Attitudes Driving Newsgroups

I've never driven in Atlanta, but I found the west coast to be a pleasure to drive in comparison to European roads. In my experience, US drivers are nowhere near as aggressive as the Euros. It's a cultural thing, I guess. It makes me laugh when I see threads about "Americans can't drive", etc- you guys don't realize how fortunate you are. If you REALLY want to test your road rage tolerance, try driving in Northern Ireland for a while. The general standard is ver y, very, low. I would bet money that the percentage of drivers that think they are "good" or "better than average" is still as high as anywhere else - may be even higher. [ Jamie ]

My Comments:

Comparing Europeans to Americans as driving authorities is the gist of this article. I believe, however, that this person does not have enough experience to examine and compare these two continents in driving quality. She claims that "US drivers are nowhere near as aggressive as the Euros, and that the West coast is a pleasure to drive. I'm wondering what part of the West Coast was a pleasure to drive -- she couldn't be talking about Los Angeles now could she? In my opinion, Los Angeles would be rated one of the most stressful places that one could drive. I do, however, have to admit that I have not been to Europe to compare the position that she has taken to judge her. Whether she is talking about Atlanta or Los Angeles, the fact of the matter is that road rage takes a place at everyone's back door.

Typically, I assume, driving in any area that is in the urban city would be thought of as to be stressful rather than driving in the suburbs or any rural area. The fact of this matter has to do with how big a population is in a particular city, state or country. One main factor that has to do with aggressive driving is how a transportation system is designed. For example, in Europe, the road design isn't as organized as to how the traffic flows in comparison to the United States transportation system I'm not an expert on the transportation systems of either continent, but I can say, that from what I see and hear, this could be a major factor. Therefore, people without a safe and organized system will tend to get aggravated. With that in mind, I would predict that as long as there is a big population of drivers, there will be types of aggression that follows.

Selection #2

Subject: Re: Road Rage - AA Survey [reply to various posters]

Date: 1998/01/19

So, let's get back to the nub of the matter. Does an offensive gesture by me justify deliberately dangerous driving by another which risks the lives of both myself and my blameless girlfriend? Does it justify said driver following us for over 10 miles, and quite possibly attacking us if I hadn't managed to lose him? If your answer to both these questions is yes, then I suggest you start smoking some good dope because you plainly need to chill out.

Of course not. However if you had not made the offending gesture in the first place nothing would have happened. Naturally I feel sorry for your girlfriend as an innocent bystander but the blame rests on you for initiating the whole sequence. In all my years on the road (30-odd as cyclist and passenger, justa year as driver), my strong impression is that aggressive, irresponsible, and dangerous driving is usually committed by men (although I can think of a couple of women who drove like maniacs, including one white-knuckle ride that is burned into my memory). My personal feeling is that this is a problem caused by masculinity -we perceive ourselves to be in conflict/competition with other drivers and act as we're brought up to act, that is aggressively.

When there is a direct conflict with another man driver, perhaps due to violent gestures, being cut up, or wotnot, it ceases to be a driving problem and becomes a man-man conflict. In real life, conflicts between men are resolved by the use, or threatened use, of violence, so it's not surprising that this ethos carries itself on to the road and that so many men get out of their cars to teach the other man 'a lesson'. ("I'll teach you not to be aggressive!" - SMACK!) . Now, if it was only the men themselves that got hurt there'd be no problem, but sadly this testosterone overdose (particulary in young lads) puts the lives of non-combatants at risk. Maybe we need a testosterone test instead of the breathalyser ;-( I tend to put it all down to bad manners and frustration. Bad manners due to the lack of courtesy by both male and female drivers. The simple rule of the road these days is "get ahead at any cost". The frustration comes into play when there are so many users on the road that you can't very well get to where you want to be at the time you would like to be there, because you left home later rather than earlier. Try planning your trips in advance taking into account the volumes of traffic you are likely to encounter and the time it's going to take you. Leave earlier and have a more relaxing drive.

Women, on the other hand, don't have this masculine baggage. For all their technical faults they are, IMO, by far the safer drivers, and when I've been offered lifts from people I've always chosen the woman driver. More often than not, when I've had to take a lift from a bloke I've wished that I'd walked home.

Again I'll have to agree and disagree with you both at the same time. There are some good male drivers and good female drivers, then again there is one hell of a lot of bad male drivers and bad female drivers. Many female drivers are unsure as to what the width of their car is, they are very hesitant also, and I think that the driving schools should stop training female drivers in little cars and start them off with Range Rovers. On the other hand there are quite a number of female HGV drivers.

