have reminders about how you should be driving even though you already drive that way. I guess it can be looked at as a positive reinforcement, you are being reminded that you do the right thing, and it nudges you to keep on doing it that way. Other People's Reactions click to view Although I might like to change my occasional amnesia while driving, there is nothing I would like to change about my easy-going driving attitude. If anything I would like to cultivate it so that I might stay calm and rational in all situations. |
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02/15/00: I think that there needs to be an option in the middle of "on some trips" and "never" for the road rage test. I had moderate road rage with a score of 5 "on some trips". I don't think that I am in denial but I'm not a road rager. Sometimes I do complain to myself, get annoyed, and feel frustration but these are fleeting. They just jump into my mind and I tell them to go away. I do not sit and stew over these things. I also break the speed limit but usually very minimally and to keep up with the flow of traffic. I think someone going too slow in a sea of cars can be hazardous also. I do admit that I have driven fatigued but that seems to be one of the most common ways that I feel, it is almost as if it is my natural state. My boyfriend who rated me also scored me much lower because he can't tell what is going on in my head, espeacially since the negative thoughts are so fleeting and I do not share them with him. I'm always the one telling him to calm down on the road. I may technically be a moderate road rager but I know in my heart that I would love for more drivers to be as tolerant and level-headed as I am when I drive. Reaction I still don't think that I am even a moderate road rager. Emotions are natural, I think that we are all going to experience annoyance, anger, and frustration. I think the key though, is how a person deals with these emotions. As I said in this posting, I experience these emotions but I don't allow them to get to me and change the way that I drive. Physically, my body has been tired while driving. If I feel like my responses may be slowed, I try to give my self more space between cars, I drive more slowly, and with all around more care. This posting shows the cognitive side of my driving experience when I discuss how I deal with negative emotions. I realize that they are there and I decide what I want to do with them. Although I was unhappy with my results on this test, it does bring to light that I can continue to improve on the way that I drive. I think this test is good for those people who pretend that the way they drive is ok. It brings to light how easy it is to participate even slightly in road rage. |
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02/19/00: I would have to say that I relate most with phase two. As I looked through the phase one part, I just did not see myself there. There was one exception though, and that was a few places in the cognitive section. I think that I feel like people are mad at me for driving in a thoughtful and responsible way. By driving this way, at a resonable speed, allowing people to merge in front of me, I feel like people behind and around me think I am slowing them down. I really don't know what they are thinking and I continue usually to drive my way, but for some reason I worry about bad thoughts being aimed at me. In most other ways I am a phase two driver, I'm sure I slip up at times though, we can't all be perfect drivers all the time, although that should be the goal. Reaction This exercise was a comparison between how we function cognitively, affectively, and physically when we are driving poorly and when we are driving well. It seems to point out that what we are thinking and what we do is a by product of our emotions at the time. As I say in my posting, while looking at the TEE card for this exercise I related most with the second phase, which means that while driving I am not engulfed in the flames of negative emotions so I do not regularly think and do dangerous things. I point out that while I drive in this way, sometimes I do experience what might be described as feelings of guilt. Irrational thoughts then enter my mind and lead me to believe that drivers around me are mad at me. While I usually do hold steady and continue to drive the same way, sometimes I will do something like speed up so I can alleviate some of the pressure that I feel. I think that generally our emotions can direct what we think and do, but I think our thoughts and actions can also influence our emotions. This exercise just brought to mind the idea that we are threefold in nature. If we can remember that our feelings, thoughts, and actions can be influenced, we don't need to stay angry and stressed out on the road, we can do something to change it. Other People's Reactions click to view I appreciated the reassurance from other people that I shouldn't be so worried about what other drivers think. Hopefully I can take this and feel confident while I'm driving that I am doing the right thing. |
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02/28/00: I don't really relate much with the suggestions for driving better. They look like legitimate ways to control our emotions but they aren't my method. I think I've come to the point where I've kind of given up. I think this is a good thing. When someone does something silly or dangerous, it is a bit like I throw my hands in the air. There is really nothing I can do about it, so I just move on. I try to keep this easy going manner by listening to music and understanding that it is not worth my time and energy to get upset. Driving is much more pleasant when you just let things slide. Reaction I think we have to use whatever works for us personally. We are all different and cannot be expected to do things in the same ways. I know what works for me and I've described it in my posting. My thoughts insist that doing anything but letting things go, is just a waste of my time and energy. This leads to a calm and positive emotional state and responsible and thoughtful driving. I don't think I had thought too much about what I do to stay level-headed while driving but now I know that for the most part I just give up. I hadn't really thought that giving up could have positive consequences before but it does help my driving. Other People's Reactions click to view I'm not the only one who doesn't think that there is one right way to do things. I suggest to myself and others to be experimental about emotions, thoughts, and actions, and not just while driving, so that we can find the right way to help ourselves be emotionally intelligent all of the time. |
