My QDC Report
"Changing the Face of Driving"
by Argyle Bumanglag
What is a QDC?
QDC is the acronym for Quality Driving Circle. It consists of a small group (about 5 - 10) of drivers who meet together regularly and discuss their driving life, influencing and learning from each other. A QDC is aimed at trying to help re-shape aggressive driving behaviors in an effort to produce an affective and emotionally intelligent driving style. There are two types of QDCs: face to face and virtual QDCs.
A face to face QDC involves members who are physically present and meet on a regular basis to discuss their driving life. Examples of a face to face QDC include family, neighborhood, or workplace based meetings and interactions. A virtual QDC, on the other hand, does not involve face to face interaction, but rather communication is conducted via chat room, e-mail, phone, etc. According to Dr. James, "QDCs are principally cultural motivators for a value change. QDCs are re-education delivery mechanisms for changing aggressive driving into supportive driving. But they also are the best source of continuous data for tracking the level and intensity of aggressive driving."
What is my idea of a QDC, and do I see myself as a lifelong member?
In my view, a QDC is basically a tool to help us improve our driving. As mentioned above, there are two types of QDCs. This semester, I had the chance to experience both types of QDCs. I participated in a face to face QDC in a classroom environment during our class meeting times, and I also participated in a virtual QDC through a chat room interaction. Of the two types of QDCs, I personally preferred the virtual QDC. I felt that with the virtual QDC, I had no problem freely expressing my opinions on driving. It also was more convenient for me because I find working at home much more preferable than attending a class. With that said, can honestly see myself as a lifelong QDC member. With the virtual QDC, it is very easy to get involved and participate in an online driving discussion. The only problem that I see is that I don't really know how consistent I am going to be after this class. I know that making improvements in driving takes time, but, realistically speaking, I can probably see myself participating at least once a month. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with weekly postings - I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Are QDCs needed?
Judging from the increasing number of road rage incidents being reported in the news, I feel that yes - QDCs are needed. As of now, I think they are the only means possible in altering aggressive driving behaviors. Part of the problem with changing driving behaviors is getting drivers to see that their driving styles are aggressive. This can only be done by fostering a sense of self-awareness and also through educating drivers about driving with emotional intelligence. This is where QDCs come in - we need them if we want everyone in the world to start driving with aloha.
Click here for a thorough explanation of each SWR exercise.
After reading the Tee cards for this week, I tried to be self-conscious of my emotions as a driver and as a passenger. This week, I had 1 experience that relates directly to Tee card 44c2. On Tue. afternoon, I was a passenger in my friend's car, and we were heading to work. We were driving along and saw a sign that said: Right Lane Closed Ahead. Therefore, we tried to anticipate any possible construction work by staying on the left lane. To our surprise, there was no construction in the right lane. Therefore, we had to get back into the right lane or else we would miss the turn to get to work. There was a car in the right lane, but there was about a three car distance between us - clearly enough room to change lane! The lady driving the car was going slow, so it was a great opportunity for us to change lane. However, after seeing us signal and attempt to change lane, the lady sped up and would not let us in. At that point, I was saying to myself, "This driver is an idiot!" It was very difficult for me to find her action justifiable because, there was so much room in front of her! Could her action be considered an automatic response? I don't think so - she even felt it was necessary to pull up to the side of our car and look at us! Luckily for us there was another lady in the lane who was more considerate and let us change lane. After this experience, I came to the conclusion that there are many good and courteous drivers out there, BUT there are a few that make the roads a terrible place to be. |
Summary of SWR 1
This was basically my first ever tee card exercise. In fact, it was my first ever experience with the whole virtual QDC thing. In this particular exercise, I was a passenger in my friend's car, and we were on our way to work. We were rushing to get to work to keep from being late. The following experience with the other car surprisingly coincided with SWR 1. While we were driving on this day, this other car refused to let us in. I remember thinking to myself that this driver was an idiot. That's how I usually classify drivers who don't let me into their lane. I was really annoyed by her actions because I became worried that we might miss our exit. I think that mainly, I felt that she was doing this on purpose. My negative emotions are probably linked to her action of slowing down and looking at us. She might not have meant anything, but at that point, my cognitive perception of her action was that she was mocking us for not being able to change lane. This was one of my more negative SWRs - mainly because it was the first one I ever did. At this stage of my QDC participation, I could not (or would not) see any justifiable explanation for her behavior.
