My Experience with Newsgroups

Thinking changes Feeling changes Acting

Illinois Road Rage Bill	Help stop the road ragers
Suburbs, sprawl, & road rage	Road Rage
Tanker Driver	What is it about Minivans?

Subject:Illinois Road Rage Bill
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A bill is being introduced to the Illinois House of Representatives this week aimed at defining "road rage" as a misdemeanor and " aggravated road rage " as a felony offense. From what I gather, in most cases the most someone could get for most road rage offenses now is a reckless driving charge, which is a misdemeanor. Under the proposed law, road rage would be defined as " intentionally driving in such a manner as to endanger the bodily safety or property of another driver, bicyclist, or pedestrian." It could be punishable by jail time and a revoked driver's license. The way I understood the proposal is that road rage would be acts that do not cause accidents, but demonstrate aggressiveness over and above reckless driving ( such as tailgating or cutting off another driver). Something more severe that results in bodily injury or property damage would be defined under the proposed law as aggravated road rage. If this does pass, other states probably will follow, making the streets much safer for everybody.

Safe Riding to All,

Don
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Don Holliman                                                    O
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Tour Easy, with a Tour Easy Wife               ____ \ \ ____        \
Dundee, IL. USA                                      ( * ) >------------ %
( * )
"Recumbent Smiles are Contagious"

Comment:

This bill will introduce procedures that may be an effective tool for police officers in their attempt to curb the escalating incidents of road rage. The evidence that exists so far when lawmakers have tried to increase the severity of the punishment in the hopes that it will deter criminals or at least make them think twice before committing the crime has yet to be shown relatively effective at decreasing crime rates. I think that a more productive way to deal with the problem of road rage is to take preventative measures. Road rage is a result of learned behaviors particularly emotionality that has become uncontrollable. Increasing the penalties of people who exhibit road rage do nothing about the underlying cause. In order to be successful at changing the behaviors of these "road ragers" it is important to get to and deal with the root of the problem. It is only after we get people to think differently will they feel differently and then act differently on the roads. I think that this is the most effective method to use when trying to deal with road rage.

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Subject: Re: Help stop the road ragers
Date: 01/29/2000
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Whatever they are doing, it's not your place to block traffic. If people are passing you on your right, you are in the wrong lane and YOU are endangering lives. You shouldn't be surprised if people become enraged at you when YOU are placing their life or the lives of their family members at risk because YOU think people should drive at a certain speed. If you can't understand that the left lane is for faster traffic then YOU don't know how to drive and YOU need to get off the road and let those who do know how to drive get where they are going
without YOU killing them.

The speed limit is another matter not at all related. If people are passing you on your right then you should not be allowed to possess a drivers license.

Comment:

Where do I begin to tear apart this author's reply to a driver who was simply obeying the speed limit. There is absolutely no law that says the left lane allows you to go as fast as you want. The speed limit applies to all lanes in all directions including the left lane. If a driver is going at the speed limit in any lane then there shouldn't be a problem and if there is then the problem belongs to YOU. It was very evident that this author has great animosity toward drivers who don't drive at this person's subjectively "normal" speed limit. I suggest that instead of looking at others to put the blame on that he should turn his analysis inward on himself.

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Subject: Re: Suburbs, sprawl, & road rage
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Cultural differences in population have anything to do with it? I know freeways promote more accidents than winding roads that require more attention, but more road rage? Jobs and other living more stressful in certain areas, and this carries over into driving? I'm not expressing a contrary view, I'm merely stating that the article provokes a lot of questions.

[ Demetri]

Comment:

No kidding. Your article was like one big question. I think the theme of your topic was whether road rage was caused by driving on freeways. Not that the freeways themselves cause humans to exhibit road rage but that there are many situations that arise when people are in their cars driving on the freeway. One situation that is almost always blamed for starting road rage in traffic. We learned in Dr. James class that there is a mechanism behind this all too familiar occurrence called road rage and that it is perpetuated by driver's behaviors. For some reason some people feel that when they are faced with traffic fellow drivers become the enemy and that it is their prerogative to get to their destination before anyone else. Changing lanes, cutting people off and going out of the way to block others from coming into your lane are three behaviors that are common occurrences in traffic. It's no wonder that road rage can be found on freeways when drivers take on the attitude of every person for themselves. Little do they realize that this kind of thinking only makes traffic worse. The only way to make traffic situations better is to work together and realize that it is too everyone's advantage when drivers facilitate movement on the road ways.

