This is a report on driving the speed limit. It will not take a side, for or against raising the speed limit. It will present library research information for both arguments, my experience/experiment on driving the speed limit and my thoughts, feelings, and actions while gathering information to do this report. I will be writing in the first person, "I", since it is easier to translate my thoughts and feelings in this way.
I am doing this report for my social psychology class (Psy 250). We had two topics to choose from for our papers. They were, driving the speed limit and self-foot care. I'm not sure but I think that Dr. Leon Jakobovits gave us only two choices because this class is during the 1st summer session 1987 and therefore time is somewhat limited.
I chose this topic, driving the speed limit because I drive a lot since I live on the Windward side and must commute to and from school everyday. I thought that doing the driving experiment and getting some information on the speed limit topic would be interesting and might benefit me and my well-being.
So far, this class has made me more aware of myself, how I am affected by society, and how I affect society. When I say "I", I don't mean how I alone affect society but how "I" as an individual and the many other "I's"(individuals) affect society.
Experiment: Driving the Speed Limit
This experiment was conducted on the weekdays, June lst-5th, and the 8th. The reason I conducted my experiment on the weekdays was solely for consistency in driving conditions. These driving conditions included traffic conditions and my driving route. Everything was recorded on a cassette tape as I drove.
For the first two days, my baseline was done. In this phase, I drove as I would on any normal day. What I discovered was that I drove over the speed limit at least 90% of the time. This accounts for the times I was not in traffic. Major factors that contributed to what speed I drove for each day were things like the weather, my mood, whether I was early, late, or on time, and where I was going. For example, if it were a rainy day, then I would drive much slower than usual since roads were slippery, lines on the road were more difficult to see, and because I was watching the other drivers who were probably having the same visual limitations as I did.
In another example, if I were late, my adrenaline would begin to pump and my heart would beat faster making me more active than normal. Therefore, being late made me want to make up the lost time by speeding.
Another thing that I discovered was that I didn't feel like I was "speeding" since all the other cars around me were going as fast or faster than I was. I was driving 5-10 m.p.h. over the speed limit. I felt that those who drove faster than the majority, that is, 10-20 m.p.h. over the speed limit were the ones "speeding."
I think here is where the belief of "going with the flow is safer" comes in. Because the majority ("flow") is going a certain speed, those who are way over or under the "flow's" speed became hazardous. The rhythm was broken by these people. The slow drivers don't bother me as much as the excessive speeders (note: the word "excessive") do since I assume these drivers are just being safe and cautious therefore, reducing the threat on my life whereas the excessive speeders are more reckless and in less control of their car and the situation around them.
Therefore, they are endangering more of my life than the slow drivers are. I say this because besides speeding excessively, they dodge back and forth, from lane to lane making other's driving conditions dangerous. As for the slow drivers, I think that the only dangerous situation that they cause or can be in is when two or more slow drivers are driving side by side, blocking the faster lanes.
This is because people in the fast lane are driving quite fast and assume that their lane is clear or at least moving at about their speed. Having slower drivers block them could either catch the faster driver (and maybe those behind him) off guard or make him tail you and cause pressure on you to go faster or make him become reckless by cutting from lane to lane to pass you, or all of the above. This could be very dangerous to all (fast and slow) drivers!
On days 3 and 4 of my experiment, I applied my 1st intervention. My intervention worked at my affective level of behavior, my conscious. What it is that I am accepting and acknowledging the fact that Iam responsible for the safety of my life, the other drivers' lives, and most of all, my passenger's life.
This passenger of mine is also my good friend, Joanne. We carpool to and from school and so she was present throughout the whole experiment. I also told Joanne to remind me of the risk that I was taking on her life when I got tempted to go over the speed limit. (This could be considered to be an external reinforcement since it is a verbal/psycho-motor reminder.)