Comments and Reactions
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This was an interesting response to my SWR 1. From Lianne's reply, I see that there are also other drivers out there who feel the same way when other drivers don't let them into the next lane. She makes a good point here by saying that I should just let it go and change lanes when you can. However, as you can probably tell by my response to her reply, I was still a little annoyed by the whole experience. I'm not sure why I couldn't really let it go - perhaps because I felt that the other driver was doing this on purpose. I think I made this assumption because I saw her slow down next to us and look into our car.
In retrospect, SWR 1 shows what kind of driving mentality I had early in the semester before I began participating in the QDCs. I'm not as bad now, but nevertheless, there are still times when I think there are some idiot drivers on the road. My future plans are to look back on this exercise and work on letting go of the minor offenses that irritate me on the road.
I looked over the list of the nation?s top ten driving offenses and realized that I am guilty of eight out of the ten offenses. Perhaps the only two that I can honestly say I have never done are: cruising in the passing lane and taking too long to make a turn. As for the other eight offenses, I realize that I have done them at one time or another. However, I do not commit them all the time. I realize that I am more prone to aggressive driving during the morning drive to school or during my drive to work. Most of the time, I find myself driving aggressively to avoid being late. I also admit that at certain times, I am also guilty of tailing cars. Most of the time it?s because a driver cuts me off and forces me to brake really hard. I know this is wrong, but I?d be lying if I said that I never did it. For the purpose of this SWR, I decided to try and analyze my feelings/emotions as I was driving to school today. I left my house at the same time today and tried, as best as I could, to avoid any form of aggressive driving. I was doing pretty good (I think it was only 10 min.) until I hit the traffic. Then, after waiting for a few minutes in a lane that was not moving, I found myself looking at the clock and saying to myself that I?d better hurry up or I?d miss my class. However, what really got to me was seeing cars driving really slowly. I know that you aren?t supposed to drive fast in traffic, but these people were driving as though they had nowhere to go --- you could probably fit a cement truck and a car between them and the next car! There was just so much room in front of them that I felt I had to change lane. Anyway, as I realized that I was running out of time, I began to drive more aggressively. I found myself weaving in and out of lanes and taking any side roads that I knew so that I would not miss my class. Anyway, to make a long story short, I made it to school on time, and also in one piece! I think that if I didn?t drive a little aggressively, I would have probably been late for school. I?ve been driving this way every school day for many years now (I think I started in high school), and it is only now that I am actually beginning to realize that it might be wrong. Of course, I do exercise extreme caution when I drive this way ? I don?t do anything foolish. I always try to be aware of what the other driver is thinking and never assume that I have the complete right of way. Nevertheless, aggressive driving in traffic has become almost second nature to me ? I do it more out of necessity to avoid being late. |
Summary of swr 2
The tee card for this exercise presented the top 10 driving offenses. I was a bit shocked by the types of behaviors presented in the list of the top 10 driving offenses. Although I came to the realization that I was guilty of several driving offenses, I have never really considered myself an aggressive driver. At this point, I was trying to justify my driving behavior. This posting suggests that at this point of the QDC, I still did not really have a clear understanding of what aggressive driving is. I had been so used to driving in this manner (weaving in and out of traffic), that I failed to see that it was a dangerous driving behavior. Psychologically, I think that my actions of weaving through traffic elicited some kind of positive reinforcement. Each time I weaved through traffic, I was able to make it to school on time (positive reinforcement), which in turn may have reinforced the aggressive driving behavior. In the same manner, my previous experiences, taught me to associate non-aggressive driving with the negative stimuli of being late. Perhaps this is could explain why I continued (even occasionally today) to drive in aggressive manner through traffic.
