Jennifer Kaneshiro's report on Portrayals of Driving Behavior on TV contains information about how she feels about how TV influences the way people drive. I particularly like the paragraph she wrote about how someone could prepare this experiment. She was very informative on what the report was about and how she went about with it. Her comments at the end of her report about how this problem could be helped by informing children at school about the dangers of watching television.
Tami Hashimoto's report on TV influence was very informative and well organized. She first explains in her introduction on why and how TV influences drivers. I really admired the way she used a scale to determine the content of how TV can influence a driver how to drive on the road. She later ended her report in which she added how someone could approach this type of report by stating her own experience.
I really like Nakamitsu's report and how he explains his sources and discussions. It was real interesting to find out all of his findings about how television really influnces in how the way we drive. What really made me realize how much TV can influence someone's behavior was when Reid himself wanted to change his driving behaviors.
April 27, 1999
Tuesday Night
MTV
Music Video
The video opens up with a car crashing into a fire hydrant and the video continues with a women and man living the crazy life. One scene shows the singer(Ricky Martin) driving on a road and being distracted by the woman's seduction. The artist then drives recklessly because of the distraction by the woman. He drives left and right on the road and does a little three-wheel action on the road. A car who is behind the car tries to avoid the aggressive driving by taking a sharp turn towards the fire hydrant.
This video represents aggressive driving by the driver because of the distraction given from a passenger while trying to drive. He tries to drive in a well behaved manner but can't seem to control his passenger. This shows that it is okay to distract a driver from his/her driving. A child or a driver may think that it is also cool for them to act is sucha manner because at the end they won't get hurt but other people on the road will, as long as it is not them. Children may also think that it is okay for them to weave left and right to avoid a distraction from other passengers as long as they be careful.
I think that this video is a bad example of good driving behavior because of its lack of care in the world and the world around them. The couple can do their own thing as long as they do not involve others who are not at fault. If a passenger is distracting the driver, then I think that the driver should control the passenger and if it gets too out of hand then the driver should take the initiative to take control of himself and the passengers in the car with him/her. Drivers are responsible for their own actions as well as the action's of their passengers.
April 3, 1999
Saturday Afternoon
Comedy Central
Movie
One scene towards the end of the movie a man who is the main charter in the film jumps on a race car and starts driving fast through a high class party. Everyone wonders what he is doing and when he hits the food table knocking over the tall cake, it falls upon the host of the party. Everyone starts laughing as the main character drives recklessly almost hitting people as he continues to drive through the party. The son of the host of the party gets on a little motor bike and starts running away from his father who is chasing him. He too wrecks the party just to avoid a little scolding from his father. Everyone laughs at the whole situation and the two wreckers are let off.
This particular scene in the movie The Toy helps influence children and drivers that driving recklessly is fun. This particular movie influenced children to also drive under the legal age and can get away with it. This scene helped establish a sense of fun during a party thrashing. This may establish a norm in which it is okay to drive recklessly through a party or any type of public gathering and accomplish a task to make people laugh and maybe enjoy themselves more than the event was intended them to do.
This type of behavior has not influenced my driving as much as the others have. By driving through a party and wrecking it is an act in which I know that I would not follow up on. This act has also made me realize how stupid it was for them to drive through a party filled with people and think that it was okay for them to do so. They have endangered the lives of others and their own. After witnessing such a selfish act, I have seen myself a little more cautious around pedestrians, especially around residential and school crossing areas.
March 25, 1999
Thursday Night
KITV 4/ABC
T.V. Commercial
Commercial starts with a man in the driver seat playing with his power windows on his new red convertible car in which he won from McDonald?s. Narrator of the commercial explains how to win a car like this and ends with a statement saying, œwhat you do with it is entirely up to you? and the commercial ends with the winner playing with his windshield wipers, lights, locks, etc.
This commercial influences children and drivers on their style of driving as that they could do anything they want to do with a car. Either if it is just playing the music too loud while driving or breaking the law, hey it is entirely up to them according to the commercial. The type of car was a sweet cherry red convertible fully loaded. In order to play with a car, drivers are influenced to purchase a sports utility vehicle just like the vehicle shown in the commercial.
This McDonald?s commercial has influenced my driving by influencing me that it is okay for me to play with the power windows without a care in the world. It has also made me realize that I could speed up to 100 mph because I can do what ever I want to do because it is my car. This commercial also motivated me to not take care of the vehicle in which I am driving. Since it is okay for the guy in the commercial to do what ever he wants to do with his new car, then I could too.
March 25, 1999
Thursday Night
KITV 4/ABC
T.V. Commercial
The commercial opens up with the Little Caesar puppet driving an old car to establish the amount of years Little Caesars has been in business. The old car pulls up next to a woman driving a sports utility vehicle. The attractive woman laughs at him and his car and drives off. The puppet then goes to a car dealership and buys a sports utility vehicle announcing that they are giving away free pizza because of their 40th anniversary. The commercial ends with the puppet sitting laid back and talking on his car phone.