I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that, as a man, you need tobe prepared for violence from other men if you venture on to the road.

If you are going to prepare for it then I suggest you will meet it, but don't have your girlfriend with you next time. Or your children with you, if you have any. I've noticed that guys driving with their wives and children on board are very much less agressive on the roads and actually stop for Zebra crossings, especially in their own home towns.

My Comments

People who give off offensive gestures while driving only hurt themselves. By "flicking the bird," for example, drivers cause more stress on themselves because it solves nothing. It does, however, heighten the rage that is already within that person. If someone cuts another off causing a threatening situation, for instance, it is an automatic response to give off some kind of offending gesture, which in turn starts the adrenelin to flow in a negative manner. In my opinion, instead of taking the stance of giving off an offensive gesture, staying calm and handling the situation with a cool head is much more sane and safe.

In this segment, a driver and his girlfriend of one vehicle gives an offensive gesture to another driver in another vehicle while on the road. This act left them vulnerable to an offensive act of the other driver. The driver who inflicted this is now wondering whether his gesture was worth it because it left him and his girlfriend in a situation where the other driver didn't like the idea of the profanity and tailed them for over 10 miles. If he hadn't managed to lose him, what would have happened? Emotional intelligence got in the way of this drivers situation. It is, I admit, Hard to let someone get away with jeopardizing your life by cutting in front of you, however, this is the time where cognitive thinking should com into play. Use good judgement, because you never know who you'll encounter.

Selection #3

Subject: Road warriors beware!!!

Date: 1998/01/30

Hello Everyone!

Granny Grunt doesn't like waiting on indecisive drivers, so yesterday as she was commuting from her home on the northside to Cosco, and when a day- dreaming driver in front of her didn't speed up when the light changed, Granny leaned out the window and let loose with a burst of vitriol that would melt metal. She'd learned a lot of bad habits from her two sons who are Teamsters over the years. When that didn't work, she leaned on her custom- made horn button, thus releasing a terrible blast from the set of diesel air horn she had mounted beneath her hood for just such occasions. Finally, after several more blasts of vituperation and a honk or two on the air horns, the lazy driver finally got her get-up and got.

Washington State Lawmakers think their ought to be a guideline for what is and is not "bad manners" on the roadway, a sort of Miss Manners for the express lanes, if you will.

A measure proposed by Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma, would make roadrage a misdemeanor for a first offense and a gross misdemeanor for second and subsequent offenses.

A driver can be charged with road rage, officially called "aggressive driving," if he or she acted out angry behavior - by slamming on the brakes or yelling at another driver, for example - at least twice within five miles, according to the AP article. Although it isn't specifically mentioned in the article, one would presume that flipping another driver off would qualify under the new law, but that might set the ACLU champing at the bit since, I believe, that gesture is protected under freedom of speech.

The story went on to say that a first conviction would mean at least a day in jail and a $350 fine. Subsequent convictions would bring a minimum two days in jail and a $500 fine. Personally, I think the courts would be better served if they ordered the miscreants in court to pull down their britches for a quick swat with a board, much like the "board of education" that the superintendant of schools used when we were foulmouthed young kids, instead of adults with bad attitudes.

Of course, in Granny Grunt's case, what would the judge do in lieu of paddling her behind?

What do you think? Is "road rage" a real crime, or just another merciless attempt to collect our pocket change?[Dave ]

Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future. Sivananda (born 1887)

... Heaven sends us good meat, but the Devil sends us cooks.

My Comments:

This section includes Washington State Lawmakers deliberating whether or not to make a guideline for what is and What is not "bad manners" on the roadway. In my opinion, I think it's a great idea, but how do we put this law into effect? When people are driving on the road and get into incidents, how will one know who was in the wrong? The problem is that people think that they are always in the right when they very well may be the person in the wrong. How will incidents be justified? The only ones who will know what happened is the one that is the driver of the cars. With that in mind, who will admit that they were wrong? Road rage usually end up with both drivers in the wrong. It all falls upon the concept of moral development. For example, if one can get away with something that is wrong, the common tendency is that one probably will. Furthermore, if one driver thinks that making a right on a red light, for example, without coming to a complete stop first while another driver is driving the other way and gives way to cause an accident, the common thing that the person taking the right would say is that he did come to a stop first. You know what I mean? Now, who is going to say that they were wrong? I don't think the person making the right will.