Comments and Reactions
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Prior to this exercise, I had never really felt that my aggressive driving was dangerous. I always thought that there was a distinction between my type of driving and what I originally considered aggressive driving. Originally, I had thought that aggressive driving was limited only to reckless driving. Perhaps this is the reason that I had never really considered myself to be a reckless driver. Even if I weave in and out of traffic, I exercise extreme caution, etc. Also, as I mentioned earlier, I view my aggressive driving more as a necessity - to keep from being late. I think Marissa makes an excellent suggestion that I will try to improve on. Although, I must admit, that I was a little insulted by her comment - she made me feel as if I didn't care about others on the road. I understand now that my driving behaviors may be a little unsafe and this is one aspect that I really need to work on. Maybe if I leave a little earlier and allow more time for travel, I can cut down on my aggressive driving through traffic.
This sounds like my boyfriend's driving technique. It scares me a little to drive with him, but he's never been in an accident so I assume he's got something going for him. He constantly mumbles to himself that people in Hawaii don't know how to drive - not merging properly, driving too slowly, etc. And while it scares me I know that I will never be late for school or an appointment if he drives me there. I guess I actually appreciate that one of us can drive "offensively" (as he calls it) and get us where we need to be. |
This is a more positive response to my posting. I guess I'm not the only one who drives aggressively through traffic. As I mentioned earlier, I think that a lot of people drive aggressively through traffic because it elicits a great positive reward (not being late, etc.). Maybe if more people learned to associate non-aggressive driving with a positive response, there would be a lot less aggressive drivers on the road. Nevertheless, I have accepted the fact that my actions are not correct and this is another behavior that I intend to work on. I'm not sure how successful this will be, however, because I still have a bad habit of waking up late, procrastinating, etc.
This week, I tried to observe what things I subconsciously keep track of while I'm driving. I noticed that I subconsciously keep track of the following items from the "Gunny Sacking List": 1.How many cars I'm passing; 2.How many cars pass me by; 3.Which lane is faster or slower as I progress; and 7.How many minutes I was able to shave off on today's trip. I realize that I am more likely to keep track of these things when I am fighting traffic and commuting to school in the mornings. I also noticed that all the things I keep track of relate to each other. In other words, I keep track of how many cars I pass (or pass me) to help me find the fastest lane that will get me to my destination. I was surprised because I don't really see how keeping track of which lane moves the fastest could lead to aggressive driving. Nevertheless, I find myself keeping track of these things without even realizing it. I think maybe the reason why I keep track of these things is because I can't stand traffic - or slow drivers for that matter. Don't get me wrong now, I'm not saying that everyone should be driving fast, but there are some drivers who are on the freeway and are driving slower than the speed limit. This really bothers me - if they want to take their time, why not take an alternate route, like Nimitz, for example, where it's fine to drive slowly. |
summary of swr 3
The results of this SWR relate to the conclusions I made from SWR #2. My "Gunny Sacking List" is mainly made up of behaviors that I use to keep track of which lane is moving the fastest. I always had a difficult time trying to stay in one lane. Perhaps this is because of the "accordion effect." Regardless of what the reason is, I find constant motion on the road more appealing than being stuck in one lane. From this SWR, I realized how aggressive driving behaviors relate with one another. As I was reading this SWR again, I began to wonder whether my aggressive driving behavior was being propagated by my subconscious or conscious actions. The conclusion I made is that perhaps the subconscious actions create a greater influence on aggressive driving. Maybe if I change my subconscious thoughts (i.e. stop keeping track of how many cars pass me), then maybe I can eliminate some of my aggressive driving behaviors, such as weaving through traffic.
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This response highlights a good point - moving from lane to lane can be considered wasted energy. I have had several experiences when I would weave in and out of traffic and arrive at my destination at the same time as another driver who I had passed earlier. However, I must mention that, my friend, who prefers to stay in one lane through traffic takes almost an hour (sometimes longer) to get from my house to U.H. I, on the other hand, can make it in 30 min. or less if I weave through traffic. And, that 30 min. is a considerable difference if you leave your house at 7 a.m and have a class at 8. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but nevertheless, I think it is a reason why I had a hard time trying to alter my aggressive driving tendencies. This is still a major area that I need work in. I still can't stand staying still in a slow moving lane. My future plans are to try and change my cognitive perceptions of traffic and try to realize that maybe I'm not gaining that much from driving aggressively in traffic.
