My first oral presentation was on a report done about newsgroups by Jacy Taylor of G10 and the Psy. 409 class last semester.  As far as the appearance of his report, I thought it had too many clashing colors.  The background was a light blue and the text was both purple and orange.  It was a little hard to read.
    In class I basically summarized both the posting that Jacy had chosen, as well as his comments for that posting. I did this for all ten of the newsgroups postings he had in his report.  All ten were about different aspects of driving as well as road rage.
 
 

    Here are some of the questions that were asked by students in the class:

-Don Huynh: Why do you think that we are biased in our thinking tat the drivers in our area are better than the drivers in other areas?
    I believe that it is simple pride.  We always want to believe that we, whatever group we associate ourselves with, are better than the other group no matter what skill is being discussed.  Even if the characteristic is bad such as speeding we tend to change the context and say they drive slow because they don't know how to control their cars like we do.  We don't want to admit we are wrong because that would mean we would have to relinquish some of our self confidence, and that is hard to do.

-Juliet Baptista: How would you define "good driving"?
    In the postings some people defined good driving as never having been in an accident or never having received a ticket.  Another definition is  someone who is always courteous to others on the road.  I think being a good driver means understanding how you are feeling when you drive as well as taking into consideration the needs and feelings of the other drivers around you.  When you know where other drivers are coming from and put yourself in their shoes I think you are a good driver.  This is on top of all the motor skills necessary to operate a car, like eyesight, hand-eye-foot coordination, etc.

-Dr. James: What else can you call it besides "defensive" driving?
    This question was asked about my comment that I don't think that a defensive driving course should be called defensive.  To me the word "defensive has a negative connotation.  It makes you think that the road is a war zone with constant oncoming attacks hat you need to protect yourself from through defense.  I don't think that is the image we want drivers to have.  I would call it a responsible drivers course.  That word has a nicer sound to it.  Another possibility is safety driving course.

-Karla Hampp: How close is "tailgating"?  Is there a legal definition?  Is is situational?  Does it count when in traffic?
    I don't know if there is a legal definition or legal distance one has to keep before it is considered tailgating.  I think the best way to standardize it is to use the two second rule.  As long as you are two seconds behind the driver in front of you then I would say you are not tailgating.  Even in traffic this rule would apply.  Of course you could be much closer because you are going much slower.  I think there is definitely a difference of opinions on this topic but the two second gap is what I believe in.  It also depends on the type of vehicle you are following and the type of vehicle you are driving.  A bus can't stop as fast as a moped so the gap may have to be adjusted to compensate for size and weight.

-Jayson Nakasone: Should the newsgroups report be on a related topic and not just jump around?
    Personally I think they are on a related topic, driving and traffic.  I don't think they should just follow one thread because that would be boring for the report.  I like the idea of taking the main message and one of the postings from its thread and commenting on both, then do the same for another message.
 
 

    I though my presentation covered the newsgroups report well.  I think I had a little trouble in the transition between one posting and the next.  I got the feeling that everyone in the class basically had the same questions in mind.  Everyone seemed to be paying attention to me because I was getting a lot of eye contact, but if they were really listening, who knows?
 
 

    I think all the reports are basically the same when it comes to content.  We all followed the instructions to the tee so the structures are basically the same.  The only differences I saw was the appearance of the page.  Some people had lots of pictures and bright colors while others had a simple white background but their text varied in size and style.  I would say my report falls in the middle of the curve, it is not to flashy but has enough color and variation to be visually stimulating.
 
 

    My suggestion to the next generation is first to choose a good report to present.  You don't want to choose one that is way to long or one that is too short.  The better the person's report you are presenting, the better your presentation will be.  Also make sure you take good notes during the discussion because it is hard to remember everything that everyone says in a hour long class.
 
 

    My oral presentation was on the book Beyond Traffic Safety, written by J. Peter Rothe, and published by Transaction Publishers of New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1994.  Chapter four was titled "Street Risks" and was basically about the risks that are assumed by one who gets behind the wheel of a car.  It goes on to look at the attitudes and beliefs of different groups of drivers and what the experts think about them.

    These Experts have the assumption that drivers have an optimal laval of risk compared to the acceptable risks in society.  They also say that drivers tend to rely more on preference rules, those that have been culturally and socially internalized, than they do on laws and formal definitions of risks.

    The data in this chapter was taken from three studies Rothe conducted in Canada.  The first was done on 150 young drivers, the second was done on 130 elderly drivers who have been involved in a injury causing car accident, and the third was done on 200 drivers who say they are regular seat belt users.  Rothe came up with four basic rules on risk taking from the data he collected in these studies.