It was quite difficult using an intervention at the affective level since I did not choose on my own to change my driving behavior. I think that it would've been easier to do if I had made the decision to change. I also think that if I had used a physical reward or punishment as a deterrence, it would have been easier on my mental health.
Despite feeling this way, I did stay below the speed limit of the time. It took a lot of other things besides my intervention to keep up my discipline. One was that I kept telling myself that this was just an experiment and that it was only going to last for a few days. Saying this when I felt like giving in to my urge to go faster really helped me.
Besides that, I think that I am pretty head strong. When I decide or know that I have to do something and am determined to accomplish it, I set my mind and do it. Since I didn't decide to change my driving habit on my own, I did have some resistance to this sudden change. I didn't have as much problems as I thought I would in obeying the speed limit.
I think that again, knowing that the experiment was just a short-term change helped. This, and knowing that I could go back to my normal behavior after the experiment was done, eased my anxieties. Another thing that helped me to obey the speed limit was Joanne's presence.
Having her in the car with me made me less tense and more relaxed as were able to converse with each other, decreasing my attention on the other drivers. I did not have time to think up negative fantasies about what the other drivers may be thinking about the speed that I was driving.
I was having a pleasant time talking to my friend and did not care what they thought about me. From this experiment, I have noticed that I have become more aware of the speed limits around me and the speed that I drive.
On the 5th and final days of my experiment, I applied intervention, which was intervention plus a physical punishment of giving Joanne 5¢ for every mile that I go over the speed limit.
Here, on this part of the experiment, I made an error. As I taped myself, I didn't say how many miles I went over the speed limit. Therefore, I can only approximate the amount of m.p.h. that I exceeded over the limit. This amount is very small since I know that most of the time I obeyed the limit.
This intervention did not make that much of a difference in influencing my behavior. Having to give up money did not affect me like I thought it might. What did influence me was that if I did go over the speed limit and had to give Joanne, it was like admitting that I had no self-control. Having to do this was worse than giving $20!
To do this experiment, I had a difficult time taping my thoughts, feelings, and behavior because they all occurred too fast to note. I think that this undoubtedly happens because we are constantly having thoughts, feelings, and physical activity.
Whether we notice these things or not, we know that they're there. This is why I had a hard time recording myself. As I say what I just thought, felt, or did, something else is already happening. Fumbling with cassette recorder while trying to pay attention to the road and my behavior distracted me very much. All in all, the experiment was pretty fun. It was something new and different which gave me a "discovering" experience.
Therefore, I input four words that were more specific. These words were, "Driving," "Automobiles," "Driving," "Log," "Driving," "Motor Vehicle," and "Driving," and "Speed Limit." All of these words resulted in the same reference listing.
As of this point, I was running out of words to input into the computer but luckily, I was not discouraged. I sat and thought of words for a moment.
Trying again, I input the word "Speeding." Again, I did not find any useful references but I did find a word that I thought I could input, hoping for better results. Bingo! I received some references that sounded interesting and that referred specifically to my topic.
At that moment, I was quite pleased although the feeling lasted only for a moment. These references were few and far from what I wanted and needed. At this point I thought, "Well, at least I was doing some progress--especially on a Sunday when I could've been on the beach getting a tan!"
Anyway, after working on the InfoTrac, I decided to go to the Reader's Digest Periodical Guide to see if I might have more luck there. Here, I went through guides dated from 1985-1987. I wanted to get updated information so that I'd have a more accurate view of things.
I looked up every word that I could think of that related to my topic. Here are a few that I looked up: driving, automobile driving, speeding, and traffic regulations. As I sat at the Reader's Guide counter, my mind began to wonder. I looked around the library at the people studying.
I was amazed at the amount of people who were there, especially since this is summertime. When I decided to go to the library, I thought I was going to be the only one there. Was I wrong. I observed the people studying for a while and thought, "What are they doing studying on a nice Sunday afternoon? They must be crazy!