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03/06/00: I do tend to think of myself as a good driver. Not necessarily because I don't make mistakes but because I try not to be a risk taker and I try to drive in a responsible way. I do acknowledge that I am not always the best driver in the world. I am pretty concious of the mistakes that I make and wonder why I did them. I have accidentally turned down a one way street going in the opposite direction. This could be construed as being pretty idiotic but I just made a mistake, I don't do it all the time. So I try to recognize that other people are just making mistakes too. I think I was pretty lucky that I had decent driving role models for parents. They might show mild irritation occasionally but were usually laid back. From their example I am a mild mannered driver and never choose to be confrontational. I think my flight instinct is much greater than my fight. I have never been in a hostile exchange with another driver. Reaction While driving I keep clear in my thoughts that everybody makes mistakes, even myself. This helps immensely in keeping these mistakes from creating negative emotions in me while driving. I just try and let these thoughts and emotions go, as I would hope someone would do for me if I made a mistake, even a potentially dangerous one. I believe that letting other people's driving mistakes go, keeps me from making driving mistakes because I am able to concentrate on the road and drive calmly. Although I try always to be a calm driver, it helps to conciously be a forgiving one too. While I may have been unconciously forgiving the mistakes of other drivers before, now I can further aid better driving in myself by conciously thinking how the other person must feel silly and guilty for doing what they did. This can help take away negative emotions even in some of the most frustrating of circumstances. Other People's Reactions click to view I feel lucky to have had relatively good driving role models and the self-control to keep from driving more like the bad ones. My parents moved to Hawaii thirty-something years ago and from what they tell me, neither of them have received any tickets for moving violations and been in any accidents of their fault since they have been here. This doesn't mean that they have been driving angels, but they certainly aren't bad drivers. Parking tickets are a different story though. I hope I can be a good driving role model for other people. |
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03/13/00: It is true that things don't "just happen". There are events leading up to them that can change the outcome. They may seem like they "just happened" to the person but if that person were to sit down and think about it, I think they would see it differently. It seems to me that a lot of "just happened" situations happened because of the involvement of alcohol. I am not a confrontational person, in or out of my car. I am confident that I will never get into a situation where I pull over and get into an arguement with someone that could turn into a bad case of road rage. It is just not who I am. I would drive away from the situation far before anything bad could happen. Maybe you could call me a frightened, lover of life. Reaction I have absolutely no desire to get into confrontations while I'm driving or otherwise. Even if I get angry at someone there is no way that I would physically go after a person in or out of their car. It is not in my thought processes to start a physical situation or even an angry verbal exchange. This is a situation where my emotions influence my actions and thoughts greatly. I am afraid of injury. Thus I will try not to put myself into a situation where I will become injured. I do not trust other people to remain calm, so to me, even a verbal exchange can lead to my injury. Reacting this way is not a matter of self-control, it is a reflex. Acting in this way has kept me safe so far. I'm sure there are those people who get into yelling matches with people and come out fine, but I would rather play it safe and do everything within my power to make sure that I always come out fine. Other People's Reactions click to view I agree with this comment, that you cannot always stay out of a dangerous situation. What I will do though, is everything that I can to keep out of one. It comes down to making decisions that will elevate or alleviate the situation. I have had one experience in my life that involved being in a potentially dangerous situation with another person that I did not forsee or desire to be in. While this did not take place when I was driving I think it gives an example of how our actions can help or hurt a situation. I was in a supermarket at a cash machine, a woman approached me who was obviously mentally retarded or unstable. She asked me if she could borrow a dollar. I really didn't want to give her any money, she didn't look like she was in need, she was clean, well groomed, and dressed in a coordinated outfit. So I declined and told her that I didn't have any, that's why I was going to the cash machine, which was true. I thought that since she seemed impaired in some way, that she would accept this answer and leave me alone. AfterI very politely told her this, she