THE ROAD RAGE REALITY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Subject: Re: AAA
targets "Road Rage"
Date: 1998/02/22
I think we need to get the drivers off the road that don't know common driving
skills, ie don't drive in the passing lane, use turn signals, don't
sightsee. If people use common sense everyone else won't get
"road rage". It's not "know". People don't want to
bother.
The writer is blaming bad driving skills of other people as the cause of road rage. It is a common perception people have that road rage is caused by other people's bad driving skills. Frankly, I don't agree. What is considered bad driving? Is there a written set of standards where we can compare people's driving skills and determine whether they are bad drivers? I don't think so. What is considered good driving? My point is, every individual has his own standards. There is a driving norm but the individuality of people place their driving skills on a wide continuum. A person may be a passive driver just like your grandmother or he may be as aggressive as the speed demon who cut you off unexpectedly on your way to school or work this morning. The personality of each individual determines driving attitudes.
Subject: Re: Saddle
Seat ?
Date: 1998/02/23
It's probably a Good Thing that the majority of the human race doesn't share
your driving ambition to do things as well as they might be done. As well
as they might be done isn't necessarily, "higher, faster, farther".
Like I said, that's YOUR standard.
It might have been a chance encounter with one of your ancestors that moved Henry David Thoreau to comment on lives of quiet desperation. He probably was more impressed with my relative's quiet contemplation than your relative's quest to be the fastest, highest, farthest.
Good luck in your pursuit of aggressive mediocrity.
The same to you in yours. At least you'll get there faster than I will!
À
Speed, the element of driving that gives some drivers abstract rewards. Some drivers get high driving at excessive speeds on the highways. The exchanged of words above shows an example of two personalities. We have an aggressive driver who loves to drive fast and a person who likes to take her time driving. The aggressive driver probably has a type A personality who lives in a fast pace world. The passive driver is trying to tell the aggressive driver that things are not always better because they are faster, higher or farther. I agree. I believe that the only thing that matters is getting to your destination in one piece. Excessive speeding no matter what the reasons are is just plain stupid. The increase of risk of having an accident deter most drivers from speeding. Evidently, there are also many drivers who disregard the warnings. Why? Maybe it's a representation of repressed behavior or a conflict within the individual that was not resolved during various stages of development.
Subject: Re: Driving
in Austin
Date: 1998/02/23
Aamen. sounds pretty accurate to me. these are just about the rudest drivers in the country; or europe, for that matter! Never been to Boston, have you? Austin drivers are pretty calm and considerate by comparison. Since I'm a native Austinite, I thought the same thing the first time I drove in Boston. Then I watched carefully. Boston drivers are aggressive and ruthless... but NOT hostile! There are rules to the madness. Rules like:
-Turn signals are perceived as unnecessary,
but respected if accompanied by decisive driving
-Eye contact is a sign of weakness and causes you to forfeit the
right-of-way
-The bumper thats ahead wins, even if its the smaller bumper and so
on ;-)
BUT- if you "win" an encounter with another driver at one of those crazy junctions where six lanes narrow to two with no pavement markings, the amazing thing is that no grudge is held. The guy won't follow you for blocks just to get another chance to cut you off. He won't ride your butt so close you can see his nose hairs in the rear view mirror. No honking, no high beams in the mirror. You played by the rules, you won, its done, life goes on.
The current crop of transplanted Austin drivers is a FAR cry from that.
They're hostile, vindictive, and they DO hold grudges for miles. They don't
play by the rules, they bend the rules. BIG difference between here and Boston.
The article above discusses
differences between geographical driving norms. There are many driving
behaviors that are acceptable in some geographical areas but they are not
acceptable in others. Hawaii has many
examples. You hardly see anyone in Hawaii honking. Honking your
horn in Hawaii is a sign of aggression and
it sometimes results in physical confrontations between drivers. In the
mainland however, it is a common practice to honk your horn to disapprove
unwanted behaviors. Another taboo in Hawaii
is that you do not change lane without signaling. In the mainland
where assertive driving is the norm, drivers change lane without signaling
because it is a sign of weakness for the driver changing lane and for the
driver who lets person go. Cultural attitudes and values dictate the
driving norm for each locality.
Subject: Re: Radar
Detectors: (Was: Re: Road rage, drivers tests ect...)
