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Wednesday, October 13, 1999
Subject: Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
My name is Michael and I am a senior at Henderson
State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I am doing a study for my senior research on
road rage. My study's main focus is what interpersonal and nonverbal communication takes
place before the development of road rage. I am trying to gather as much knowledge and
information as possible. If you have any information that could help with this study I
would deeply appreciate it. Thank you for your time. -- Michael
----------------------------
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Subject: Fact-check for Men's Health
Dear Dr. Driving:
Following is information which I am fact-checking before we publish
it in an upcoming issue of Men's Health (per your conversation with one of our writers).
If you could please look over the paragraph and let me know as soon as possible if there
are any corrections or changes I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for your help and I
look forward to hearing from you! -- S.
Material:
Why is everyone driving SUVs? It's not
that we have to cross river beds to get to
work. Yet, sports utes are the fastest growing segment of the auto market since 1994, and
account for about a fifth of the total market. Social
psychologist Leon James, Ph.D.,
University of Hawaii, Alias "Dr. Driving," thinks it's all about control.
"They're big and you're sitting higher, and you command over those who sit below
you." People like the height, and surveys rate driver seat visibility as high as
comfort and performance, when shopping for a car. Call it "automotive
Darwinism," but we believe that even on the road it's survival of the fittest. The
higher we are, the safer we think it is for us.
----------------------------
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Subject: not hardly
Dear Dr. Driving:
That is some poor
reasoning and only tells part of what's taught. Only by expecting
other drivers to do it wrong can you be prepared to cope safely and
smoothly with their actions. If they do surprise you it's for the
good and no allowances are necessary on your part and you have lost
nothing. Not only have I driven 4 million accident free miles, BUT
accidents don't seem to happen around me. I think that's pretty
amazing considering I have spent the majority of the last 27 years
on the roads either driving a truck or teaching someone else to or
teaching people to drive safely around them. I generally drive as
fast as I think it is safe to go. This keeps you paying attention at
all times to everything around you, trying to anticipate what can
happen before it does and decide before hand what you will do, where
your "out" is before you need it. This may result in driving less
than the posted speed limit, if that is what is safe. I haven't had
a ticket I earned in over 20 years and only one I did not back in
'83. This works, in all kind of vehicles in all kinds of traffic,
with the proper driving skills, a courteous attitude and a desire to
see no one die out there. -- Ms. B
Friday, October 15, 1999
Dear Ms. B: Thanks for your letter, I appreciate it. I entirely agree with your
idea of driving with alertness and compassion! That is my ideal too. I guess we have a
little semantic disagreement about calling this "defensive" or something else.
The reason "defensive" is not preferable is because it is close to
"offensive" in the sense of creating suspicion in advance and a tendency to see
other drivers as enemies. This is a disadvantage of the word and idea
"defensive" as it has been used and practiced. Also, defensive doesn't encourage
mutual support and compassion. The compassion you said you added to it, is your own
addition, it is not part of "defensive." I would prefer supportive driving as an
idea and then part of it would relate to anticipation, which is a term you used. Maybe
Anticipation Driving or something like that. This is better than defensive because it
lacks suspiciousness and hostility, and yet if focuses on what you said is critical: To be
alert so you can anticipate so you can correct in time and avoid. What do you think?
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Subject: prevention
Dear Dr. Driving:
Can be as simple as
changing our expectations of other drivers. I always taught my
students to expect the other driver to always do the wrong thing,
this act alone seems to usually prevent anger because one the driver
is not surprised and scared by the close call that follows and
unexpected maneuver, and anger usually follows fear. Two, it can
become a challenge to anticipate their wrong actions and be prepared
and therefore safe and unruffled. I am amazed that people still
drive with the assumption that the other driver IS GOING TO DO WHAT
THEY SHOULD, sure leave you flat footed when they don't . . . -- Ms.
B
----------------------------
Thursday, October 14, 1999
Subject: Requesting Information
Dear Dr. Driving:
Greetings: I am a Deputy Sheriff with the Bourbon County Sheriff's
Department in Fort Scott, Kansas; working on my Bachelor's degree with the goals on
obtaining my Master's degree. I am working on a research paper at this present time. The
topic of the research paper is Road Rage. To obtain the content of the paper we are to
review abstracts from Academic Journals. By surfing the internet I came across your name
on several entries. I am having difficulties obtaining any information on this topic. Do
you have any ideas of where I can obtain this information? Your help will be highly
appreciative. -- B. Martin S-3, Deputy Sheriff, Bourbon County Sheriff's Department
Friday, October 15, 1999
Dear Sheriff M:
You can consult
this file of Academic References on Drivers, Road
Rage, etc.