All right everyone, I must say that I found this week?s SWR exercise to be very interesting. I analyzed my driving behavior and found that I perform the first four items mentioned on the test every time I drive. I just find it difficult to sit still in traffic. I used to work for a delivery company, and back then, it was necessary for me to weave through traffic in order to make my delivery deadlines. I think that habit has carried on even today. I just have a hard time tolerating traffic. I'm one of those people who will take side roads just to keep my car moving. It?s funny now that I think of it because I also perform the remaining six items on some trips. Does this necessarily mean that I?m a bad driver? I was shocked to find that I could not respond never to any of the items on the test. What?s even more interesting is that I asked my sister to answer the test for me (since we carpool to school every morning), and she claims that I do these things on all trips. However, I disagree with her because I know for a fact that I do not drive like this all the time. I like to believe that I know my limits, so I am really careful of these things. I think I am especially careful about driving impaired. That is something that I rarely do. Then again, I don?t sleep much nowadays because of school ? could that count as being impaired? |
summary of swr 4
This SWR once again highlights my major driving problem - tolerating traffic. I was amazed how SWRs 2, 3, and 4 all related to one another. It made me realize that I must really have a problem with aggressive driving in traffic. I still don't really consider myself being prone to road rage, however. I still believe that I can control my emotions on the road - I never really allow myself to get out of hand. One thing that this particular SWR did for me was that it made me realize that I might be driving impaired. I don't get much sleep sometimes, and this can be a very dangerous thing. This is probably one good reason why I shouldn't drive aggressively, especially in traffic where I think there is a greater chance of getting into an accident.
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I grouped these two reaction comments together because I felt that they both illustrated the same idea. For one thing, these two reaction comments provide me with two arguments against my aggressive driving behavior. The first comment from Rob Solmssen points out the fact that alternate routes are predominantly slower. In addition, I think he points out that my lack of sleep can be dangerous to myself and also the other drivers around me. I accept this now, and as a result, I try as much as possible to catch a ride with someone else on the days I don't get as much sleep. There are times, however, when I still have to drive after only a few hours of sleep, and on these days, I don't do any aggressive driving in traffic. On these kind of days, I just take my time and drive extra careful. It's just a safety measure that I incorporated into my driving habits as a result of participating in the QDCs.
The second comment provides another argument against aggressive driving. Aggressive driving can lead to direct punishment like having your license revoked, etc. Ms. Yang also makes an excellent point when she mentions how it is not easy to break old habits. Most of my aggressive driving behaviors are mainly old habits that need to be changed. These two comments in particular helped to make me see the possible dangers/negative side of aggressive driving. I think that knowing this, I will have a better chance for improvement.
It was difficult for me to determine exactly which phase of the driver's three fold self I belong to. The reason is because I find that I tend to switch between the two phases frequently. This weekend for example, there was one instance (there were probably more) where my driving style fell into the phase 1 category. It was Friday afternoon and I was rushing home. I was thankful that the week was finally over and a three day weekend was ahead of me. Without realizing it, I was driving fast and weaving my way in between lanes. For some reason, I just felt in a rush to get home. I was also getting annoyed by slow drivers on the road. Now that I look at it, I realize that this behavior is characteristic of the phase 1 driving threefold self. I felt motivated to get home quickly, which led to my erratic behavior of weaving through traffic and getting annoyed at slow drivers. This was one instance where my driving could be categorized as phase 1 of the driving threefold self model. However, I must say that there was one instance when my driving was also characteristic of the phase 2 driving threefold self model. It was Sunday night and I was not in a rush to get anywhere. I was driving to Waikiki to meet up with some friends, and I felt much more relaxed compared to my drive home from school on Friday. I was more tolerant of other drivers on the road - none of the usual weaving through traffic behavior! I think that this allowed me to be a better driver and also minimized my stress on the roads. I guess being in the proper mindset is really a big influence on driving style. |
summary of swr 5
This particular SWR gave me some difficulty mainly because I did not really consider myself falling into one category, but rather, I felt that my driving style tended to switch frequently between both phases. This SWR illustrates the effect of our affective states on our driving. In my case, for example, there are times when affectively, I am in a good mood and more patient, and as a result, my driving becomes characteristic of the phase two driving category. There are also times when I feel that I am in a bad mood and therefore have a tendency to drive more aggressively on the road. This is characteristic of the phase one driving style. I don't think any one can really characterize him/herself into only one of the two phases. Everyone experiences different affective states, and therefore, it is safe to assume that everyone switches back and forth between the two phases of driving behavior.