Selection #4

Subject: Re: Taking steps against bad drivers

Date: 1998/01/28

I remember last year I browsed this user group and I actually sawlosers try to "defend" tailgating. People who do this and make other aggressive moves on the road, and those who "defend" such moves, can be thanked for existingto be the back side of the IQ bell curve.

Tailgating in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, otherwise the entire population of Germany would have been killed off. If you decide to tool around at 100mph on the left lane on the autobahn, people WILL tailgate you (some, like "Butthead" will do it at less than 1/3 car length) until you get out of the way.

In Phoenix bad driving is such a problem that mild, basic first steps against. Not really, the 10 is great unless you are one of those asswipes who drive 70 in a 75 on the left lane. Then yes, your life will probablybe made very difficuly by all the motorists that you managed to pissed off. such behavior are being proposed in the state legislature. [ Dave Simpson ]=

Ah, woad wage. Yeah sure. The problem is left lane hogs. If they hadn't refused to yield to a faster car approaching them on the left lane,the guy behind would not have to resort to 1)pass on the right 2)tailgate 3)flash his brights 4) passing the lane hogger WIOLENTLY (usually happens when the lane hog give the bird sign or flash brake lights). Lots of these so called road rage thing can be completely avoided by simply follow the slower traffic keep right rule. Also, nothing is more infuriating than for a lane hog to flash his brake lights instead of moving the hell over. I have witness a lane hog almost got ran off the road by a pissed off dude in his old pickup cuz the lane hog flashed his brake lights instead of moving over. And as for your whining of people tailgating you in traffic, gimme a break. In all major cities in the U.S. during rush hours, that's the norm. And really, if the traffic is moving at 5mph at best, why are you worrying about the guy behind you supposedly "tailgating" you? [ Andy ]

My Comments:

Tailgating. Just this afternoon, while driving to work from school, I started to get paranoid about being in the left lane if another car was behind me -- not necessarily tailgating me though. This section suggests that people should leave the left lane open to people who are going faster than the norm or for those who would like to pass a car in front of them that is going too slow. When I drive on the left lane, I'm going way over the speed limit, however, there are people who tend to go faster. Is it really safe for people to be going 80-90mph? In my opinion, I don't think so, but I guess that it is the social norm to be in such a rush that the left lane should be left for "lead foots." It does make me a little annoyed when people are right on my butt! Driving in Germany, as the writer suggests, would get you rammed in the dividers if you go less than a 100mph on the left lane -- who knows, maybe the same goes for people driving on any of the lanes.

Selection #5

Subject: USA : 10,037 reported road-rage incidents

Date: 1998/02/20

WASHINGTON -- Road rage has become so common in the United States that the American Automobile Association (AAA) has resorted to the science of anger management to encourage drivers to behave more calmly. On Wednesday, it launched its biggest campaign yet to combat "violent aggressive driving", as it terms it, which has killed more than 200 Americans in the past few years. The publicity drive features radio commercials which lampoon aggressive drivers. Mr Remer might not have fought but others have fired shots and used their vehicles as deadly weapons in behavior that has fast become a normal part of driving in the US.

The AAA said that there were 10,037 reported road-rage incidents in the country between 1990 and 1996, and the number of such incidents is rising at a rate of more than 7 per cent a year.

In addition to the 218 people killed as a result of violent driving encounters, 12,610 were injured.

The majority of offenders are males between 18 and 26 years of age. Mr Willis said the growth in road-rage incidents was deeply troubling. "We are a very stressed-out society. You can find these incidents everywhere," he said. The AAA believes this owes much to the rapid expansion of traffic, deteriorating road conditions and an increase in selfish driving. Psychologists and sociologists argue that it is also related to social disintegration and the release of animal instincts in an increasingly individualistic society. Mr Willis conceded that the campaign might not reach genuinely out-of-control aggressive drivers but pointed out that many incidents involved at least one normal driver suddenly becoming transformed into a motoring monster by another's behavior. "It takes two to tango," he said. "If we can convince millions of calm, mature motorists not to get sucked into encounters with angry drivers, many lives can be saved."

The association said drivers could often avoid escalating an encounter by avoiding eye contact or making some gesture of apology.-- FT, Reuters.

