Report Two:
Quality Driving Circles:
A General Exploration
by Lisa Among
Table of Contents
see instructions
Introduction
Quality Driving Circle Experiences From G5Kimberley Oshiro Takeshi
Hiraoka
Jean LeongRunnng my own QDCMeeting 1 Meeting 2Fututre of QDC'sPromoting of QDCOther Citizen Group Activities that are Similar to QDC Implications for QDCHow future generations can promote QDC
In this report, I decided to explore different things about Quality Driving Circles. I started off with going over Quality Driving Circle Experiences from Generation 5. This gave me an idea of what of people have noticed or experienced while driving. It also gave me a chance to see what other people had tried with their driving circles. After this, I tried running my own Quality driving Circle with a couple of friends. Then I looked into ways of Promoting QDC's and the future.
Shane Akagi mentions that "a good driver is one who manages to take responsibility for not only their own safety on the roads." I agree with this we should all be responsible for each other. It is so easy to detach yourself from everybody else, and pretend you are the only one on the road, but the reality is you are not alone. If you don't look out for anybody else and they don't look out for you, you're just asking for a crash. Luckily this isn't the case, there are many caring drivers on the road, and hopeful many more converting. I think if everyone had Shane Akagi's attitude the streets would be safer.
Kimberley Oshiro also makes a good statement of where she thinks road rage comes from: selfishness and pride. She gives a definition of selfishness and pride and follows it with examples. Selfishness is defined as, "concerned chiefly or only with oneself without regard for the well-being of others; egotistic." Concerning pride, the definition in mind is interpreted as this, " an excessively high opinion of one s self; conceit."
This is very true when you think about it. I mean who are you think about when you go through a yellow light to save time? Yourself. Or when you tailgate someone for going too slow? Yourself. You are not taking in to account anyone else's feelings, safety, or disability at the time.
I agree with Berna Collado decision in not letting someone who is driving too closely behind you intimidate you into driving at a speed that you are not comfortable with. Although I have felt many times "pressured" to speed by cars rushing closely behind me, I don't feel as if it's a problem that I hold them up. I do not really find this a problem, I usually drive right around speed limit. I am usually more comfortable driving at that speed, when I drive too fast I feel out of control. I figure if it is to slow for the person behind me they can pass me. I have only had a few people speed up and pass me in what I would call obviously upset. I think for many people they overexaggerate in their heads what people will do if you are driving the speed limit.
Laura Izura brings up driving is a group activity. Takeshi takes it further and adds in how reactions to people in traffic can affect each others day. For example I could ruin someone's day by yelling at them in traffic, and it wouldn't make me feel good either.
Alan Furukawa states how Self-Witnessing can help stop you from making the mistake of Fundamental Attribution Error. An example would be if someone is driving too close to you. Would you get mad? Why? The driver might not even realize he is encroaching on you space. The could be many others reasons than just to make you mad, so don't jump to conclusions. Anyway, if they are doing it on purpose is retaliation the best action? No. There are other ways to handle it more rationally.
As part of Takeshi's QDC, he asked his participants what kind of music they listened to. There was a link made with the speed of music listened to and how fast they drove. This was interesting because I think I unconsciously do this also.
Kendall Matsuyoshi mentions two interesting things that people associate with their car that it is like home and people take on an "invisible feeling".
I think this is true. The car is like a home because you spend a lot of time in it and it usually has cost you a lot of money. I think the "invisible feeling" comes from the protection that is felt in it, and that nobody knows how you are unless they know you personally.
Jean Leong as part of her QDC gave her participants a personality this was interesting, because they ranked from high to low. This could be a good idea, because it gives you an idea of what you are working with and who will need the most help.
This was my chance to see how a QDC would work. My goals will be to get an idea of the problems and get feedback on what is most helpful. I will be using two females, ages 22 and 23, who we will call Betty and Wilma. A male, age 26, who we will call Fred.
For the first meeting, I started off with some general questions to see what kind of driver's they were. I asked questions like:
Have you been in a car crash?
Do you speed?When do you speed?How many MPH over the speed limit do you go?Do you get upset with other driver's?What makes you mad when driving?How long does your anger last?
They had all been in car crashes.
After reviewing their answers, I let them know facts like "almost a 100% of people will get into a car crash in their lifetime." They all were very surprised. I sent them off with instruction to witness at least one fifteen minute or more drive, before we meet again.
In the second meeting, we evaluated their Self-witnessing to pick one thing for each of them to work on. Wilma noticed that she had a tendency to speed and it was hard for her to go slow because she felt like she wasn't moving. Betty seemed to be calm driver overall. I just asked her to reinforce those qualities, and try to be more caring and let that extra driver into her lane when she drives. Think of one nice thing to do when driving. Fred tended to forget to put on his blinker lights and speed when he was upset. He had just happened to get into a fight with his girlfriend. Now that we had identified the problems, they were asked just to focus on that until the next meeting.
By the third meeting, everyone was very excited to meet again to report their accomplishments. Everyone was somewhat successful, even though they reported minor moments of forgetting.
I think the idea is going to take off, society is reaching the point of where they see the need for something like this. Dr.Driving has been getting calls for interviews at least twice a week for the last six months. If that is not a sign, I don't know what is. I think slowly QDC's will be incorporated with Driver's Education, and Driver's Ed will be required.
One way to promote a QDC is by making it a High school club. It is very similar to SADD(Students Against Driving Drunk) and I think it would become popular. Students like to get into clubs that make them look good, and maybe along the way they will learn something and add it to their values.
Another way is through the media: TV, Newspaper, Radio. People are eager to learn about new things. The simple act of knowing about it my stimulate to want to be a part of it. I am not sure if it would work, but maybe you could a race car or oil company to do a commercial. This would show that even though they drive fast and somewhat recklessly on the track, that when they get on the road they are careful and considerate.
My last idea is to sell the idea to the State, convince them that creating these groups will make our streets safer.
There are other citizen groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving(MADD)which was started in 1980 and is going strong today. Students Against Driving Drunk(SADD), is very similar to MADD but it consists mostly of High School students. They are both groups that are against driving under the influence of alcohol. QDC's would be similar in that they would against driving under the influence of a bad attitude.
An implication of Quality Driving Circles should be decrease in car insurance. This would be helpful for everyone, we would all like to pay less for car insurance. This could even be used as a promotion for QDC's. I don't see why the insurance companies would not agree to this. I really believe that being part of a QDC will lower the likelihood of being in a car crash. This way everyone benefits.
Future generations should promote QDC's the same way we should start to promote them right now. First by incorporating it into Driver's Education. Second by using the media as suggestion, especially radio. Radio is the best media because it can be listened to while on the road. Dr.Driving suggests having talk radio where you can discuss your problems with driving, while driving. This will help reinforce principles that are gone over in QDC's. Another way to promote is to have education for children. As parents of these children, they will want to enroll in QDC's to be good role models.
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