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Instructions
for this Report
Introduction:
I have noticed that over the years, there have been various forms of road rage. People swear at the car in front of them when they get cut off, rightfully or wrongly. People toot their horns. People are inconsiderate of pedestrians. Pedestrians like myself are now being outraged at the bad driving that goes on. People like to run red lights, or the light is too short for the pedestrian to cross. I know I slow up when I see a car when I know I am in the right of way. I walk slowly in a crosswalk because I know that the car cannot hit me and get away with. However, what I have been trying to do lately is to moderate my behavior. I know that if I look before I cross a driver is almost always willing to let me cross, and I show consideration by trying to move as fast as I can. I also do not charge into the intersection when it is obvious that I will not make it to the other side in time. These are all bad habits on both drivers and pedestrians that are hard to break. I hope people will not be violent on our streets and in our homes during this era where anything that is criminal becomes noteworthy. Below are some articles on road rage that I intend to comment on and some newsgroup postings.À [ Articles on Road rage ]
1.
Traffic Violence A Crisis in
Community Mental Health
My comments:
People need to be more tolerant of each other. People need to show consideration and not get outraged over every driving behavior. I agree that if we look at our driving in a comic cartoon strip kind of way then we can judge our own behavior and try to substitute swear words with more moderate words and descriptions of what you are trying to think of at that moment. Drivers should not be threatening, and should obey all regulations concerning driving.
Dr. Driving Interview on Road Rage
My comments:
Perhaps it might be a good idea if we formed a support group for drivers. We can encourage each other to drive well, and be courteous to each other. We also can inflict penalties, like you have to car pool with someone if you break a regulation if you do. That way you register punishment with breaking a law if the cop does not catch you and you are forced to go along with a penalty as a group. We also should practice tolerance, and do not criticize other drivers. But like I stated before, you can indirectly punish someone. By that I mean, punish someone as a group if the law does not. Another option is to encourage the driver not to do it again. Political pressure groups are a good idea because normal citizens are busy and do not have the time to get organized, although if you are put in a group then you can get organized. [The American Legion ]
Interview with Dr. Driving. An article on Road Rage
My comments:
The community needs to get involved and be supportive of cultural norms. We can do this by encouraging each other to drive positively and not drive outrageously. Government officials need to recognize that we need actions to deter bad driving and to pass laws. Police officers also need to apply the same standard to public and private citizens. How many times do you drive behind a city bus going seventy miles a hour and not see it get pulled over, but if a driver travels seventy miles a hour, the driver gets pulled over.
Re: Road Rage (Was: OAPs and Driving)
Date 3 Feb 98 14:21:46
Killed or INJURED! What sort of injuries and what indipendent medical; body said that the injuries were real and not the old 'I've got ; whiplash, get me a lawyer' type of fantasy injuries. 4,000 deaths, 50,000 serious, 250,000 whiplash, child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions are the major; cause of death for children aged between 1 and 14 years; old, with an average of 185 deaths and 4,000 serious; injuries every year A average of 185 deaths per year? Sounds bad, how many children die eachÀ year due to non motor-vehicle accidents, this figure may make the figures you are quoting mean something. Childhood accidental deaths are in fact very low. Mortality figures for 1994 show the major cause to be neoplasms (about 300). The phrases 'average' and 'every year' are confused and misleading; the real figures (Transport Statistics 1995) are: 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 357 323 279 264 282 254 242 225 180 165 160;when traffic volume is cut; there are major reductions in child pedestrian death rates; EVIDENCE PLEASE. This is just a political statement, it has no worth as; far as I can see. See above.
Major reductions in death rates (55% over 10 years) with a 33% *increase* in traffic volume. children now walk and cycle less than they used to: between 1985 and 1992 the; average distance walked by children aged under 14 fell; 20%, and average distance cycled fell by 26%. This is a ; major factor in declining physical activity amongst children and therefore rising levels of obesity. I looked at all the kids going into my daughters school recently and I counted a grand total of 4 fat kids, and of them only one could be described as obese. The idea that kids are fatter and less fit is just bullshit, using your eyes proves this. Agreed. The Department of Health denies even having a definition of obesity for children. Those adults that used to walk to school are supposed to be getting fatter though (especially in the Midlands)
My commentary:
The person is trying to make a comparison of driving deaths of kids to other accidents. This says that there is a different perspective on society. The number of deaths are going down, but perhaps the numbers of deaths for fat children are going up. People have different interpretations of death, and how they come by in a society.
Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date Sun, 21 Dec 1997 14:31:10
Starting from the "Experiencing Road Rage" thread earlier, I wanted to share an experience that I had . A couple of days ago, I was jogging on a fairly dark road. It was dark enough to not make out whether you were making eye contact with any drivers. So here was someone who was waiting at a stop light waiting to turn right. I was coming from her right and could see the car but could not see inside. Apparently, she had her attention to her left to see whether there were any oncoming cars.
Without waiting to see whether there were any pedestrians on the right, she made a right turn. I 1screamed and that probably made her stop. I was obeying all traffic laws (or was I ?) - at a stop sign. the car has to yield to the pedestrian , right ? In such situations, there is nothing that one can do - it seems. Especially when you cant make out whether the driver has noticed you or not.
[University of Oregon | URL: http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/~aroy ]
Road Rage" thread earlier, I wanted to share an experience that I had . A
couple of days ago, I was jogging on a fairly dark road. It was dark enough to
not make out whether you were making eye contact with any drivers. So here was
someone who was waiting at a stop light waiting to turn right. I was coming
from her right and could see the car but could not see inside. Apparently, she
had her attention to her left to see whether there were any oncoming cars. Without
waiting to see whether there were any pedestrians on the right, she made a
right turn. I screamed and that probably made her stop.
I was obeying all traffic laws (or was I ?) - at a stop sign. the car has to yield to the pedestrian , right?; In such situations, there is nothing that; one can do - it seems. Especially when you cant make out whether the driver has noticed you or not.
My commentary:
This says that society has a perception of what is right and wrong. And some people have different concepts of what is right or wrong. For instance, the driver thought she was right, but the pedestrian thought he was right. In both cases, it should be noted to study the circumstances. People need to note that it is not worth aruging with something bigger than you. If there is an inconsiderate driver, then it is best to yield to the driver, even though you might have the right of way. Hopefully, the next driver you come across will not be as inconsiderate, and consider that you do have a right to cross the road as well.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date Mon, 22 Dec 1997 09:16:56
So here was someone who was waitingÀ at a stop light waiting to turn right. [...] Without waiting to see whether there were any pedestrians on the right, she made a right turn. I _always_ just run behind the right-turning car, assuming that the driver doesn't see me (even if I see the whites of their eyes). They are naturally looking to the left to see if there's traffic coming, so they are not going to see you. Yes, the law is probably in your favor, but I'd rather spend time running than phoning a lawyer from a hospital bed! The one time I forgot and ran in front of the car a few months back, I nearly got hit. Don't blame it on "crazy drivers": the guy was clearly sorry. To be realistic, drivers just aren't looking for you. They should but they don't so you have to run defensively. One problem I've thought about with the strategy of running behind a right-turning car is that it decreases your visibility for other cars, which might be turning/going straight into your path from other directions. This is especially true when you are running behind a SUV or large truck. In that case, I try to look at all the traffic which could even think about running me over. Any thoughts on this? Maybe wear a ten-foot high hat?
