My First Oral Presentation: A Review of Drivers Behaving Badly

I think that DBB scenes influence people's affective component (their feelings) most. People see bad driving scenes that look cool, and they want to imitate them. These people are trying to accomplish a certain image, and they think that driving a certain way will help make them what they want to be. Teenagers would probably be the most at risk for being influenced, but anyone who is looking to gain an image could be subject to adopting reckless driving behaviors. I think the DBB site was set up to inform parents of what could happen if DBB scenes are viewed and processed in a harmful way by children. So many things can go wrong when a child is being reared, it is important to be involved and monitoring the progress of children. Any DBB scene has potential for damaging effects on children.

Juliet Baptista
Do you think that movies that portray bad driving behaviors have negative influences on other peoples' driving behavior?

I think that movies are capable of influencing the way we drive, but that viewing bad driving behaviors on TV will not always affect the way we drive. I believe that we have the ability to filter out what is unrealistic, dangerous, etc.

Karla Hampp
Do you think that bad driving portrayals on TV and movies can influence people on an unconscious level? You don't think (or people don't think) that these programs/movies influence them personally, but I think on some unconscious level it does. Do you think it is more dangerous as unconscious/conscious influence?

I think that in general, most people will be influenced unconsciously. For instance, it seems so normal to speed or drive recklessly while you're upset. Other people seem to understand when someone speeds away in a fit of rage, and no one questions why. It is basically an accepted behavior in society. It is justified in situations of anger. Where did this acceptance come from? One thing I know is that I've seen many movies in my lifetime that enforce this behavior. As far as the issue of conscious or unconscious influence, I think that it is much more dangerous if scenes influence someone on a conscious level. If they are aware of what they do, and they choose to engage in or adopt bad driving behaviors, they are choosing to be socially deviant.

Chris Flores
How much correlation do you see between bad drivers on TV affecting the way people drive in real life? What kind of person do you think would try and imitate what they see on TV? Wouldn't they know the difference between fantasy and reality?

In general I don't see a huge correlation between bad driving portrayals on TV and the way people drive in real life. I think the people that would be most at risk for imitating bad driving behaviors they see on TV would be children. Children would be more likely to imitate things that are unrealistic. If a child ever got behind the wheel of a car and tried to imitate a scene from his favorite cartoon where the hero makes a jump from cliff to cliff over a wide ravine, the results could be disastrous.

Jayson Nakasone
Do you think that the makers or producers of these bad driving shows should be responsible for behaviors in real life?

This is a tough issue to address. I remember when some high school kids were killed on the road because they were imitating something they had seen in the movie The Program. I don't remember who they considered to be at fault for the loss of lives, but I know that the scene that the kids imitated was edited out of the movie. It's hard to say if the makers of the film should be considered responsible for those deaths, but I think it would be safe to say that if those kids never saw that movie, they might never have tried to do what they did. However, I'm glad that the filmmakers decided to cut that scene from the movie, it was the responsible thing to do.

Alma Valvieja
Do you really think TV can influence a person's behavior on the road?

I do believe that TV can influence people's behavior, but the thing that I am sketchy about is how much influence it has on people's behavior.

Don Huynh
1) Do you think we should censor movies with bad driving behavior just for the sake of people who will imitate what they see on TV or in movies?

I don't think that we would need to go to the extent of censoring all DBB scenes from movies and television, but perhaps we could make sure that people know that they shouldn't imitate what they see. I think that the concept of "Don't try this at home" is good enough. Perhaps moviemakers could include little messages that urge viewers not to mimic the scenes. That would not change the fact that people will still do what they want, but at least filmmakers would have fulfilled their responsibilities.

2) If you and I can separate fantasy from reality, why can't other people?

That is a good question. I can say that children at least, don't have enough experience with the world in order to distinguish fantasy from reality many times. As for adults who have a problem with that, I believe that they probably are in need of psychological help.

Jason Thompson
Are there any shows that show good driving behavior? What show if any observed has the best or least worst driving behavior?

I can't think of any shows that give the correct portrayal of good driving behaviors. Most shows that I have seen make fun of people who try to be law-abiding drivers. People who drive lawfully are usually considered square, timid, and without a sense of adventure. Most shows give the impression that abiding by the law at all times is not cool.