Date: 1998/02/20
Makes the RD's useless and solves the problem of
those screaming about their "right" to have one. They're legal here
in Colorado, so far as I know. Now, some counties/cities have turned to a new
tactic out here. [ Photo-Radar. ]
Yup! Radar checks your speed, and if you're going too fast, snaps a picture of your license plate, and they mail you a ticket. I still wonder how enforceable it is. Can they actually get a picture of the driver. Not that I'd ever get caught by one, of course...
They instituted photo radar here in Ontario a few years ago (mainly in the Toronto area as a trial). One of the restrictions was that they could only photo from the rear. This was (at least rumoured to be) to keep from embarassing people who got caught with someone other than their spouse. The logic was that they were ticketing the car and the owner was responsible for tracking down the friend it was lent to (in that sort of situation). Also, Quebec cars only need a rear plate so if they photo only showed the front, Quebecers would be getting a free ride.
Photo radar was discontinued after about a year
when we changed governments. Some cities are looking at bringing it in
for intersection control (nailing people who run red lights) but I don't know
how those plans are progressing. The border between reality and fantasy is not
fixed. It just marks the last place rival gangs of shamans fought each other to
a standstill
The writer was inquiring how effective photo radars are in apprehending violators. I think this is not the issue. The issue here is the question whether or not photo radars and cameras on street lights violate our privacy. I know that photo radars and cameras on the stoplights have been emerging all over the country. Here in Honolulu, surveillance cameras on the traffic lights are broadcasted on a cable channel. A person with cable services can watch it as it cycles through all the intersections. Is the City and County of Honolulu violating our privacy? Slowly our society encroach upon our privacy. It is like what Dr. James discussed in class; the patents, secrets, spies and firewalls. Many business and government offices use security devices to protect confidential materials and their privacy. Everyone has their reasons for secrecy. Are the cameras and radars on the streets violating our privacy?
Subject: Re: Radar
Detectors: (Was: Re: Road rage, drivers tests ect...)
Date: 1998/02/23
Speed's not the problem, poor driving is. I politely submit that speed
*and* poor driving are both problems, and that while either alone is bad, the
two are an excellent example of synergy. "There is nothing - NOTHING -
inherently dangerous about speed," Alaric replies briefly.
"Assertions to the contrary are mainly a
product of insurance companies and cty governments, both of whom gain revenue
from the issuance of speeding tickets. "Now that all the data is in, it
can be seen that the net effect of the Federal 55mph speed limit was to
INCREASE freeway traffic fatalities. Kindly reconcile that fact with 'speed
kills'." Kindly tell me where "all the data is in," and I'm much
more likely to believe you than thru mere hand-waving. I've heard so many
conflicting claims on this topic that I'd be delighted to *find* some hard data
one way or the other!
"It is perhaps one of life's more interesting ironies that, of the
many who beseech the Goddess to send them love, so few will accept it when it
comes, because it has come in what they consider the wrong shape, or the wrong
size, or at the wrong time. Against our prejudices, even the Goddess strives in
vain." [ Diane Duane, _The Door Into Fire_ ]
The writer is saying that
poor driving is the cause of road rage. I strongly disagree with the
writer. Poor driving may be a factor for road rage but it is not the only
cause. There is no single cause for road rage. It is a combination of
many factors that equate to what we call road rage. The number of the
population directly effects the number of cars on the road and it in turn
effects the level of road rage. This is just another element that
contributes to road rage. Other things such as geographical and cultural
differences also needs to be considered. I believe some parts of the
country drive more aggressively than others. This would be another factor
that may elevate the level of road rage to a particular area. There is no
way to pin point a cause for road rage. It has too much factors that
effects its level.
Subject: Re: Road
Rage - prevention better than cure.
Date: 1998/02/25
The first post in this thread is a good one.
I think that it is up to the individual to create a safe environment for
themselves. This means space. Space gives you time to react and
less of a "hemmed in" feeling. Once you have created your space
you can deal with all the people who want to stal it. Tailgaters are low
scum but you can't do anything about it. If you antagonise them, they may
harm you or (worse) your vehicle. Let them pass, give them the road that
they think they own. When they're past, they're not your problem. Lane
swappers, let them in and re-create your space. Music, keep it in the
background as much as possible. Noisy passengers, distracting passengers
and backseat drivers give them the word, cut it out or get out, I agree.