I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be. Oh, maybe they are studying for their mid-term. Yeah, that must be it. I don't think anyone would come and study as a hobby." Well, after talking to myself for a while, I continued to collect references. I found many articles that I thought would help me have a better understanding of speed limits and also, for reporting in my paper.
I wrote down as many potential articles as I could so that I didn't have to go up and down from floor to floor if some articles weren't acceptable or if the book wasn't there. The process of getting information can be quite frustrating if one doesn't know the process one must do to find what he wants.
I know because I did go back and forth, up and down, and got lost. This happened to me when I first came to the university and had to do a research paper using Hamilton for the first time. I remember that frustrating feeling and have learned from it. This time, I was not disturbed as I gathered information since I knew what I was doing.
After finding and copying all of the articles that I liked, I came back down to the 1st floor and went to the OPAC computer to see what I could find there. By this time, I was a little tired having been in the library for about 3 hours. Also, I tend to get "antsy" as my body gets real cold. All I want to do is get out of the library so that I can relieve the cold that I feel.
Nevertheless, since I was already at the library, I figured, "What the heck, I might as well look and see if there is anything that I can use. Then I won't have to come back another time." Again, I input as many words as I could think of. I did not get any positive results. this may be because I wasn't really looking for books.
Books, to me, are a little "too much" for me. Especially during summer school when class is accelerated and the semester is compacted into 6 weeks, I don't want to read books. I like articles because they're short, to the point, and many can be gathered giving various opinions a broader view of things.
I sat down and looked over the articles that I had and told myself that if I needed more information than I can always come back and get more. After about 32 hours in the library, I went home, glad that I got some work done.
After reading the articles that I got from the library, I noticed that the most controversial speed limit is that of 55 m.p.h. This speed limit was put into effect during the U.S. oil embargo in 1973 to reduce gasoline consumption.
Now, years later, many states want to raise the speed limit to around 65 mph on interstate highways. Those who are for the increase argue that there isn't an energy crisis anymore therefore, the 55 m.p.h. speed limit is not necessary; time is being wasted; greater economic profits can be gained (e.g. trucking); cars and roads are much improved for safety.
Besides all of these reasons, those from states that have a lot of "open country" argue that "55 m.p.h. is inadequate for vast stretches of freeways and interstates," as quoted from Senator Steven D. Simms, Idaho (R).
Another major reason that Representative Dan Glickman, Kansas (D), points out is that, "it is a unique function of the States to set speed limits, not the Federal Government."
On the other hand, those against raising the speed limit say that thousands of lives have been saved each year by the 55 m.p.h. speed limit. These numbers range from 2,000 to 4,000 saved lives per year (Martz, L., Conn, B., Cook, W.J., Brown, K. Newsweek, "Does Speed Kill?", July 1986).
Senator Robert T. Staf, Vermont (R), states that "not only has the 55 m.p.h. speed limit contributed to saving lives, it also conserves fuel." He also claims that, "the 55 m.p.h. speed limit remains a strong deterrent to excessive speeding.
Other reasons that have been brought up are that cars have become smaller and many are not designed to handle well at high speeds, and millions of dollars are saved per year in medical and welfare assistance programs since the 55 m.p.h. speed limit was enforced (from the debate of Sept. 23, 1986, on the floor of the U.S. Senate).
Having learned information for both arguments, overall, I think that the 55 m.p.h. speed limit is a good law. I know it is well in perspective here in Hawaii but I can't really say if it is well-suited for the mainland since I have no driving experience there.
A National Gallup Poll was done in June which found that 66% of Americans support the 55 limit while other surveys indicate that at least 85% of motorists regularly violate the law (U.S. News & World Report, Anonymous, Oct. 6, 1986).
Everyone knows when they are breaking the law when they speed and I think that it is good to know that we are aware of this fact and can admit it even though they are considered errors at all levels of behavior.
