ABSTRACT: Andrew Shapiro's Report on How Drivers Communicate

In Mr. Shapiro's introduction, he imparts to us the California Vehicle Code which defines "a series of commonly known regulation that determine which vehicle has the right-of-way." He also had a definition of what a gesture is and here is what he wrote: "A gesture is any action that sends a visual signal to an onlooker." He pointed out that drivers express politeness or deference to other drivers, and they may also be communicating anger or defiance to others on the road. The main purpose of his report is to determine what nonverbal communication are being used by drivers when they all arrive at a four-way stop intersection. He mentioned that he's interested in finding out ehich gestures were most effective in either requesting or yielding the right-of-way.

Mr. Shapiro brought up an interesting point that if'we're aware of the other driver's mood, it "can provide a greater level of road safety and avoid the possibility of confrontation with belligerent drivers." I agree with him on that, but how are we going to know the other driver's mood if we only see his/her car on the road and not his/her face nor hear what he/she's saying in the car. He also included a study done by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on agressive driving and a note from a British psychologist on why "people tend to dehumanize other drivers." The rest of his report, he explains and describes the study he conducted on what nonverbal communications were used by drivers arriving at the same time on a four-way intersection. He chose to study the drivers that took the intersection of Benjamin Holt Drive and Gettysburg Place in Stockton, California.

In his study, he found out that many drivers who used their vehicles to demand the right-of-way are young male drivers. He also found out that aggressive drivers demanded for the right-of-way by approaching the intersection limit line rapidly or failing to stop completely & rolling into the intersection proper. He also indicated that the most prevalent gesture was similar to the finger beckon or finger wave discussed in the book Bodytalk by Dr. Morris. Mr. Shapiro also observed that drivers used unusual gestures that was clearly understood by the other driver and that the "communication between drivers appear to be of subconscious nature." In his conclusion, he mentioned that he was amazed with the frequency of rude and obnoxious behavior generated by the drivers in Stockton. What more if he conducted his study in cities like New York or Chicago? He will probably be more astonished.