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Any comments?! Last LAB REPORT, YIPPIE!!!!!!!!!

Thoughts

This semester I have accomplished becoming a more cautious, courteous and perceptive driver. Up untill taking Dr. James' class, I never was able to see or admit to my own faults when driving. Yes I do have my bad habits, but doesn't everyone else have them too?! Recognizing that you do have bad driving habits is just the beginning. We as drivers need to realize the serious consequences that could result, and that our actions not only could affect and hurt ourselves, but others as well. Consequences from careless, reckless, and aggressive acts can range from a small "fender bender" (click here
for definition) to physically injurying or taking the life of yourself or another. We often tkae for granted all the "close calls" we encounter on the road. We contribute it to luck or skill in driving. We need to learn from our mistakes and experiences. We need to take the time out to analyze, to find better ways to make driving safer and pleasant. All drivers need to take more responsibility for our actions on the road. Driving is a group effort. As a society, we need to work together in making "SURVIVAL" in HOnolulu Traffic bearable and safe.

Granted
We often take for granted the simple things in life. For example walking, writing, driving etc....Doing the assignments for PSY 459, made me look at things from another perspective or "the other side of the fence". Some people are born with disabilities, and can't do anything about it except cope with it. But others who are disabled from an automobile accident ex. drunk driving, does not have the opportunity to take back what they lost. We have a choice. A choice to appreciate our lives, health, and abilities. Why jeopardize it to save a few minutes in getting where you have, or use it to relieve stress? Accidents are avoidable. You often times can't take back what you do. I don't think that many of us would want to or could live with the guilt of taking away someone's dreams because of an injury you caused by reckless driving? The thought to me is unbearable, and would be to those who have a conscience. Now at the end of the semester, I do take driving more seriously. Sometimes, I do get scared driving, because although I do me best to drive very safely or cautiously, I know that all other drivers do not. I now think before I drive. I have found techniques to make driving a more pleasant experience such as listening to music that I like, it makes me relaxed, and takes my mind off of the traffic I usually have to drive in. I have become more punctual to avoid the temptation of committing reckless driving acts. The real "eye opener" happened when I took the time out to really think about driving and its possible consequences. The results was embedded in my mind somewhere, but only surfaced after taking this class. Realization of how driving is sucha big part of our lives, made me realize that I do need to make an honest effort in reforming my driving for the better. Dr. James is right, becoming a reformed driver, doesn't happen over night. Look at Dr. James, he said he was in an accident where his car turned over, and he couldn't remeber what happened, and he has been teaching this class for years. Bad habits are hard to break, and we need to at least try and become better drivers, it will only benefit ourselves.

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Compare
In comparison to others, I think that every single student in the class, did become aware of the possible consequences that could result from reckless or aggressive driving acts. Dicussing the consequences, and feelings of frustrations, when driving, made many of us blame external factors such as traffic, weather, a car with no ac, construction. I think through out the course we found things we had the ability to do to make driving more pleasant and safe. Mentioned previously, music, comfortable car, ample time etc. Taking this course I think gave many of us the incentive to be better drivier and to try and change our bad habits, because in the long run it would only make things better for us. Although myself and other students did analyze our own driving, and saw our faults, the reinforcement is not there to make change very effective. Perhaps if the laws and punishments for committing reckless acts were enforced more srtictly and consistantly by police, many people would force themselves to change their driving habits. But because most of the time we get away with doing "mini" illegal or unsafe things, we keep doing it. For example, a friend of mine use to always litter and through away her gum wrapper out of her car window. One day she got stopped for littering and had to pay a fine. So to this day she never again threw any rubbish out of her window, but her car scattered with gum wrappers.

Idea
I don't think that many people are aware that you could turn in other drivers to HPD. My friend's father received a call one day from a police officer, telling him to warn the drivers of their oldsmobile, to drive safer and be more attentive to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Later finding out that a women who was crossing across King street complained that my friend Laurie who was driving almost hit her, and reported her license plate to the cops. Anyway there are two sides to every story, but the idea is that if everyone becomes a tattletale, we will all be forced to drive safely all the time, because you never would know who is watching you drive.