If the speed limit were raised, our affective error levels would also be raised thus, making things much worse than it is. In any case, "the issue is safety, not gasoline consumption or money" (Anne Steacy, Macleans, Oct. 27, I was very pleased as I read the information about how many lives are being saved per year and appalled at the reasons people were giving to raise the limit.
I felt like people are losing sight of what is important, human lives or economic profits. Then again, I do see where they are coming from too since time is such an important factor to be successful in our society today. We try to do so many things in a given time.
I had mixed feelings towards these facts and figures, and towards my own theories-and beliefs of my driving. I think I am a safe driver yet I know that I do exceed the speed limit of 55 m.p.h. or any other. As mentioned earlier in this paper, I do not consider myself a "speeder" since I exceed the limit only by about 5-10 m.p.h. (5 of which are in the "tolerance" zone).
Those who go excessively fast above the limit are the real "speeder" to me. Here, I could say I am doing affective errors just so that I can justify my speeding. I also feel somewhat like a hypocrite since I have a saying about so-called "speeders". When I see these excessive speeders, I tell myself, "Those who speed are just speeding up their lives."
Conclusion
We can go round and round in circles as we try to explain and understand why people do what they do. This is where Social Psychology comes in--analyzing the society within the individual and the individual within society.
As I listen and try to understand the causes and effects, and the hows and whys of peoples' behaviors and actions, I sometimes get more confused. But, I don't feel this confusion in a negative way. I feel it in a positive was as I now think about things in a more open way.
I like to learn new and different things. I try not to close my mind to these things. I just try to understand from my point of view and the other(s) point of view.
To me, I don't think anyone really has the correct explanations for everything. When one think he knows it all, that's when we get disturbed people who can hurt many others (e.g. Rev. Jim Jones). In Social Psychology, everything: thoughts, feelings, and sensations are correlated to each other. Therefore, as we become more aware of ourselves, I think that we can better understand life.
After reading this report and thinking about the experiment, the lectures in class, and my own thoughts and beliefs, I think that we are "made" from society, yet each of us as individuals make up society. We influence and are influenced.
Humans are so complicated when it comes to understanding and explaining the way we behave and yet so interesting. That is what makes us so unique. That is what life is. That is what Social Psychology explores.
I have learned a lot about my "self" from this class. It's hard to explain but I "see" myself differently than before I took this class. Self-witnessing allows you to be more aware of things that you can't see unless you're viewing your "self" from outside of your "self."
This sounds crazy but it's true. An example to better understand this is like when you, as a third person watch two people in a relationship that is not working. One of these people is a close friend of yours. You can see that things aren't working out between them. When your close friend asks for your opinion, you tell him/her but, he/she won't listen.
Why? Because they can't see what you're telling them is true and also because they don't want to see it, especially if it's something unpleasant. Later, after the couple breaks up and your friend is able to see what you told them earlier, then they understand.
This is like what we do in self-witnessing. I really feel something "positive" in me that I've never felt before. I can't put a finger on THE specific thing but it is a good thing.
1. Anonymous, U.S. News & World Report, "Passing Up the Double Nickel," Vol. 101, p. 8, October 6, 1986.
2. Anonymous, Time, "Thunder Road," Vol. 127, p. 25, May 5, 1986.
3. Quotes from Elected Officials, Congressional Digest, "Should Congress Relax the National 55-Mile Speed Limit," Vol. 65, pgs. 289-314, Dec. 1986.
4. Martz, Larry, Cohn, Bob, Cook, William J., and Brown, Kenneth, Newsweek, "Does Speed Kill?" Vol. 108, pgs. 14-17, July 21, 1986.
5. Powell, Stewart and Sheler, Jeffrey L., U.S. News & World Report, "Americans Itch to Step on the Gas," Vol. 100, pgs. 27-28, May 28, 1986.
6. Steacy, Anne, Macleans,"Pushing the Speed Limit:" Vol. 99, p. 66, October 27, 1986.
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