This page give readers a chance to see that Dr. Driving is a credible professional. Here you can find a listing of many television and radio appearances that he has made. You can also find a summary of questions and answers that took place on the interviews. Most of these questions are FAQ's dealing with aggression, hostility and impatience. By going public about such issues, you can be sure that the word will be spread and what better way to get the word out. Using all forms of communication makes people aware of such problems of the society and it is a step in making people realize or become aware of their driving habits.
This three step program is designed to alter a person's driving behavior to comply with developing as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This program is known as the AWM program which is represented as such:
A - I Acknowledge that I'm out of control at the wheel;
W - I Witness myself being out of control and;
M - I Modify myself one step at a time.
Dr. Driving bases most of his work on this 3 step program and feels that adopting this AWM program is the most important step in becoming a better driver.
The purpose of this page is to show actual problems that drivers face. It also shows what types of advice Dr. Driving gives and establishes credibility for Dr. Driving as well. It also helps us as a reader and as a fellow driver on the road to learn that there are others out there like ourselves who face the same problems as we do. It also helps to give us answers to many of the same problems. What this also does is gives us a chance to put things into perspective by being able to relate to their problems when we are in the same situation or on the opposite end of the spectrum. Dr. Driving talks about people having multiple personality syndrome. When I think about it, I feel that this is true because I see it often in my friends and family members who I ride with. As soon as we are in the car, they become someone else, sort of like an alien invaded their bodies. But as soon as the car stops and they step out, they become themselves again. I think a lot of the reasons for this is that driving is so impersonal and because of this, it is so much easier to take our frustrations out on other drivers. If it was face to face and personal, I'm sure we would all be a little nicer.
Basically this page tells us about the authors and it also gives us some background information about their education as well as their works that have been published. A lot of credibility can be earned by showing the readers who may be skeptical and weary about Dr. Driving that he is not a fraud. With this site, his prefessionalism and credentials are shown for our assurance.
What this page consists of is a display of the nine zones of Dr. Driving's 3 Step Program. The first three zones deal with feelings, thoughts and actions relating to safety issues. The next three zones, 4, 5,and 6 deals with feelings, thoughts and actions relating to self control issues. The last three zones, 7, 8 and 9 deal with feelings, thoughts, and actions relating to social responsibility issues. In each section, a pro and a con is given to help drivers to find where they stand so they are able to see where change is necessary.
This page consists of testimonials from different people with success stories. It serves it's purpose by showing others that success is possible. Needless to say, everyone has problems and this page helps to reiterate that fact. By reading all of these comments and the advice from Dr. Driving, it helped me to analyze my driving behaviors, and myself.
This page provides links to other sites that are similar or related to traffic psychology. Summaries are also provided to help you find the route that you want to go on this information superhighway. These links and summaries will help many as it did for myself to find that we are not alone in the ways that we drive and that our bad habits can be broken.
This page consists of a list of 18 principles to follow while behind the wheel. These principles serve as guidelines to help improve a person's driving personalities. These principles are not firm or written in stone. However, we need to remember that we can always improve on the guidelines and refine them to better ourselves even more.
This exercise consists of four steps that a person has to go through to help them figure out their problems as a driver. These steps are: (1) Write one thing automobile drivers do that gets you upset; (2) What do you feel like doing about it at the time?; (3) What do you usually do about it?; and (4) Are you satisfied with what you do or do you hope to change it? Also, on this page you will find 11 witnesses and how all of them answered the same question's differently. I tried this exercise for myself and I was surprised to learn about my own problems as a driver. I also feel that this exercise is necessary for drivers to become aware of the problems out there, because if we find that we have a problem, it would be very hypocritical to criticize others for the same faults that we have in ourselves.
This page provides a list of topics for our viewing pleasure. Just click on a subject and a summary will be available as well as many links to help your search on related traffic issues much easier.
This site allows drivers to speak their minds about driving issues. It also serves as a place where debates can take place. I find that this site can prove to be beneficial to many as a way to let out their anger and frustrations, while at the same time, the others will benefit just by reading what has to be said.
On Dr. Driving's Home Page, you will find a navigational link at the bottom of the page. This link will take you to an Alta Vista Search in USENET. After doing this, you will find a list of 45 documents that consists of postings from the rec.autos.driving newsgroup. Dr. Driving is active in the threads entitled: Slay your Dragon, Speed Kills, Speed Limits and Driving Skills, Dateline NBC Story, Embarrassing Moments When Driving, Road Rage and Hostility, and Hey, Tailgaters . . .
Dr. Driving's message is consistent throughout because of the fact that he stresses his feelings that having road rage is unhealthy. He also feels that road rage can be overcome by taking things in stride and not letting the actions of another driver upset you. Dr. Driving believes in facilitative driving rather than defensive driving. He also feels that by doing this, it will help us to become a more positive person. In Slay Your Driving Dragon, you can find out more about this facilitative driving. The best and safest action is to be pro-active rather than re-active. By doing things re-actively, it might just be too late to do anything and then the consequences will have to be endured.
There are many different reactions to Dr. Driving's approach and suggestions. There are those who agree with him and there are those who disagree with him. Some appreciate Dr. Driving's knowledge and expertise while others seem to despise him and show this by using foul language to express their feelings. To see for yourself follow this link.
My reaction and response to these people's reaction is that that they need to take the advice of Dr. Driving as constructive criticism rather than just plain critical. What these people have to understand is that constructive criticism is just that. Just because Dr. Driving says something, it doesn't make it the law. It is still ultimately your choice to decide if his advice will benefit you. If it will benefit you in the long run or if it won't, it is your decision to make that change. The change however, has to come from within you and you have to want to do it or it will not be successful. Dr. Driving has the right to express his own opinions, just like everyone else. However, I feel that the approach that Dr. Driving uses can be altered a little. It is okay to say how you feel, but I think that using more tact could ease some of the aggravated responses that you receive. Maybe if there is more understanding and compassion from both sides, more people will be apt to acknowledge their problems and change their ways. By being overly blunt and demanding will get you nowhere, because a normal person will shut themselves out from this type of counseling especially because it is merely the same as pointing the finger. Just remember, "It takes two to tango," and two wrongs don't make a right, contrary to the mathematical rule that two negatives make a positive. This may prove to be true with numbers, but not with humane situations.
Self Witnessing Exercise
This page is a compilation of various drivers' attitudes about driving. This is the perfect opportunity to see other drivers' opinions, as well as contributing your own.
Dr. Driving Says . . .
What I find useful about this page is that there are questions as well as answers to many FAQ's that boggles anyone's mind when it comes to driving.
Drivers Anonymous
Community Groups that gather together to discuss one another's driving habits, while at the same time trying to solve their problems.