á Ideals without practice are merely dreams.* *

My Comments:

The American Automobile Association (AAA) resorts to encouraging drivers to take anger management classes. Violent aggressive driving has killed more than 200 Americans in the past few years. The reported road-rage incidents in the country between 1990 and 1996 was 10,037! This section suggests that the majority of offenders are males between 18 and 26 years of age. Psychologists and sociologists argue that it is also related to "social disintegration and the release of animal instincts." They also suggest that normal drivers suddenly become transformed into motoring monsters. In the American society, I believe, aggression is part of the was the environment is in general. Animal instincts are part of the social norm. It's almost like a dog eat dog world. Attitude formation of the younger generation especially, has an effect in the way that people handle themselves.

Selection #6

Subject: Re: The Driving Rain

Date: 1998/02/07

Remember, you're not late until you get there, My employer has required me (and the other 4500 drivers) to take defensive driving courses for the last 12 years. The snippet from your post above is one of the catch phrases that the driving instructors use.

I drive about 45,000/year, most of it around the bay area. Daily, without fail, I witness driving habits that are not merely aggressive, but vengeful. I've driven all over the country and I don't think I've ever seen such a severe case of collective road rage as I have in the bay area. Santa Rosa isn't so bad, 880 is by far the worst. [ Scott ]

Ban Spammers!

My Comments:

Could it be that drivers on the mainland are far more aggressive than drivers here on the island? I think that it's fair to say that every state, or domain, wherever it may be, has its share of aggressive drivers. I've lived in San Francisco for a few years, and I don't think that their driving is particularly more or less aggressive than people here on the islands. My reason for this is that people who tend to drive with aggression has just that kind of personality. It could be that they like to be aggressive on the road for a sense of power -- it's almost like a rush or surge of energy for them. On the other hand, people may tend to drive with aggression merely to get to a certain place by a certain time. People in this day and age seem to always be in a rush for one reason or another. Overpopulation in certain areas could be a cause for one to drive with road rage -- there's just not enough room on the road for more than enough people.

Selection #7

Subject: Aggresive bilister (inkluderer en engelsk artikel)

Date: 1998/02/06

----------------------

Road Warrior By Dave Barry

If you do much driving on our nation's highways, you've probably noticed that, more and more often, bullets are coming through your windshield. This is a common sign of Road Rage, which the opinion-makers in the news media have decided is a serious problem, currently ranking just behind global warming and several points ahead of Asia.

How widespread is Road Rage? To answer that question, researchers for the National Institute of Traffic Safety recently did a study in which they drove on the interstate highway system in a specially equipped observation van. By the third day, they were deliberately running other motorists off the road.

``These people are MORONS!'' was their official report. That is the main cause of Road Rage: The realization that many of your fellow motorists have the same brain structure as a cashew. The most common example, of course, is the motorists who feel a need to drive in the left-hand, or ``passing,'' lane, even though they are going slower than everybody else. Nobody knows why these motorists do this.

Maybe they belong to some kind of religious cult that believes the right lane is sacred and must never come in direct contact with tires. Maybe one time, years ago, these motorists happened to be driving in the left lane when their favorite song came on the radio, so they've driven over there ever since, in hopes that the radio will play that song again.

But whatever makes these people drive this way, there's nothing you can do about it. You can honk at them, but it will have no effect. People have been honking at them for years: It's a normal part of their environment. They've decided that, for some mysterious reason, wherever they drive, there is honking. They choose not to ponder this mystery any further, lest they overburden their cashews. I am very familiar with this problem, because I live and drive in Miami, Fla., which proudly bills itself as The inappropriate-Lane-Driving Capital Of The World, a place where the left lane is thought of not so much as a thoroughfare as a public recreational area, where motorists feel free to stop, hold family reunions, barbecue pigs, play volleyball, etc. Compounding this problem is another common type of Miami motorist, the aggressive young male whose car has a sound system so powerful that the driver must go faster than the speed of sound at all times, because otherwise the nuclear bass notes emanating from his rear speakers will catch up to him and cause his head to explode.

So the tiny minority of us Miami drivers who actually qualify as normal find ourselves constantly being trapped behind people drifting along on the interstate at the speed of diseased livestock, while at the same time we are being tailgated and occasionally bumped from behind by testosterone-deranged youths who got their driver training from watching the space-fighter battle scenes in Star Wars. And of course nobody EVER signals or yields, and people are CONSTANTLY cutting us off, and AFTER A WHILE WE START TO FEEL SOME RAGE, OK? YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT, MISTER NEWS MEDIA OPINION-MAKER??

In addition to Road Rage, I frequently experience Parking Lot Rage, which occurs when I pull into a crowded supermarket parking lot, and I see people get into their car, clearly ready to leave, so I stop my car and wait for them to vacate the spot, and . . . Nothing happens!