started looking at me with hatred and I realized instantly that this woman was going to do something to me. I started to scan the supermarket, unsure of what to do, but before I could do or hardly think anything, this woman leaned in and spit in my face. It all happened so fast, I was in shock, and the woman turned around and walked away. Literally everyone that I have told this to has asked me why I didn't punch her, beat her up, something. It didn't even cross my mind, I just wanted to get away from her. I didn't know what she was capable of, so if I physically tried to get back at her, she could have attacked me. I think I chose the right thing to do, by not reacting back, thus the situation ended. If I had reacted physically, it could have prolonged and worsened the situation. So I definitly believe that there are choices that can be made even when you find yourself unintentionally in a bad situation. |
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03/20/00: I think what I have to say first is, thank goodness I don't have any children. I know that having children is a big responsibility and it just seems to be getting bigger. Knowing that we should keep an eye on the driving situations that children see, makes me aware of all kinds of other things that could be setting bad examples for children. I think the thing about entertainment of all kinds is that it is based on things that we can't do and shouldn't do. It is a means of escape from our own "boring" lives. If entertainment isn't filled with scandel, violence, excitement, who would want to watch it? It wouldn't be quite as entertaining anymore. Even as adults, I think some people get bad ideas from entertainment sources. So if adults can't be expected to understand where lines should be drawn, how can we expect children to do so? It really points to the fact that we do need to discuss things like bad driving with them. Reaction Our actions have major consequences on the lives of children that we spend time with. Not only do our physical actions help determine what kinds of situations we personally end up in, they set examples for others, espeacially impressionable children. With this in mind, we have to make sure that we have our thoughts and emotions in check. While I do not spend much time around children now, it does not hurt to cultivate good habits so that if I ever do have children around me, it will not be difficult for me to set a good example for them. I think we fail to realize how important we are as examples for children. It is our responsibility to promote healthy future habits for our youth. Through good examples and pointing out the flaws in bad examples, I think this can be accomplished. Other People's Reactions click to view Once pointed out to us, it is very obvious that learning begins at a very early age, so we must be responsible and think about what we are teaching. |
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04/05/00: I liked the idea of thinking about the people we drive around as being members of a moving community. It makes me think that these aren't just strangers, they are my neighbors at least for a short period of time. As in any community there are those neighbors who are a pleasure to be around and those that are rude and you wish would leave or at least clean up their act. I would like to extend the idea of being a considerate driver to vehicles that are parked. One of my real neighbors probably has ten vehicles packed in his driveway which he works on. This is not very pleasant to look at and does not belong in a residential neighborhood. He is one of those neighbors that you wish would change or go away. People in your moving community can be similarly irritating but at least you don't have to deal with them for prolonged periods of time. These people will come and go as rapidly as they incur irritation. If I can deal with the prolonged displeasure that my real neighbor creates, I should certainly be able to deal with the rapidly changing neighbors that I encounter on the road. Also, just as I try to be a pleasant member of my real community, I should make an effort to be a pleasant member of my moving community. Reaction Once again the threefold self comes into play. When we think about drivers as a moving community, it is a way of controlling our cognitive functioning. Once we get a hold on our thoughts, our feelings and actions follow in accordance. If our idea is that there is no reason to be mad at fellow drivers, we will not get angry with them and we will not get hurt from participating in road rage. It really comes down to what will make an individual function in an emotionally intelligent way. Thinking about other drivers as neighbors is a compelling reason for me but maybe others need to believe that every time they have negative feelings towards other drivers that they will get shocked. I don't care what the rationale is, as long as I can feel safe on the road because people are driving responsibly. |
Summary of My Own Participation in the QDC
As a member of the first QDC in the world, I realized that something like this could really work. Driving is something that I don't believe we normally think about, we just do it. By reading the TEE cards, new ideas were brought to my attention, and I had to stop and think about my driving in relation to these ideas. I then had to test these ideas out on the road while driving, which brings to light how I'm not always the best driver. The TEE cards provide the means neccesary to make changes to my driving and help improve what is bad. I then got to share my experiences and thoughts with other drivers who were going through similar driving dilemmas. By sharing with each other, we were able to support each other and provide suggestions to help us on our journeys to better driving. I know that by participating in the QDC I have become a lot more aware of the way that I drive and this gives me the power to be in control of my driving as I haven't been in the past.