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Subject:Road Rage

Now there is a good topic for discussion<snicker>. Road rage? Is this some California idea that is sweeping the nation? If half the drivers that got their licenses at Wal-Mart had taken some sort of driver's education, would we need road rage? Do you get the feeling that weekends are for those drivers who never take the car out of the garage all week long, then come out on Saturday so that they can cut across four lanes of traffic to hit their favorite grocery store? I may not be the best driver in the world, but a little road courtesy and defensive driving goes a long way.[beg]

I live in Las Vegas... US 95 on the west side of town was designed for the population of Vegas back in the early 80's (about 350 thousand) In 1998 there are about 1.2 million people in Vegas and the fastest growing city in America. You can imagine the scenario... LOL

I drive a truck for my living... Not just a normal truck, but a double trailer 105' rock truck. Hauling rock from the mountains to make this city even bigger. :-)

Road rage?? HA! Trying to get around in that dang thing is hard enough... I just wish people would just learn that unless they have lights and sirens that they aren't going to get to where they want to go any faster by cutting people off. If I ever had to hit someone cause they cut me off the wouldn't make it. My truck weighs 120 THOUSAND pounds loaded.

Needless to say... That WalMart drivers license earlier mentioned isn't worth much if you are dead... :-)

[Ben]

Comment:

I haven't been to Wal-Mart lately but I don't think they have driver's licenses for sale there. You do bring up and interesting question mainly driving qualifications. Are drivers being tested carefully enough to ensure that they are qualified to drive a motor vehicle? I do agree that driving is something that should never be taken lightly. The test that is given to obtain a driver's license may imply otherwise because of the ease as to which many want to be drivers are passing the test. This author probably sees a lot of near misses being that he drives for a living. Who better than to at least consider what he has to say. I think the main point of his post was to curtail road rage by keeping unqualified drivers off of the road ways by issuing licenses to those drivers who prove that they have the knowledge and understanding that it takes to drive a vehicle without putting anyone in danger.

The tricky thing about road rage is that it is difficult to test for. Some people don't know that they are even capable of committing it until it happens for the first time and that can be too late. Although I think that it is a noble thought to suggest that the DMV take on the responsibility of increasing that safely of our freeways change will only come about when people take responsibility and control over their own actions. Recognition and admission that a problem exists is that first step to taking control over emotions that could potentially be deadly.

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Subject: Re: Road Rage
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Don't tell me. Like Toronto on a summer Friday night [snicker]. Or maybe the GW Bridge in NYC on the same Friday night. I used to commute from Hackensack, NJ to Concord, NH. Spend the week working in NYC, then home for the weekends. Hated that New England express (distress) way [beg].

I drive a truck for my living... Not just a normal truck, but a double trailer 105' rock truck. Hauling rock from the mountains to make this city even bigger. :-)

Fun, fun. Junior just spent the last year working and driving a drilling rig down in Georgia.

Had a cousin that used to drive a tanker up around Boston way. He was in the outside lane of 128 at rush hour when he had the first heart palpitation. He parked it on the shoulder of the road before he died.

Road rage?? HA! Trying to get around in that dang thing is hard enough... I just wish people would just learn that unless they have lights and sirens that they arent going to get to where they want to go any faster by cutting people off. If I ever had to hit someone cause they cut me off the wouldn't make it. My truck weighs 120 THOUSAND pounds loaded.

Ain't that the truth. Junior blew a front tire on the way home on afternoon. He layed on the horn and the lights, trying to move over to the shoulder before causing major problems. Everyone got out of his way (they could see the flying rubber) except for Grandpa, who was bound and determined he was gonna pass him on the inside lane. Well Grandpa almost became a bucket of chum for the next fishing trip.