They just stay there! WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING IN THERE??!! COOKING DINNER???

My Comments:

The first thought that entered my mind from this selection was how people can degrade their own state. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I have pride in where I live. Even though people can be jerks on the road, I wouldn't admit that we are worse off than some other state. Well, actually, as I think about it now, I guess we do put down our own nationality in some ways. An example for this would be how (unrelated to road rage), people from Hawaii are lazy. Well, I guess everyone has their own opinion.

I found it humorous how he mentions how people use the left lane not as a passing lane, but rather a place where people gather and have barbecues.

Another interesting fact was how he saw road rage not only happening on the highways and byways, but also in parking lots. I'm sure many have experienced some sort of aggression when trying to find a parking space at a shopping center in the hot sun and being taken in by someone who presumably doesn't see you waiting for it. Oh yes, road rage can happen just about anywhere!

Selection #8

Subject: Re: First moves against road scum

Date: 1998/02/01

One bill would define aggressive driving and set up stiff penalties, including a 30-day license suspension for first-time offenders......A first-time offender would face a misdemeanor charge. But a second conviction would be a Class 6 felony with an automatic license suspension of one year.

The only problem with suspensions and revocations is that they rarely stop people from driving. People assume it's their God-given right to drive, and unless such measures are backed up with enforcement and penalties, no one will care, least of all maniac drivers (who have already displayed a disregard for law and order anyway).

How about: if your license is suspended, and you are caught driving for ANY reason during the suspension period, then it is revoked for LIFE. And if your license is revoked, and you are caught driving, you go to jail. Period. For at least several years. No deterrent probably works with these people, but at least it would get them off the road. And for a lot of people, putting them behind bars would be the ONLY way to insure that they are not driving and putting people at risk.

DPS Officer Doug Knutson was killed earlier this month when a pick up plowed into him as he stood in a gore point on the Red Mountain Freeway. The perpetrator of such a crime needs to be locked up for life with no parole. Instead, he'll probably get a fine, some jail time (months? a few years?) and a suspension or revocation of his license that will mean nothing to him. And, chances are, he'll be back on the road eventually, putting you and me in grave danger.

Supporters say the aggressive-driving legislation gives police new and needed tools to prevent road rage. Drivers could be charged with aggressive driving if they are cited for a combination of any three of the following charges:

* Reckless driving.

* Excessive speed.

* Passing on the right or on the shoulder.

* Tailgating.

* Failure to signal lane changes, improper lane changes, or failure to signal.

* Failure to yield the right of way.

* Running a red light or stop sign.

What is incredible is that ALL OF THESE ARE ALREADY AGAINST THE LAW!!! We don't need more laws -- we need enforcement of the laws that are already there. The main reason why so many people drive like morons is that they know that 99% of the time they will get away with it. Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor's Office of Community and Highway Safety, pointed to a AAA study showing that people are more afraid of road rage than drunken driving.

My Comments:

This person has the right idea about putting people in their place when they do not follow the laws of the road. He claims, however, that there isn't enough law enforcement to catch these people as they do commit crimes on the road. Given, most of the time, drivers do tend to get away with just getting a ticket. If drivers get caught for driving in an aggressive manner, I believe that they should pay dearly for that price. With all the aggressive driving that occurs on the roads now days, and not to mention the many people that hurt in these types of incidents, a stiff penalty for these hardened people is the least they should get.

Selection #9

Subject: Advanced Driving Courses.

Date: 1998/02/28

Instead of prohibiting probationary drivers from driving high-powered vehicles altogether, perhaps they should be encouraged to undertake an advanced driving course. Novice drivers could be encouraged further through insurance premium reductions on completion of the course. Perhaps this is already the case. Obviously the course would have to be conducted in the driver's car. Basic skid correction and brake control under lock-up and turning are not enough. In real life situations, emergencies can occur unexpectedly, and this is where the advanced course should concentrate hardest.

For example, cardboard or foam replicas of humans and other obstacles could be placed at strategic locations, appearing randomly. This would create the illusion of unexpectedness, though the driver would eventually memorize the location of all obstacles. That is why the course should be complete after all the obstacles have appeared, ready for the next, unaware driver. The one real problem with advanced courses is that they may instill a false sense of security in over-confident drivers, who would push themselves and their vehicles to extremes, believing that they will compensate for any eventuality. That is why these courses are best suited to "defensive drivers".