Overall, don't let your reaction to a situation be one that makes it
WORSE. It's not worth it. Chill out and laugh at the dickhead. [
Benno. ]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Human beings are 10 % fact and 90 % opinion.
--------------------------------------------
Nobody gives a stuff for opinions.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The writer is trying to say that the level of road rage experienced by each driver is determined by each individual. I completely agree with the writer. I believe that society has too much influence on the way people behave, especially on the roads. If a person can detach and get away from the stereotypical reactions to the common aggressive incidents such as tailgating, it would minimize the level of aggression on the road. A person is not helping the situation if he reacts aggressively to an unfavorable situation. It would only elevate the level of road rage on the road and it would worsen the situation. My suggestion is to react rationally to aggressions and as Dr. James would say, "drive with the ALOHA SPIRIT."
Subject: Re: 250-car
pile-up in Italy?
Date: 1998/02/14
Funny but two of these, tailgating and unsignaled lane changes are two of my biggest pet peeves on the highway. Now, if only OCPD could teach people how to get on an acceleration ramp, my driving life would be bliss.
Amen, sister! But you have to understand that most Okies don't know the ramps are for accelerating, for most it's just a convenient strip of roadway that happens to lead to a highway. Then there's the jerks who speed up on the freeway for fear that someone on the ramp might actually get in front of them. Don't get me started on driving pet peeves! :-)À [ Michael OKC ]
I selected this particular
posting because it has all my pet peeves. Yes, I completely agree with
the writer that many people do not know how to merge on an on-ramp. I
also agree with the writer that on-ramps are for cars to speed up not for
people to leisurely merge on to highways. This is one of the problems
that Honolulu experience every rush
hour. Many people in Oahu do not know how to merge. It is
ridiculous enough that the on-ramps are so close together but to add the
ignorance of people who do not know how to accelerate and merge on the on-ramps
just irritates the hell out of me. For Hawaii, it may have a cultural and historical root to this
problem. People in Hawaii always
joke about using Hawaiian time. When a friend invites you to his place at
seven he actually means eight. Such cultural attributes may be the reason
why people in Hawaii drive less aggressive
than their mainland counterparts. Stereotypically, people in Hawaii move slower compared to the people
from mainland. I have taken a trip to the mainland many times and I
believe that people in the mainland move a little faster pace.
Subject: Re: Road
Rage - AA Survey [reply to various posters]
Date: 1998/01/27
Until a couple of years ago I owned [an old] BMW. One reason I moved over to a Ford was the number of idiots who tried to provoke me. The final straw was the young man in a new BMW who kept overtaking and then braking, who finally pulled over, then accelerated away when I moved out to pass. I have also had Ford XR types, Golf GTIs and even Escort vans try to provoke a "race". With such idiots out there, I am not surprised some BMW drivers get totally pissed off with the others. One good reason to revoke the gun laws in this country. :o)À [ AlexÀ ]
/\_/\ Make the police happy,
( o.o ) Smoke some cannabis today!
> ^ < Peace, Love, Unity and Respect to all.
[ http://www.tahallah.demon.co.uk ]
The writer of this posting is saying that people provoked him to a challenge because of the type of car he owns. Well, I know for a fact that people judge people by what they see. So, if I saw a person driving a sports car, my natural impression would be that this person is a speed demon. This would only be based on my observation. People always make the assumption that other people convey their personality by direct observable behaviors and the materials they own. The perception that people have based on what they see is powerful. People would automatically label people by what they observe. I admit that I am guilty for constantly judging people this way. I would always consciously label a slow driver as an old person. I would be proven wrong 90 percent of the time. The moral here is not judge a book by its cover. So, the next time you see a sports car assume that he is not a speed demon.
Subject: Re: Road
Rage - AA Survey
Date: 1998/01/19
So, not much evidence of many people becoming too terrified over the last
decade - even though fear of being assaulted has probably increased as well.
The latest stats for cycling casualties shows that the accident rate per km is
increasing. Ok, I now have some historical figures for *all* casualties.