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This response illustrates how drivers have a tendency to switch constantly between the two phases. This could provide an argument as to how our affective state affects our driving behaviors. Often times, we do not really realize what phase we are in, and therefore, we may be unaware of our aggressive driving. After analyzing this response, I came to the conclusion that maybe it is necessary to periodically analyze our driving behavior just to keep our aggressive driving tendencies in check.
I am glad to see that this week's exercises are more practical in nature. This week, I did not really have too many driving experiences in which I actually got upset. Therefore, to be honest, I was not really able to try all of the anger management techniques. However, I was able to try something similar to the "count to ten" method. Actually, I find that simply concentrating on my breathing works well enough for me. It's something I learned in my transpersonal psychology class that is basically similar to the count to ten method. Yesterday (Friday), I was driving home from school. I was going at a decent speed in the left lane, when all of a sudden, another guy in a civic decides to enter my lane. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, but, the driver decides to slow down - which in turn forces me to slow down. This is one of the things that irritate me on the road, therefore, my initial reaction was to speed up and give the driver a piece of my mind. However, for some reason (maybe because I was tired), I decided to remain cool and just relax. Instead of thinking any further aggressive thoughts, I began to take several slow and focused deep breaths. I began to feel relaxed almost instantaneously, and the situation was under control. I was actually surprised that I was able to do this - my usual reaction would have been to change lane and pass the guy. However, focusing on my breathing took off some of the aggressive feelings that I was having -perhaps it just took my mind off of the situation. I guess that there really is validity in these alternatives to anger. Hopefully I won't have to, but if the need arises, I'll try to implement the other techniques next time I get angry on the road. |
summary of swr 6
This SWR demonstrates alternative solutions for dealing with road rage. There are various kinds of anger management techniques, and each one produces different results. I have found that focusing on my breathing works for me. It was a technique that I had learned from a previous psychology class, and adapted it for use while driving. I found that cognitively, it helps to diffuse any existing negative thought.
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These responses illustrate how everyone has different methods for controlling their anger while driving. I think that this particular SWR was more successful than the previous ones. At this point, I was feeling more comfortable with the whole QDC exercise concept, and in addition, I began to accept the concepts more readily. My future plans are to work with this SWR and try to make it a habit to incorporate one of these types of anger management techniques to keep myself from losing my cool on the road.
Ok, as step 1 of Dr. Driving's 3 step program instructs, I admit that I am an aggressive driver. This does not occur all the time, but nevertheless, there are times when I admit that I am guilty of weaving in and out of traffic and tailgating drivers who cut me off. I have been driving like this for many years now, and this driving style was probably reinforced by me watching my friends and other family members drive (we're just all a bunch of aggressive drivers!) Anyway, I understand that in order to change, I have to try and change one bad habit at a time. Right now, I'm having a hard time with this because there are times when I am not aware of my aggressive driving until its too late. However, good news is, I think I am beginning to make some improvements. For example, on Sat., while I was driving on Moanalua Freeway, A van was going really fast and began to tailgate me. I was looking in my rear view mirror and was surprised to see him driving that close. Usually, I would have probably reacted by slowing down to piss him off, or perhaps even retaliating with a "friendly" hand gesture (not the shaka sign.) Anyway, I remained cool, and did nothing. Shortly after, he changed lane and was far away from me. I was happy to see that I reacted in what is perhaps the right thing to do in a situation like that. Nevertheless, I feel that I still need a lot of practice in controlling my emotions on the road. |
summary of swr 7
At this point in the SWRs, I felt that I was beginning to make a lot of progress. I have noticed that my driving behaviors have changed dramatically, since I feel that now I am better able to handle my emotions on the road. The main purpose of this SWR was to get us to acknowledge that we are aggressive drivers. It is only after we learn to accept this idea that we can begin to make changes in our driving behaviors.