Take
What did it take to accomplish our assignments? Long hours of work in front of the computer, and hours of thinking and analyzing driving situations, days of watching your own driving, the anguish of having to hold back on speeding to study your reactions, and the straining of the eyes. Of course, if you were a "real" novice with computers, it took more than just trying to figure out how to make your homepages and assignments. I started from the bottom of the pit. I slowly learned how to utilize the computers in the lab with the help of my fellow students.....Thanks Joleen......I did run into major disasters form asking a lab assistant how to try something new, I guess thats what you get when you get gutsy.....But with the help of Kevin Bogan I did save some of my very first lab reports. I realized that we have entered the computer age, and the use of computers is only going to increase and be detrimental in jobs. I got motivated enough to go out and buy a computer of my own, but I still am learning how to utilize it to its fullest extent. Although I did purchase my own, working out of my home was not as convenient as I thought it would be. I would always get a series of jumbled up letters on my screen often times erasing and deleting part of my reports. But in time I believe that I will be able to work on the computer with a positive attitude. Right now I guess I am basically scared of losing everything I worked for with the touch of one key. I did that once and the pain of lising all your hard work was depressing.

Discouraged
I guess what really gave me a little more incentive in wanting to do better in class is when our grades for the midterm came out. I did get a "C" and perhaps Dr. James felt that I deserved it, but I think I didn't. It took me many, many hours of trying to figure out how to make my home Page and do the assignments. I did get some of my lab reports 1a, b, c, and 2a accidently erased but from homeowrk 4 on I think I did a decent job? Can anyone give me feedback to tell me if I really did a "c" job? Click here to comment
I did put in alot of hours, and I do admit I am not very good with computers, but I did try. But I guess that the "c" grade gave me more of an incentive to work harder and put in many more hours into my reports. Anyway hopefully I do end up with a better grade for the course. Is it fair to get extensions on due dates?

Worth
Yes, it was worth it to take the class. I gained not only more knowledge about driving but about computers too. It was a real learning experience. I am able to look at my driving actions from a somewhat unbiased way. I have also mentioned many things I learned in class to my co-workers and friends, and have become an irritating back seat driver
. The class was worth while because hopefully, I will be driving for 50 more years, and if I can successfully incorportae what I learned in class over the years, I hopefully will be a litle bit richer from not causing any reckless, avoidable accidents, and a better, safer driver. I learned to drive with more caution because 1. I can't afford to pay for my car insurance myself. 2. I don't want my father to stop paying my insurance, and if I got in an accident, and it was a result of my reckless or aggressive driving, he would probably stop paying for my insurance meaning I wouldn't be able to drive untill I got a "real" job that could pay for it, and 3. I don't have the time to keep my car in a body shop for days. So overall taking PSY 459 was a worthwhile experience for me, because it not only got me encourgaed in learning about computers but it also has made me a better driver. If I didn't take this class, I probably would of ended up learning the hard way, how the results of my driving could affect me as well as others.

Advice
My advice to future students is....... 1.take a prior computer course, just to get yourself familiar with using computers 2.although exspensive, try to convince your parents that buying a computer is a good investment, its use will only be inevitable, will make doing your lab reports much easier 3.keep up with the assignments 4.take mini breaks from working on the computer, because you might end up with headaches and possible eye strain 5.take the extra time out to analyze your own driving becuase trying to and attempting to become a reformed driver will only help yourself, and save yourself the trouble of dealing with the possible consequences (financially and psychologically) 6.note down your problems, and bring them to class to ask Dr. James or theclass asst. because the asst. in the computer labs are not that fun to ask for help, and they do not always know everything about the progrma you are working on, and like me you will end up sufferring when they make a mistake in helping you