Needless to say... That Walmart drivers licence earlier mentioned isnt worth much if you are dead... :-)

Words of wisdom, but they still hand them out to anyone with half a brain[beg].
Cheers,

Dave C.

Comment:

This is a reply to a post that I had been following in this particular newsgroup. I thought that it would be interesting to read someone agreeing with the original posters views. I think that this correctly illustrates the point of how easy it is to blame the cause of road rage on somebody else. It's a rude awakening to realize that the cause of road rage is yourself. How is it that out of the tens of hundreds of cars that could be lodged together in traffic it's only that one person who loses it and starts shooting people because everyone else is crazy and his destination takes top priority over everyone else's.

It's always going to be the case that if there is somebody else to blame that is where the blame is going to be put. I think it's important to reiterate that changing a person's psychological behavior is never easy, because it is built up on bad habits people pick up along the years. The first step to change is to admit that there is a problem and that the problem lies with in yourself. Road rage can't exist if there are people willing to change their views on where the real source of the problem lies.

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Subject:What is it about Minivans?
Date: 08/04/1999
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Is there something about minivans that makes normal Americans lose their minds? What is it about those boxy, sliding door, gas monsters that causes the person behind the wheel to read the speed limit posted as 55 as 35? Are the manufacturers hiding a special gas in the a/c vents that causes the drivers to immediately make a break for the fast lane and as quickly as he/she got there with all deliberate speed, slow way down?

Perhaps it's not the vehicle, perhaps there is a hormone that is triggered when one's child makes the decision to play soccer (Soccer Moms) that shuts down rationale thought and causes the parent to A) want to purchase a Minivans and become the scourge of the highway and bane to all who actually do the posted speed limit and above, and B) put annoying bumper stickers like "My kid is an honor roll student at Jablip HS," or "Go Pat Buchanan Go."

Sorry if I'm ranting here, but I need to vent.. I have no fear of hell because I've been there. And let me tell you, you have not truly suffered until you are trapped going 45mph on a one-lane highway behind a Minivans with out-of-state handicapped (and please don't take me for abusing or bashing the disabled, please)tags, with the dome light on reading a map and the only sight other than the map visible are two hands on the steering wheel...for 15 miles. Sheer agony!!!! I wouldn't wish that on anyone...but let me tell you that I am a changed man because of it.

Now I go out of my way to prevent minivans from being near me, around me or in any way in front of me. Fight the power folks!!! Stop the senseless purchase of minivans and the disease that they cause.

Eric "The Last American Road Rage Avenger"

Comment:

Eric if you really were "The Last American Road Rage Avenger" all of our safety problems on the freeways would be solved. Think about what you are saying. You are acknowledging that minivans are often driven by soccer moms with their soccer kids in the back and yet you continue to unleash hostility toward minivans. Let me share with you a tip I've learned in my class from Dr. Driving. The next time you feel like passing a Minivans because the soccer mom is driving too unbearably slow for you pretend that it's your mom driving. She has probably got four or five kids in the Minivans, not all her own, and she either going or coming from a game with means that she might be thinking about that snacks or dinner that she's expected to make for the team or her family. The last thing that she needs it to deal with an irate maniac who thinks that soccer moms were put on the road to annoy him. She has got more important things to think about than you Eric. I don't know maybe you think of your mom as an annoyance and that the world would be a better place without your mom although I think that there would probably be more votes to get rid of you first.

Remember this tip it's an easy one. The next time your thinking violent thoughts about someone who is driving in a way that you just can't stand pretend that the person is someone you know maybe your mom, your sister, your dad, your brother, your cousin, your aunty, your uncle, your neighbor, or anyone familiar to you. I think you'll see that when you put a face one that body you were hating it is not so easy to think about road raging on them.

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Suggestions for Future Generations

The only suggestions that I can give to future generations when attempting to complete this report beside the obvious one of don't procrastinate is to get your information on first. Worry about the colors and the decorations later. The most important aspect of any report is always the content and it's no different here just because it's on the internet.

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