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In this response, Guerra points out how the 3 step program has helped him to become a more emotionally intelligent driver. This SWR basically allowed me to admit to myself that I am an aggressive driver. As a result, it set the stage for improvements and put me on the path of becoming a more emotionally intelligent driver.
It is sad and terrifying that people today are so quick to resort to handguns to resolve their problems. The sad part is that this could happen to anybody. No one is ever completely sure of what the other person will do in a confrontation. I feel that this situation is really ridiculous because no one should lose their life, or get hurt over a minor fender bender like this. In a situation like this, I have a hard time believing that our emotions can take us this far. Are we all doomed to suffer the same fates as a result of our emotions? It doesn't have to be this way - if only everyone worked on controlling their emotions a little, the world would probably be a better place. |
summary of swr 8
This SWR shocked me because it presented the story of a road rage incident where an individual died from a driving related confrontation. This particular exercise ties in with current events in our society. Road rage, and gun - related incidents are on the rise. I think just about every news show today will have some story about a gun related incident. Sadly, most of these incidents are brought about because people lose control of their emotions. The SWR exercises that we do teach us to gain better control of our emotions to improve our driving habits. Learning to control our emotions is very useful because we can apply this type of control not only to driving, but also to other areas of our lives.
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I agree with Isabel that violence seems very prevalent in our society today. I think most of this stems from people allowing their emotions to run wild. I have come to the conclusion that our emotions are the motivation for our actions. From this conclusion, I realize that if we learn how to manage our emotions, we can teach ourselves to act correctly in any given situation.
While I was watching TV. this morning, I noticed an example of bad driving as indicated in this week's exercise. What surprised me is that I witnessed the bad driving example on the Flintstones. In this particular episode of Flintstones, Fred and Barney were late for a golf tournament so they decided to take shortcuts. This involved driving under water, over a cliff, through a hotel, etc. I found it funny actually, because it coincided perfectly with this week's exercise (not to mention the fact that Fred and Barney made it to the golf tournament on time!!!) Anyway, I know that there's a lot of talk about what consequences TV. programs have on children's behavior. However, in the case of driving, I'm not sure if TV. programs like the Flintstones have too much of an effect on aggressive driving. After all, every one starts driving around the age of 15. I think that at that point, people have pretty much figured out that what you see on TV. is not real. Regardless of what we see on TV., I think that our parents and friends are perhaps a stronger influence on our driving abilities. After all, they are the ones who teach us how to drive. |
summary of swr 9
In this exercise, I learned how prevalent bad driving examples are in our media - cartoons in particular. A lot of children watch cartoons, and therefore, it is possible to have some influence on their perception of driving. However, I also feel that perhaps parents and family members have a greater influence on driving behaviors. Therefore, it is important to be positive driving role models so that children learn how to drive with emotional intelligence.
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The final SWR exercise was interesting because it involved viewing driving from the perspective of other people. From my experience, I found that by trying to feel what the other driver was going through, I was able to drive with a more open mind. I tried to incorporate this mindset into my driving today, and I realized that I found other people's driving to be more tolerable. For example, a guy in his car was following me really close and seemed to be in a hurry. Usually my first instinct would have been to slow down or retaliate in some form. However, by trying to place myself in his shoes, I realized that perhaps this person is late for work or school. I realized that, at one time or another, I may have also been in this person's predicament. Therefore, I decided to let it go, and before I realized it, the person changed lane and was off on his merry way. From this exercise, I realize that we should be more tolerant of other drivers on the road, because at one time or another, we may have also been guilty of some kind of erratic or aggressive driving behavior. |
summary of swr 10
The final SWR of this semester teaches an important concept of emotional intelligence - empathy. Empathy teaches us to be more tolerable of other drivers on the road. When I implemented this concept into my driving, I found myself being more accepting of other drivers' behaviors. This was a dramatic difference from my attitude in SWR 1. My original attitude was that bad drivers are idiots. However, when you use a little more empathy to try and understand other drivers, I found that it is easier to let go of their minor driving offenses. This exercise forced me to adopt a totally different cognitive view of other drivers on the road.
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