Start
I started only knowing the "real" basics about computers. I also had no clue what the signifance and relevance psychology had to traffic. I started with a real hesistant attitude in doing the assignments on the computer because I wasn't use to it. But I did get very far in the class because, I feel better about driving. I use to actually hate to drive, I would rather have someone chaeufer me around. But I guess with maintaining independence links to driving. I see the rationale now between psychology and traffic. We do sometimes let our emotions, moods, and feelings, affect our driving. We need to practice more self control and better stress management techniques. But it is difficult in mastering successful control of your stress. Do you blame us for having all this built up stress and frustration? Especially living in Hawaii, dealing with the high cost of living, high gas prices, food prices, home prices etc. How do are we ever going to survive? It a a scary thought for those of us just getting out into the real world. But we need to see that accidents resulting from reckless and agrressive driving will only add to the stress we already have, and don't let something we have the power to control make us more depressed... Perhaps, like Dr. James mentioned in class, that we could get a small a some money in our tax return for being a good and safe driver, will help many drivers change for the better. The pot always looks better with a little money in it....

Differently
If I had the chance to do things differently, I think that I would of considered taking a basic computer class before enrolling. That is because I had to learn not only how to utilize that computer, but to design labreports etc too. This gave me double the stress of not only trying to finish the asignments but to successfully use the computer in doing them. I am happy with what I have accomplished because, I probably would not have had the opprtunity to take a traffic psy course anywhere else. In the future I do see myself using the WWW. Especially now that I do have a computer and a modem at home my access to it will be more convenient. Yes I am happy with taking the course becuase it gave me the opportunity in learning about computers, but also in trying to change my driving for the better. I don't know if I would of have the opportunity or even considered taking a computer course or driving course outside of UH. In the future I do see myself still working on the WWW. Probably still as a beginner, but still trying. Because I do have my own computer, and I won;t have the pressure of being graded, I probably will have the chance to utilize more in the ways I want to.

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Suggestions
Suggestions for the Instructor...................emphasize more that attendence does count, because it does take effort in coming to class every week, and perhaps the points deducted from not coming to class won't affect a person who can jam on the computer better thatn many students, but it does shoe the effort and dedication of the student, and also show respect to the instructor. Also perhaps maybe the grading criteria could be weighed more upon the content rather than lenght and style. I do think that traffic psy should be continued to be taught. In the coming years the students will be ore experienced in using ocmputers because they are learning to use them in school at an earlier age than most of us now. Then they can perhaps do more extensive and elaborate searches, becuase they won't have the hassel of learning everything from scratch. They would also be able to get more information and different perspectives regading traffic psychology. And maybe utilized what they learned throught the course better. Building the generational cyberspace will be interesting and worthwhile to keep and continue, because people will be able to see how the changes of other students throughout the years, see if there are any trends, or consistancies, see if the problems they encountered are still present, and also learn from other people's mistakes. I am in favor of maintaining them because future classes can compare and contrast them to their own. The files should be kept in Dr. James Home page by semester, making them accessible to any person. I do want to try and stay online, and upgrade my files. Although I can't guaratnee anything.....who knows I might have a computer stress breakdown, and not ever be able to work on it again. Or develop a computer phobia. I do assume that I will one way or another have to revisist the cyberspace learning area because, almost every kind of job will require somekind of computer knowledge and skill. So because I do plan to work I will probably incorporate using the www and its programs, but maybe not by choice

Last
Whew, the last paragragh.........I can't believe that I made it through the semester.............I have gained more confidence in using the computer, I have cut down on tailgating, speeding, and driving in convoys, got glasses, and survived info shock
. Suggestions for next semester, more emphasis on due dates. If the dates that the asignments were due were enforced more strictly with the deduction of points, the incentive to keep up will be higher. Of course it is easier said than done. Overall I think that the course is set up and structured just fine. I do recommend others taking the class because learning about driving will always be useful, because we will be driving for many more years and using computers is inevitable and will be useful in the future. Taking the class will help you utilize and learn about the Internet, WWW, cyberspace, modems etc.....as well as make you realize that you have the power and ability to change the way you drive for the better. There is always room for improvement. Taking this course teaches you to think ahead and not learn and experience driving situations the hard way.

Anyway this is the end.............yippie.....no more school......

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