(Transport Statistics 1995)
1984 1993
Pedal cycle casualties 30,575 24,149
Pedal cycle serious inj
6,570 3,943
Pedal cycle deaths
344 171
Pedal cycle
traffic
6,400 4,500 (million km)
Casualties
/traffic
4.78 5.37 (injures/million km)
Serious inj
/traffic
1.03 0.88 (injures/million km)
Deaths
/traffic
0.054 0.038 (deaths/million km)
So accidents are more common, but serious injuries less likely to occur. whenever people are asked why they don't cycle more despite the advantages of speed, cost, health etc the most important reason is always the perceived danger of the roads. Any sources? How important a reason is getting wet? Are you/the surveys claiming that pedal cycles are always faster than cars?
Whenever parents are asked why they drive their
children to school one of the main reasons given is the same, fear of traffic
danger. But only 25% of children get driven to school. From past discussions
laziness, pose value and needing to get to work afterwards are more prominent
reasons. Pedestrian casualties have fallen from 26,460 in 1984 to 18,249 in
1993 (31%). You might also like to consider that in some other countries,
Denmark, Holland, the accident rate for cyclists is 10percent of that in this
country.
I might also consider that those 2 countries have had a similar increase in car traffic over the last 10 years, have a similar level of car-use per head of population, and have a higher rate of road traffic deaths overall (than the UK). Do they have better facilities or training for cyclists? I contend that both objectively and subjectively, the roads are more dangerous than 20years age Let me try this theory on people:
Suppose that the dangers of using the road are more obvious nowadays; for example, more traffic means that pedestrians are more likely to meet a car when trying to cross at a bend. This should mean that pedestrians tend to be more careful when crossing the road, and so the number of accidents may drop (per year, per km, per journey, per road crossing, whatever you like).
ÀDoes this
mean the roads are more or less dangerous?
The writer has given some good statistical data. I know that bikers have the same rights as cars do but I must admit that I find cyclists on the road to be annoying. It is irritating when cyclists ride on roads where there are no bike paths. This adds to the level of road rage. I acknowledge the fact that cycling has many positive advantages such as cost and health. It is somewhat counterproductive in regards to road rage because cyclists sometimes get on the way of the drivers. The drivers trying to avoid the cyclists slow down and create traffic. I personally witnessed two accidents involving cyclists on the roads without bike paths and both accidents involved more than one vehicle. I think it is dangerous not just for cyclists who ride on the roads without bike paths but it is also dangerous for other drivers.
Subject: Women
Drivers aka Road Rage
Date: 1998/01/31
It is my considered opinion that women drivers are the main cause of Road Rage. It is nigh impossible to give someone the finger while driving with warty little knees, changing 3 lanes without signalling, talking on a cellular phone, slurping a latte, and hunting lipstick. So they scream at you and cuss a blue streak. Men drivers politely yield and try to get out of the way, slowing down and getting in the path of speeding dope dealers with UZIs.
This posting probably sparked many comments from many people. I actually looked at the thread on this particular posting and there were many feminist who were angered by some comments given by some men. Stereotypically, many people, majority of them are men, believe that women are bad drivers. The writer above believe that women are the main reason for road rage. I disagree with the writer. I am not a feminist or anything like that but I believe that the sexes have their own fair share of bad drivers. Socially, men and women are nurtured differently by social norms. Boys are nurtured to be aggressive and girls are nurtured to be proper and subtle. I understand that we are undergoing some social changes and this may not be true for some cases. Theoretically, men are nurtured to be more likely to be aggressive drivers but I believe that aggressive driving which causes road rage is learned by both sexes. So, I think that the premise that women as a driving group causes road rage is utterly ridiculous.
The newsgroups reports of my generation have similar layouts and contents. Some of my fellow classmates have the same postings. The reactions and comments are somewhat similar in a way that in some degree we agree that road rage is a problem that we all experience and each of us has the ability as an individual to decrease and minimize road rage. Many of my classmates added backgrounds and graphics that accentuated their work and made it alluring for cyber surfer to read their newsgroups. Please take the time to navigate through Generation 8.
The road rage level on the road is caused by many factors. Bad driving, speeding, cultural factors, regional factors, and the exploding population are just some of the factors that culminate into the annoying road rage that we as drivers experience. The amount of road rage that each of us experience is really subjective. If we do not let traffic, tailgaters and other factors to annoy us, our individual level of road rage experience would be minimized. My suggestion to all is to remind yourself that driving on the road is just a transition of where you really want to be. Drive safely and try to help decrease the road rage out there.