    The first rule was : Regard for others overrules personal safety.  An example he used is like driving with more passengers than there are seat belts for because you don't want anyone to be left out.  The second rule was : Images of self competence outweigh self doubt.  An example of this is driving on unfamiliar roads even though you are scared because to let others know your true feelings would make you look less "cool".  The third rule was : Good driving warrants risk taking.  This would be like speeding because you think that you are a good driver because you know where all the speed traps are and you know how to handle your car.  The fourth rule that Rothe discussed was :Risks for good reasons are normal.  This is like a teenager driving drunk rather than calling hs parents for a ride and having them find out s/he is drunk or taking of a seat belt to reach something in the back seat.
 
 

    These are some of the questions that students had for me on my presentation:

-Ike Matsunaga: Would you say that different age groups engage in different risk taking behaviors?
    Definitely.  I think younger people are more prone to risky behaviors such as speeding  and racing on the freeway.  I think teenagers have less understanding of the dangers that speeding can bring on.  They have to look "cool" and wild to be accepted in their peer group and if driving fast is the norm they are going to do it.
    Also businessmen would be more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as talking on the phone while driving or even reading reports or the newspaper in the car.  Elderly would be more likely to drive at night even though they can't see well or are more likely to be going dangerously slow on the freeway.

-Alma Valvieja: What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of risk taking on the road?
    I think the advantage of risk taking is the sense of power one can experience.  It depends on the degree of the risk.  I don't think that one would get a rush from changing lanes without signaling but one would definitely feel a sense of accomplishment driving from town to Waianae in twenty minutes.  Also if taking the risk means breaking the law it gives a feeling of rebellion to the person.  No one likes people telling them what to do all the time so if you have the chance to disobey it will give you some sense of regained power over the system.
    Of course the disadvantages of risk taking are the consequences.  That can be anything from getting a ticket to serious injury or even death.

-Dr. James: Since society has to pay (partly or entirely) for injuries to drivers not wearing seat belts, is it not logical to expect the driver to wear the seat belts according to the law?
    I think it would be logical for drivers to wear seat belts but not for the reason of obeying the law or because they will have to pay for injuries.  The main motivation I see for using them is to lessen the risk of injury to yourself.  I think most people feel a sense of power when breaking the law so I don't see that as a motivation.  And as far as the paying for injuries, even if the person was wearing his/her belt we still pay so I also don't see that as a major motivation.

-Don Huynh: What do you think a person should do to reduce their level of risk taking when they drive?
    I think one thing is to always wear their seat belts.  Also obeying all the laws as well as respecting the other drivers on the road will reduce risk while driving.  Another way is to travel roads that you are familiar with and not talk to the passengers in your car.

-Karla Hampp: Why do you wear your seat belt?  Why do you think others wear their seat belt?
    I can't really speak for others but I think my reasons probably carry on to at last some of the population.  I wear my seat belt because I am concerned for my safety.  I don't think that wearing it will guarantee I will survive, sometimes seat belts are actually more dangerous than going without, but I think as far as percentages go it makes sense.  Another reason is that I know people who work with accident survivors who are paralyzed and go through vigorous physical therapy.  They tell me that all the patients stress the importance of seat belt wearing.  It doesn't take but two seconds to click it on so I feel it is not a problem for me to wear mine.
 
 

    I think the students were interested in the chapter that I presented because a noticed them writing a lot of questions down to ask me.  I thought that my presentation was well organized and I was able to present the main points of the chapter clearly.  I noticed that I again had a little trouble with the transitions between topics.  I know this is not a formal speech but I think I will have to modify that particular part of the next presentation that I do.  The question and answer part also went well, A lot of people shared their opinions rather than just a couple people talking.
 
 

I think all the reports are basically the same when it comes to content.  We all followed the instructions to the tee so the structures are basically the same.  The only differences I saw was the appearance of the page.  Some people had lots of pictures and bright colors while others had a simple white background but their text varied in size and style.  I would say my report falls in the middle of the curve, it is not to flashy but has enough color and variation to be visually stimulating.
 
 

    I don't really have very many suggestions for the future generations because I felt that the book was really easy to read and understand.  One thing I could say is that I found it helpful to read the chapter again the night before or the day of the presentation just to refresh your memory.  Also again I would say to take good notes on what is discussed in class because that will help you when writing your report.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

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