Soliman G. Valdez
Psychology 459
Report #2
October 19, 1995
My Driving Personality Makeover Plan
For a person to develop a plan to improve their driving habits, the first step is to realize and acknowledge that he or she has a problem. This was the most difficult task for me. I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything that was wrong with my driving habits. Finally I got on the road and it became so clear. I was a menace to other drivers. I realized old driving habits that were so obviously not good for the road and yet I did it without even thinking. All of the things other drivers did to upset me, were a part of my daily driving routine. It was as if I had a special privilege to do these things, but other people were morons for doing it. This was when I decided I needed to change my old driving habits.
My Plan and Why:
As I was making these observations about driving, I noticed that most of my bad habits were missing. I can remember situations when I would have normally have done something, but since I had thought about it first I decided it would not have been a good idea to do. Most of the bad habits I had formed were do to the lack of thinking. I planned to significantly improve my driving by being more conscious about my actions and by considering other peoples point of view.
Being conscious about my actions included being aware of the situation I'm in and if I am being a hazard to other drivers. It also took into account the consequences of doing these actions. For instance, driving too fast could result in a ticket. This in turn would result in a higher insurance premium and less money for the things I would much rather do with my money. Driving too fast could also have resulted in an accident. Consequences from this could include losing my life or even worst, taking another one's life. How could I ever live with that hanging over my head.
An example being aware of the other person's point of view is when I cut people off on the freeway. When I cut a person off on the freeway, I naturally have to assume that the other driver will be fully aware of my actions and will be able to react to it. In other words I always gamble that the person will be able to stop in time from hitting me. I'm fortunate this hasn't happen to me before, but I have seen accidents where it was obvious that the driver had not been able to react to being cut off. Considering I did not want to be in this situation, I would much rather wait to be let in a lane rather than cut a person off.
I chose this plan of being more conscious of my actions, with a lot of things already assumed. First of all, I had to trust that I would be able to determine what is a good driving habit and what is a bad one. Obviously the things I did not enjoy being done to me was a bad habit.
One thing I really disliked happening to me was being cut off. This is totally inconsiderate to the other person. It meant the person being cut off deserved no respect whatsoever. As if the person hadn't existed. You have to respect the fact that another person is already in the space you want to be in. I could have reconsidered this if the person cutting me off, had acknowledged their mistake with a thank you and I'm sorry wave. I make mistakes and I realize other people do too.
Another thing I don't like happening to me on the road is being tailgated. Tailgating results from primarily two things. One is because the person tailgating is in a hurry. Two the person tailgating does not have a clue he or she is tailgating and does it without thinking. The later of the two is the more unacceptable since people who do this are real jerks. I was one of these people until I took notice of my distance behind the other car in front of me. People are usually in a hurry because they fail to plan ahead. Measures need to be taken so that I plan my travels out better and I consider the outcomes of an accident I can cause by following too close.
The last thing I don't like being done to me on the road is being passed by a speeding car when I know I am already at the speed limit. I am mostly intimidated by a person driving faster than me, but there are worst things. Accidents are much harder to avoid going 80 mph than it is at 55 mph. I have to keep in mind that I do not want o cause an accident to myself or others. Not speeding at all, maybe a little ambitious, it but it is something I am willing to try.
What I Expect to Happen:
The attitude I take on the road is what I expect other drivers to have also. The worst thing another driver can do to me is cause me to feel unsafe on the road. Things such as speeding, cutting in lanes, and following to close all make me feel a little tense on the wheel. If I stop doing these things to people I expect them to stop doing it to me.
If I need to get into a lane, I will wait to be let in then take my lane and say think you afterward. If I get cut off, then I will acknowledge being cut off and give the person a chance to acknowledge him or herself. If I am following too close, I will back off till I get a two second interval. If I am being followed too close, then I will give the person a chance to go on ahead and not try to retaliate. If ever I find myself speeding ridiculously above the speed limit, then I will slow down. If passed by a speeder, I'll just avoid the vehicle and not be tempted to reach the same speed that person is going. Although I have not in my mind decided how fast I would have to be going to be considered speeding. That would have to be decided at the time and situation.
Difficulties I expect:
Not everyone out there thinks like me, or else this would be a perfect world. Anyway, other people have different perceptions of what is appropriate on the road and what is not. I will have to understand that a persons distance behind me might not be in accordance with my standards of what is right. A person speeding might have a perfectly good reason to be speeding and these things cannot be helped. I also have to be aware that I am not always the best person I can be. Sometimes I might just be in a bad mood and my judgment might a little off. These days I need to concentrate and be even more dedicated to my driving personality makeover.