Commentary:
The guy basically agrees with me. Joggers and pedestrians should show great caution when crossing. But so should car drivers. They should not be too aggressive. Road rage also applys to drivers and joggers. Joggers have more of a right to get mad at car drivers because their lives are more at risk. People need to be considerate of each other.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date 22 Dec 1997 18:29:59 GMT
References 1 2 whether you are right or wrong won't help you if you're toast as others have pointed out. My mom was a "right of way" driver. If she had the right of way, she was going to have the right of way. I shoul dmention she has been in numerous accidents as well (we finally bought her a Chevy Suburban. that big tanking mother was da bomb!) anyway, run behind cars. And always watch the driver. if the driver is turning right and looking left, assume she is not going to look right. Go behind the car. Even if the driver is turning left, if driver is looking left, assume they don't see you. Heck there was one time the driver was looking both ways but missed me running on the sidewalk. Assume that the drivers won't see you and you'll be safe. Always try to make eye contact. I remember when i started out running. I would run with my gf and as we entered an intersection whether I needed to hear it or not she would yell out something like "Your Behind goes Behind!" :) ? [ ben ]
Commentary:
It also seems like society is being submissive to the big agressor. However, in this case it seems like it is logical to spare your life of any complications, no matter how right you might be. Also, stop, and if the driver waves you through, then it is safe for you to cross the streeet. I have found that drivers have respect for pedestrians who stop and wait for them, or maybe this is just Hawaii, because I do not know if this applies to the mainland
Date Sun, 21 Dec 1997 14:31:10
Starting from the "Experiencing Road Rage" thread earlier, I wanted to share an experience that I had . A couple of days ago, I was jogging on a fairly dark road. It was dark enough to not make out whether you were making eye contact with any drivers. So here was someone who was waiting at a stop light waiting to turn right. I was coming from her right and could see the car but could not see inside. Apparently, she had her attention to her left to see whether there were any oncoming cars. Without waiting to see whether there were any pedestrians on the right, she made a right turn. I screamed and that probably made her stop. I was obeying all traffic laws (or was I ?) - at a stop sign. the car has to yield to the pedestrian , right ? In such situations, there is nothing that one can do - it seems. Especially when you cant make out whether the driver has noticed you or not.
[University of Oregon | URL: http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/~aroy ]
Experiencing Road Rage: I wanted to share an experience that I had . A couple
of days ago, I was jogging on a fairly dark road. It was dark enough to not
make out whether you were making eye contact with any drivers. So here was
someone who was waiting at a stop light waiting to turn right. I was coming
from her right and could see the car but could not see inside. Apparently, she
had her attention to her left to see whether there were any oncoming cars.
Without waiting to see whether there were any pedestrians on the right, she
made a right turn. I screamed and that probably made her stop.
I was obeying all traffic laws (or was I ?) - at a stop sign. the car has to yield to the pedestrian , right ?In such situations, there is nothing that; one can do - it seems. Especially when you cant make out whether the driver has noticed you or not.
Ben Yau wrote: whether you are right or wrong won't help you if you're toast; as others have pointed out. Here in Indiana if I see a car on my left at a stop sign as I run against traffic. I wave at them. Actually it is partly a wave hello and partly a traffic cop stop. But here in the mid-west were people are friendly they pause and wave back! While I was in Pittsburgh for the Holidays I almost got run over twice because people especially old men, just didn't see me. I was almost a hood ornament twice in one run! This was during the day with bright clothing. [Johnny ]
My commentary:
Sometimes some people in society need to be considerate of each other, which is what we are lacking or we society is slowly losing the concept of what it means to be considerate. People have enough brains to use commons sense, in my view. When you see a pedestrian already crossing, then naturally you should stop. However, if a honest mistake occurs then the pedestrian, who is smaller than than most cars, then the pedestrian needs to have common sense, even though the pedestrian might a the right away. A lot of drivers in Hawaii run red lights. Therefore, as a pedestrian, I always look in both directions even though the light might say red because I know there might be some idiot and inconsiderate drivers. I can understand if some driver is using a yellow light, and then it goes through, but it really enrages if a light is short. This gives the pedestrian hardly anytime to cross at all, like the stoplight near the Burger King up at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and it really irritates me.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date 27 Dec 1997 10:12:16 GMT
Yes. The onus is always on the driver to yield to pedestrians at inter- ;sections unless otherwise indicated by signage or signals. Unfortunately, impatient drivers can kill, and there are a growing number of them out there. As a general rule, I err on the side of caution, to the point of;sometimes getting into yielding/gesturing matches with drivers. My motto is: "Driver, I don't trust you, more than you don't trust me, so move along, and so far it has served me quite well."