These drivers would drive safely under all circumstances, and not deliberately induce brake lock or rear/front wheel skid. Aggressive drivers may actually find themselves resting permanently in a horizontal position if they abuse their advanced skills. In some ways, it is comparable to the credo of karate - never provoke aggression: use only if a defensive attitude has failed.

Regards...

Mr Devo.

My Comments:

The idea behind this section is a sound one. Requiring people to take classes that advocates defensive driving attitudes if or when they acquire a ticket for any type of road rage is sensible. We want to keep wreckless, careless and aggressive drivers off the road. Defensive driving is a form of driving that will take the place of aggressive driving. Rather than just giving a driver a ticket for their offense, the authorities should make it a law for people to have to take classes -- defensive driving classes. This idea is to have people drive with more care and caution.

Selection #10

Subject: Re: Speeding, Tailgating, and Reckless Driving (Was:Re: tailgating)

Date: 1998/03/02

"Witnesses saw no sign of any emergency".

"Motorist [being tailgated] was ... passing a line of cars, going at or just above the speed limit, according to witnesses". Sounds like the only idiot here was the tailgater.

------------------

1. There is no excuse for aggressive tailgating, regardless of the reason, and it should be a ticketable offense, and a proper causal conclusion on any related accident report.

2. But, the situation was probably caused and promoted by the arbitrary posting of a 30th to 50th percentile speed limit. henever political entities arbitrarily post speed limits that define50% to 70% of the drivers as violators, knowing the chances for compliance are a flat zero, then the political entity bears the primary responsibility for the disturbed and more dangerous traffic flow. Essentially all highway speed limits should be posted at the 85th percentile. Then the driver at 67 mph in what is now a 65 zone would know they are doing something incorrect -- because the zone would be properly posted at a free-flowing 85th percentile of 70, 75, or 80 mph.

Regards,

J. Walker

My Comments:

Tailgating. Now here's a subject that we are all familiar with. Tailgating is the worst type of aggressive driving that one could possibly commit. It is dangerous, insensitive to the other driver and just plain stupid. In a situation where one driver wants to pass another driver, tailgating would not solve the problem of having the driver in front move on the side for you -- In fact, it will only make the situation worse. There are basically three lanes on the freeway(minimum). If one can't pass a driver on the left lane, then go on the other lane to pass -- that simple. I don't see why going faster than the speed limit just to please the driver in back of another should have to jeopardize a situation. People are too much in a rush these days -- trying to get here and there. People should just mellow out and drive in harmony.

IMPRESSIONS AND REACTIONS from G8:

I've been reading a few of the comments that my peers have written down through subjective and objective thoughts on how they view "road rage," and what type of consequences can come about from aggressive behavior that is conducted on the road. Most of us agree on how aggressive driving provokes hazardous accidents, rude and obnoxious gestures and fear for even attempting to drive on the road. Aggressive driving needs to be controlled more by people who are out driving on the road, as well as law enforcers. There were a few articles that mentioned how we not only need more laws to control this situation, but ultimately, how we need better law enforcement to stop these type of actions.

The content, approach and presentation for this project differed among my g8 class. Many advocated that aggressive drivers should get some kind of stiff penalties, and others argued that sometimes we have to drive aggressively. It appears that each has his/her own opinion on the subject matter. As for myself, I cannot say that I am not an aggressive driver, because I know that I can be in some cases. Basically, however, I tend to see myself as a defensive driver -- I try to give way to those road ragers out there and be as safe as I can be for the benefit of all the commuters on the road.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS:

By doing this report on newsgroups, I've found that there are many different views on how people perceive aggressive driving. Some people may agree on how aggressive drivers drive on the road; For example, speeding or passing judgment to other drivers is just part of the way it is when driving -- they see it as nothing wrong -- it's a way of life. This concept could relate to "attitude formation." On the other hand, people who advocate defensive driving have different feelings and reactions to this matter which relates to their emotional intelligence of the situation. Either way, news groups has helped me by noting the different reactions that people have on the issue of aggressive driving behavior and how it affects us.

SOME TIPS ON HOW TO RESERCH ROAD RAGE:

First and foremost, do not procrastinate. There will always be some kind of revisions that you would like to do after you see your so-called "final version." Be prepared to hand it in on time so that you will not get any type of penalty.

Another thing that will be useful in doing your research is to make sure that you set aside the time to spend many hours on the internet so that you can get good results from your research.

And lastly, do not hesitate to use the knowledge that was previously learned in other psychology classes. Try and relate what you are reading from the clips to the types of behavior that you are familiar with -- it is pretty exciting to know that you can relate what you've learned in a psych class to real life.