This particular commercial might influence children and drivers that old vehicles are just plain œjunk? and only sports utility vehicles is the car that is accepted by attractive people. The driving attitude in which the commercial is portraying is that only drivers in sports utility vehicles are cool and can drive fast while an old car is not cool and has no power what so ever.
This commercial has influenced my driving attitudes by not accepting old vehicles as being a œcool? vehicle. It has also influenced me to think that only sports utility vehicles are cool. This commercial has also motivated me to get a sports utility vehicle just like the little caesar puppet. Another thought that came through my mind that changed the way I look at drivers is when they use their car phones. Now, when I see someone using their car phone I think that they are laid back like the Little Caesar guy in the commercial.
April 25, 1999
Saturday Afternoon
KITV4/ ABC
T.V. Commercial
The commercial starts off with a driver being tested for driving a Budweiser truck with 16 wheels. On the passenger side is the instructor evaluating his driving ability. A bunch of women in a convertible car cuts in front of the truck and yells at the driver to follow them. The driver feels like he is to smart for a trick like that and just watches them drive off in another direction. After gazing at the beautiful women, the driver confronts a ditch and falls into it. The driver fails his truck driving license because of his failure to pay attention to the road. Luckily the test was taken in a virtual machine.
This commercial was funny although very careless. The driver knew that he was driving a very big truck and him not paying close attention to the road can lead to other things than just a ditch in the road. This commercial demonstrated poor driving attention ability. It may have influenced other drivers that it is okay to stare at other things or people on the road as long as they not stare too long. This commercial has also taught a huge lesson. If we do not pay attention to the road and let our eyes wonder elsewhere, it could lead to an accident or to a ditch.
This type of driving behavior has affected my actions as a driver by not realizing that a simple glance off the road can lead to a disastrous outcome. I never knew that looking away from the road while driving can lead to an accident. This commercial has actually made me realize what I really do when I see something interesting on the side of the road. Now I know why we all get into small accidents such as bumping the car in front of us.
April 20, 1999
Tuesday Night
KGMB9/CBS
T.V. Commercial
A dog who talks and loves Taco Bell food is in a bus directing the driver to follow a particular van in which a wife and mother is driving it alone and bringing Taco Bell food to her family. While the little Chihuahua directs the driver to catch up to the van by saying faster and faster, the bus driver and the wife and mother driver recklessly through the streets. The bus is full with passengers and need to hold on when the driver takes those sharp turns. The wife and mother approaches her garage by flying into it and runs into her home with her Taco Bell food. Her children are waiting for their food by playing video games with their father.
What is obviously demonstrated here is aggressive driving. Both bus driver and wife/mother are demonstrating to children as well as drivers that it is okay to rip down the streets without caring about anything else but to get away from a particular vehicle. The little Chihuahua directs the driver to drive faster which is a bad behavior in which a passenger could do. The passengers in the bus also is saying that they are holding to dear life because of the reckless driving from the bus driver as well as the dog. The wife/mother is a terrible model for children. Children may believe that their mother could also rip down the streets and fly into the garage. Bad enough yet the children are in the living room playing video games with their father. This has demonstrated low family values and morals.
I thought this commercial was very interesting and very influential. This has influenced my motives by noticing how many people out there who do race against each other on the freeway. It is so dangerous for a bus driver to do such an act knowing that he has passengers in the bus with him. The bus driver does not realize the danger he puts into the lives on the bus with him, and for what? A dog?s hunger for Taco Bell. This commercial was a very bad commercial because it helps influence children and drivers that it is okay to rip down the streets to get what you want no matter who is involved or who?s lives you may endanger.
April 27, 1999
Tuesday Night
KITV4/ABC
Car Commercial
A Chevrolet car commercial which opens up with showing the luxurious cherry red van driving down the road. Narrator introduces the van and in the background there is music playing which is "Rockin' Down The Highway."
This commercial was not one of the other commercials described. This commercial showed no aggression on a driver or showed no road rage. But, this commercial shouted out that it is okay to 'rock down the highway.' Music such as 'Rockin' down the Highway,' influences children and other driver's that it is okay for them to rock down the highway. What is the real meaning to 'rock down the highway?' Anything!! A teenage driver can see it as driving recklessly down a road while blasting their stereo's because they are 'rockin' that highway. We can never know what a person may think when we introduce them a word or language that has many meanings to it.