My theory is to have the perfect balance between consciousness and actually putting my good thoughts into action. Being conscious is the element I need to help me make my makeover successful. I can think all day of all the reforms I will make, but it will be to no use if I don't go out and practice it. It is so much easier to say, "I'm going to do this, I'm going do that" but when it comes to actually doing it, people usually don't. My biggest goal is to ultimately know what is good and bad on the road. This includes the things I know is bad and still do. Knowing it is wrong will give me the hope that maybe I won't do it next time. And if these bad habits keep happening, then I will not lose fate since I can always redeem myself by not behaving in the same manner the next time the situation arises. There are no rewards I can think of giving myself except for the feeling of goodness that I was a considerate driver and that I might have avoided an accident.
What Actually Happened:
On my first time to go out and drive after having decided on this plan; I forgot to monitor my driving. I felt like total idiot. The whole drive I kept thinking to myself, I forgot something at the house. I didn't forget anything in the house, it was in the car. My anxiousness to watch the Laker's game overcame my call to duty, which is by the way what I consider this personality change to be.
The second time I remembered monitoring my driving was when I was on my way to school. It was 7:45 am and everyone must have known I was trying to modify my driving because people were going out of their way to tick me off. In the mornings, I don't know if it is the rush to get to work or because of the grouchiness of being dragged out of bed. Whatever it is, everyone driving in the mornings could use a Traffic Psychology class. The traffic was bumper to bumper, so there was no real room to speed. Tailgating was a dominant activity and I was guilty a number of times. I wanted to pull back, but every time I did this a person would cut in my lane. So I tried to changes lanes but nobody would give me a chance. Finally, I decided I had been on the right hand lane long enough and I was going to be late for my 8 am meeting. I noticed that my turn signal made people get even closer to the car they were following. This was in case I had wanted to cut in front of them. I also noticed that these people would always pretend that they didn't notice me by looking away or something. This tells me that they probably realize I want to cut and are ashamed so they did not want to make eye contact with me. So I did not turn on my turn signal. Instead, the first opening I got, I quickly turn into the lane. The car in that lane adjusted quickly and avoided hitting me from the back. I had given in to my bad driving habits again.
The second time I remembered to monitor my driving was when I was on my way to the shoe store. Traffic was pretty mild and so I didn't have any difficulty with cutting people off or tailgating. Speeding became my only downfall. When you come down the hill on Moanalua Freeway going Ewa and there is good flowing traffic, it is very difficult to drive the speed limit. If you do manage to drive the speed limit all of the cars will pass you by. Everyone is so accustomed to speed on this stretch of the highway. I could feel everyone behind me thinking how slow I had been driving. Being too conscious, I realize this and gave in to the pressure. I traveled at the speed of the flowing traffic, but not without doing way above the speed limit.
The last time I remember doing a bad thing was when I was on my way out of the parking structure. For me to get out, I had to wait for two lights to create enough space for me to take a left turn. I had waited three lights already and I was still on the bottom of the T. When I got to the top, the light turned yellow for me to stop. Instead of stopping, I made a wide turn and got right behind the driver in front of me. I could tell the lady was upset, because she kept looking at her rear view mirrors. I knew exactly what she was thinking, "Can't he wait for the light?" There was no urgency for me to be anywhere and I don't understand why I had to pull this stunt. I not only tailgated the lady in front of me, but I also stopped traffic going to the left.
Looking through my notes, I see the three bad experiences stick out. But actually there were only a small amount of things I did that I did not like. The bad things stick out, but I also did a lot of good. I slowed down for and old lady to cut in front of me. I waved to the parking attendants. Most of my notes were of good things I had done. I take it for granted that I did not speed here or I did not tailgate there. For each time I did not do a bad habit, I did a good one. The whole time I was on the road on the monitoring days, I kept in my mind how the other drivers felt and if I was being a hazard to anyone.
In all, I think my plan worked out a lot better than I had thought. My challenge will be to remember to stick to this plan. For a week I took down notes. During this time I must have traveled in my car at least twenty times. I only have notes for five of them. Does this mean I was not a responsible driver the other fifteen times? Probably so I'll just have to work on my plan until it becomes second nature like some of my bad driving habits.
Usefulness to Traffic Psychology:
My findings could become useful to people who are very self centered. If you believe you own the road and that nobody else maters, then your driving will reflect that. Consider the things you don't like happening to you on the road and determine whether you are causing these things to happening to others around you. Be conscious about others feelings and the consequences of your driving habits.
When you decide to make that change in your driving habits, then don't expect everyone to do as you do. A personality makeover plan is an individual plan so others will keep on going driving just as they use d to. Remember you will be driving safely and fell good about that