Summary of My Fellow Participants in the QDC
I don't feel that I am the only one who benefitted from the QDC. Most notable is the fact that people became much more aware of the way that they were driving. I think initially many of us felt like it was a forum to complain about experiences that we have had with people who were "bad drivers". Once we were able to get this out of the way, we were on the road to learning about ourselves and how if there was another QDC out there, we might be the "bad drivers" being complained about. Many people, like myself, realized that they weren't always driving the way that they should be.
I was impressed with the way that people admitted their wrong doings and for the most part, desired to change their bad habits. I also thought that there were many good ideas shared and that advice was accepted appreciatively. It felt like a safe atmosphere to share opinions and suggestions.
While reading other people's postings, I was surprised by the agressive behaviors that some people participated in, things I would never do like yelling. Most people seemed pretty level-headed though, which is where I place myself. I felt like some of the people with the most aggressive behaviors were really starting to change for the better, or at least this is how it appeared through their postings.
I thought some very interesting ideas were brought up during the discussions, things like music and its effect on driving and the differences between drivers here and other places like on the mainland. Most of us have ways of listening to music in our cars, so can we use music to make us better drivers? If people in different parts of the world do drive differently, what makes them do so? Can we learn from the parts of the world that drive in a desireable way? Bringing up ideas like these and asking questions are important because they can lead to better driving.
I felt that my participation in the QDC was important and valued by the other members. I appreciated their feedback on my postings and enjoyed reading what they had to say. Since I consider myself a pretty responsible driver, I thought that I was one of the positive driving role models for the group. I hoped that I could show that you can make it around the roads without being angry and aggressive and making yourself and others feel bad.
I think that I have learned quite a lot by participating in the QDC. These are not only things that I can apply to driving but to all of my life. The threefold self does not begin and end in the driver's seat and learning how to harness one to get control of the others can be enormously beneficial. Also, we are not alone in this world. In each car that drives by us is another person experiencing the same things that we are. By communicating with these other drivers through things like QDCs we can learn to overcome our problems with the help from others who already know how to do it. Before doing this, I had never heard of a QDC, so participating not only made me understand what they are and how they could benefit people, but that they could even exist. I think the existence of our QDC has made me a better driver because my eyes are now open and I am not mindlessly allowing myself to feel one way or another. I have the power to control the way that I feel, and thus the way that I drive.
I suggest that future generations really delve into this subject matter. It would be easy to go through the motions and pretend to understand what is being said and apply it. What is being shared through the TEE cards can really be enlightening. Participating in the QDC encourages using ideas learned in the TEE cards, which can really make a difference in the quality of a driving experience. The process of learning first requires self reflection: How do I drive? Is this the way that I should be driving? If the answer is no, the TEE cards give guidelines as to how we should be driving and hints on how to achieve it. Then we can turn to the QDC and look for support and suggestions from others. Through these resources, we all have the means to become good drivers.
Before I started participating in the QDC I believe that I was a decent driver. I had never stopped to think about my driving and make concious efforts to drive one way or another though. After being part of the group, driving well became a concious decision. If I was presented with a potentially frustrating driving situation, I would decide that I didn't want to get angry about it, and do what was necessary for me to follow through. This includes singing, smiling, leaving space between myself and others so that people could merge and I wouldn't have to keep my eyes glued to the person in front of me. I thought happy thoughts and made excuses for people who made mistakes. All of this led to the cultivation of positive emotions as opposed to negative ones which are what we don't want.
Future generations can move confidently with the knowledge that QDCs are helpful. As the first generation to participate in this, I think many of us were skeptical, but I think most of our skepticism has been cleared up. Maybe future generations can spread the word and recruit people from outside the class to join in the QDC. They could create their own QDCs and help facilitate them. Also I think that future generations could make their own TEE cards to share with others.
Obviously since this is the first attempt at a QDC, there is an enormous potential for growth and improvement. This first generation has started the ball rolling toward the improved driving of every person out on the road. Even if the QDC itself does not become a widespread phenomenon, those that do participate will create a rippling effect out on the roads. People can see you and they can see your car. They can see your face if you are smiling, and your hand waving as you thank someone for allowing you to merge. They can see you use your turn signal and the fact that you allow people to merge in your lane. You might restore their faith in the fact that people can be good drivers and you might inspire them to be the same. On the other hand, people can see you yelling, applying makeup, and talking on a phone. They can see you driving aggressively and without consideration, and might be drawn to do the same. It all comes down to whether or not you want to create or help the problem. I have chosen to try and help the problem. What will you do?