If anyone is running in the UK, they might like to keep in mind this is not the rule here. Vehicles turning form a major road into a minor one are supposed to give way to pedestrians already crossing (highway code recommendation, not law) and they oblviously shoul do so if there are marked crossings, but otherwise if you are crossing the road as a pedestrian, motor vehicles have the right of way; i.e. pedestrians are supposed to wait until it is safe to cross. This explains why I had the alarming incident one time of approaching a junction on my motorbike, when a pedestrian was about to cross. He paused, look straight at me and clearly saw me, then stepped out in front of me. We had a considerable discussion, and the pedestrian informed me in a North American accent that it was his right of way because I was approaching a give way sign. The give way sign reltes to giving way to motor vehicles on the road you are joining, not to pedestrians. I've always wondered what this chap was thinking of, but it becomes clearer now; he was applying non-UK law to the UK. I wouldn't recommend this. Rod. Disclaimer; the opinions expressed above are not necessarily yours.
Commentary:
Culture also might be another factor when one experiences some kind of road rage. When that happens, you need to weigh all the possibilities, and you need to pehaps cave into a little of your own culture. Sometimes you need to show some common sense as a pedestrian also. In this circumstance, the pedestrian should not assume he has the right away because he is in a foreign country and the customs might be different.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date 27 Dec 1997 15:16:14 GMT
My mom was a "right of way" driver. If she had the right of way, she was going to have the right of way. I shoul dmention she has been in numerous accidents as well (we finally bought her a Chevy Suburban. that big tanking mother was da bomb!) Yes, but I bet she's never caused an accident and her no claims bonus is in tact.
My commentary:
Some people do not have any consideration of pedestrians. They should place themselves in another group and use their eyesight to see who might be crossing. The driver is not the only person on the street, and could get someone killed. This is very dangerous thinking in society and on the road ways. Road rage can be stopped with a little bit of common sense.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Date 29 Dec 1997 15:08:53 GMT
Rod quoted it as saying that you must give way to pedestrians who; have already started to cross; What does it mean ;already started to cross? If the road's busy and you're; having trouble crossing, you can just put one foot out onto the road and then This issue is many academic. Most motorists are far more blatant than this. It is my observation that you can already be at least three lanes into a four lane intersection, and a turning motorist will race you through the last lane.
Commentary:
Again, people have a different perception of what is going on. You might have to give in as a pedestrian in this situation. Even though you might want to cross and you are late to an event. It is better to be one or two minutes late than wind up in a hospital and you cannot enjoy yourself that evening. Sometimes obeying the traffic laws are the best thing for a pedestrian. If a pedestrian then goes off and does his own thing, the pedestrian should exercise common sense when trying to cross against regulations.
Re: Observing Traffic Laws (was Experiencing Road Rage)
Dec 1997 20:07:58 GMT
I read the Highway Code, last night and it doesn't seem to be very clear on the matter. Rod quoted it as saying that you must give way to pedestrians who;have already started to cross;. What does it mean already started to cross? If the road's busy and you're having trouble crossing, you can just put one foot out onto the road and then you have priority. Obviously, common sense and value of life would tell you not to, but we are talking very technically here, about who has priority. The statement in the Highway Code seems to indicate that it's like a race: Will the pedestrian get ONTO the road before the car STARTS to turn? The issue should be: will the pedestrian cross the road without causing the car to slow down, stop, or swerve? I realise what the Highway Code is probably trying to say is: "If there are pedestrians in the way, don't run them over, which is common sense to most people anyway but doesn't change the fact that the pedestrian was in the wrong.
À
Conclusion
People should not run over pedestrians even if they are in the wrong. People
should avoid a pedestrian who is being selfish just like the pedestrian is
yielding to the selfish driver. If at all possible, like I state earlier,
people should have respect for the laws and regulations at all times and use
common sense while driving. Common sense in driving needs to prevail in
society.
Conclusion: I think that we should all behave responsibly. Both as a pedestrian
and as a driver. If we do not like something, then we should focus on our
actions. We also should look out for each other. If we do not want to be killed
by a larger vehicle then we should not argue with vehicles as pedestrians. But
if we are drivers we should also be looking out for each other as well.