This commercial may influence my driving by its loose word; 'rockin.' The way I look at it, 'rockin' is meant by driving on the road with no care in the world. I think that some music lead to aggressive driving. I remember blasting my favorite rap song in the car while driving and when someone would get in my way while driving, I would get a little aggressive. Music plays a huge role in how we feel while listening to it and driving on the road. I think drivers should take the initiative to stop and realize exactly what they are listening to while driving on the road.
April 27, 1999
Tuesday Night
K5
Car Commercial
A Subaru vehicle zipps down a road while being tested for its ability to weave back and forth through many obstacles. The narrator informs viewers that a Subaru vehicle is accident prone and is very safe to drive with.
This commercial assures drivers that it is okay for them to purchase a Subaru because of its high performance and its well built car to prevent major injuries. Can a car really so that? Only we as drivers can help prevent being injured from ourselves and from injuring one another. Children as well as drivers may think that the car they have right now is also reliable like a Subaru. Why buy a Subaru if the driver is satisfied with their car. Drivers with unreliable cars may think that they too can zip down a road and avoid obstacles by weaving back and forth.
This commercial has affected my morals by its saying that their vehicle lessens the injury of an accident. Although that is a very reassuring statement in which all drivers and parents need to hear from a car. We can never be too sure in how a car is built and its ability. We only know for sure that we trust one another on the road and we trust ourselves as drivers. Nothing can be assuring in life except life itself.
KITV4/ABC
TV Show Series
A particular bad driving scene in which George one of the main characters, found a parallel parking space near a friend?s apartment. He then drives forward to reverse into the parking space. However, another male driver drives into the parking space head first and claims that he was there first. George?s back part of the car is in while the other male driver?s front part of the car is in the parking space. Both get out of their vehicles and start arguing about who was there first. They both refuse to remove their vehicle in order for one to take the parking space.
This behavior influences the younger generation and other drivers that it is alright to argue over a parking space. It also represents that it is okay for drivers to have that approach when unfortunate things happen this way. It is very hard to determine who is right or who is wrong but the main thing here is to avoid any confrontation with the other driver. Although they refused to give up their space which shows great stand in which one believes in, it also shows their aggressiveness as a driver.
I think this particular act was very funny therefore I accept this act as a good thing. After viewing this episode, I accepted the fact that drivers should stand their ground no matter if I was the 'wrong' party. If I do not get my way on the road, I might react the same way both of the driver's were acting which was childish. Seinfeld is one of my all time favorite tv sitcom and watching something like this happen makes me think twice on how I perceive this particular act. Someone should be the better human or as they say 'the better man.'
KHON/FOX
TV Show Series
The whole show was about road rage in which really helped influence drivers that there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel. Homer Simpson, a husband and father buys a sports utility vehicle and finds out that it is a woman?s car and gives it to his wife Marge. Marge later turns into a road rager every time she drives this particular vehicle. Some examples of road rage in which Marge acted upon is driving over the speed limit and drives off the road. Marge later neglects her family by not cooking dinner and doing her usual housewife/mother work, instead she tends to car by washing it constantly and being so anal when it comes to others coming near her car. As she is out driving, she is pulled over by a cop who suggested that she attend a road rage seminar. After attending a couple of the road rage seminars, Marge feels that she is no longer a road rager. Marge then encounters with a fellow driver who starts driving recklessly. Marge in turn reacts by turning into a road rager again. She drove so recklessly that she drove into a zoo in which her family was there visiting the animals. The accident left many rhinosaures? loose around the street. In order to save her family and the public she picks up her family in her car and is reminded that rhino?s put out fires. Marge then took matters into her own hands by telling her family to jump out of the car and she then took a sharp turn while jumping out of the vehicle and have the car bust into flames. The rhino?s then placed out the fire and were then controlled by the zoo keepers.
This type of behavior may help influence children and drivers by believing that reckless driving is okay as long as you get some help. Although that was established on the show, it has also established a sense of irresponsibility upon the responsibilities in which one has.
After witnessing this episode on televisions, at first I was actually surprised to see a good moral story on The Simpsons. Usually the Simpsons develop immoral stories instead of moral ones. Although this story was somewhat moral and immoral because of the bad example Marge shows but it also opens up drivers? eyes by letting them witness Marge?s driving behavior and making them realize that they too also drive reckless like Marge.
Steps throughout this report was to first look at prior generations' reports on portrayals of driving behavior on tv. It took me a long time for me to catch on to what I needed to observe on the television. I was missing a lot of obvious things on t.v. that I thought was not important. It is always good to start early and pay attention to detail. After writing notes on each type, it was hard to remember what exactly happen, especially in those thirty seconds commercial so it is also good to record the commercials to obtain the details needed to make this report. After observing the types of television appearances, I took a time out before I decided to start typing out my report. I had a hard time thinking what was represented in each type so I suggest that it is helpful to write your own views with the notes collected at that very moment.