The first day of my driving personality makeover began with a twenty minute trip from the University of Hawai'i to my friend's house in Kaneohe.  My subject is a 22 year old female who drives a Honda Accord.  I asked her if she would help me to conduct a driving experiment for my psychology class.  She agreed and so the transformation begins.
    We rode in my subject's car without any other passengers.  It was about 4:30 pm, around the time when traffic starts to build up.  My subject seemed a little nervous at first, unsure of what to expect.  I encouraged her to think aloud and to express her thoughts to me.  I told her that I would be asking questions such as: "What are you thinking?" "What are your feelings?" and "Why are you doing that?"
    As soon as we left the parking structure, we were faced with traffic on the Dole Street intersection.  After about ten minutes, we finally made it onto the H1 ramp.  My subject merged into the left lane when it was clear.  One thing that I noticed was that she didn't turn on her blinker, but rather just cut into the lane.  I asked her why she did that, and she said, "That's what I always do."
    We took the Likelike cut-off and headed towards Kaneohe.  I noticed that my subject favored driving in the middle lane at about 50mph (she was following the speed limit).  I asked her what she was thinking when she was driving, and she said, "Getting home in a decent amount of time." Overall, she drove a t a consistent speed, mostly in the middle lane.  When I asked how she felt, she said, "As long as other drivers treat me with the same courtesy that I treat them with everything is fine."
    We got to our destination safely without any arguments or outbursts of hostility.  To my satisfaction, my subject took the experiment seriously and was cooperative in answering my questions.  Overall, she has a healthy attitude towards driving.

    On day 2, we drove in my subject's car, but this time we went to Ala Moana Shopping Center from the University of Hawai'i.  Again, I encouraged her to tell me what she was thinking and feeling.
    I instructed her on where to go and what turns to take.  I also reminded her to slow down and to follow the speed limit.  In this particular area, the speed limit was 25 mph.  She followed the speed limit more or less, sometimes going 5 mph above.  I told her to stay in the right lane.  She did so and in addition allowed others to cut in front of her.  I asked her what she was thinking and she said that she was not used to driving in the right lane due to the amount of slow drivers in it.  I told her that this way of driving was within legal limits and was supposed to reduce road rage with the assistance of a regular driving buddy such as myself.
    When we got to our destination, I talked to her about the experiment.  I reiterated to her that this was not a personal outlash on her driving, but just an experiment for class purposes.  We wanted to take notice on the driving habits of ourselves and others.  This is done by observing first and then giving positive feedback.  Lastly, I told her that by driving this way, it should reduce road rage and anxiety felt by drivers.

    I would advise future generations to do this experiment with a good friend, rather than your parents or anyone who taught you how to drive.  They will constantly remind you that they are the ones who taught you how to drive and therefore should know what they're doing when driving.  It will also be to your advantage if you pick someone with patience and cooperation.  Thirdly, it is important that you take this experiment seriously.  If you take it seriously, your subject is more likely to do so in return. 

    I picked this report for various reasons.  My first reason was that it sounded interesting and secondly I was curious to see if a driving buddy really does help.  I feel that driving personality makeovers can work, but it is a long and arduous process.  It depends on the driver's personality and how serious they take the makeover.  Of course, if they are patient and cooperative, it will be easier than if they are obstinate.  A driving personality makeover is a constant process and cannot be done in one day.  In addition, the person driving has to agree on the same goals, such as going the speed limit and allowing people to merge.  In conclusion, have fun and don't get too stressed out as a passenger or a driver.  Be supportive of one another and don't take the comments personally.  Remember that your driving buddy is only there to help you so try to remain calm.