Also, you can consult the ERIC DATABASE (look up in a search engine). Good luck. Please
write back if you need more consultations.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 15, 1999
Subject: Request to use materials
Dear Dr. Driving:
I am requesting permission to use
DrDriving's CARRworkbook and its
Driving Awareness Forms and Activities. -- Rick
Dear Rick:
With respect to your request below, I need for you to explain what you're
going to use it for, with who, which parts, and how many copies. When I get the details, I
shall respond. Thanks.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 15 1999
Subject: Links broken and other
Dear Dr. Driving:
I took
one of the surveys yesterday and found some questions ambiguous. For example,
one was something like, "If everyone drove friendly, do you think the world would be
a better place? Will this happen?"
I was torn between my eternal pessimism and my preference to try to practice what you
preach. There will always be assholes. I try not to be among them, but they will always be
there.
I also haven't found anything that mentions
motorcycling. I have many friends who ride
motorcycles and have done so for many years. We all firmly believe that surviving cyclists
(as opposed to the others) have a finely developed sense of ESP so that we see things
developing in traffic far ahead of others. It might be interesting to study whether such
survival is simple Darwinian statistics or whether the cycle is a stimulus to greatly
developed avoidance due to vulnerability. On the other hand, the new cyclist is tempted to
aggression by the sheer performance of the machine. Some learn the hard way that they are
mistaken.
Will send some other material from another machine. You might find it amusing.
Good Site! Good
Cause! -- R.M.
Dear Mr.
M.: Great list! Do you want me to post it? Is there a Reference?
Thanks for your trouble. Please respond.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 15, 1999
Subject: I Need Help
Dear Dr. Driving:
My name is Paul and I am a senior at Garinger High School in
Charlotte, NC. I am writing my Senior Exit Essay on road rage. I am trying to prove that
road rage is a habit acquired in child hood...but the only info I have found is what you
wrote in your testimony to the US Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and
Infrastructrual Hearings. I am writing this letter in request of any information you might
have on this subject. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. --
Respectfully, Paul
Dear Paul:
I don't know of research showing the connection between road rage and
childhood--it's obvious to me but think of what kind of research would be able to prove
it! Maybe that should be part of your essay, I think. What kind of proof are you expecting
or can you expect?? There is a study in Central Michigan University I saw somewhere on the
Web today showing that when you ask people who have road rage where they got it from, the
majority say from their parents. Is this proof?? I have some evidence like this
too--asking people about their aggressive driving and what they can remember about their
parents. You can see the article and data here:
http://DrDriving.org/surveys/
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 15, 1999
Subject: Help for victims
Dear Dr. Driving: I am sure your readers will appreciate this story.
The cure for ROAD RAGE! I drive to work each day in a medium size city. Everyday I
could count on, at least, two tailgaters; some of these were quite threatening. 60 miles
an hour isn't fast enough for these mad fools. If I go any faster, it's unsafe and I could
get an expensive ticket. Then, one day I saw an ad for a security camera / recorder called
"AutoCam". The address is:
http://www.bctonline.com/users/macrohard
I got the low cost model ($69.00), installed it, and WHAT a difference. NO more
tailgaters! The camera mounts in the rear window in plain view of the on coming driver.
They see the flashing red light, then the camera, and then read the accompanying window
sticker that says "SMILE you're on AUTOCAM". Within 3 minutes the tailgater /
troublemaker slows down or falls back at least 3 car lengths, realizing that his every
move and license plate number is caught on tape.
It's incredible, everyone wants to see the tape, the police, judges, the press, TV news
and TV shows. It may even lower your insurance cost. This is the video system that has
been shown on TV as a new product to stop road rage. The more cameras that are out there,
the safer we will all be. So join the team and get your camera today. It really works! --
macrohard
Saturday, October 16, 1999
Dear macrohard: Thanks for the AUTOCAM info. I'll check it out. It's astonishing to
think that soon most cars might have these...Sure will change things on highways.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 15, 1999
Subject: story
Dear Dr. Driving:
Hello. Tracked you down after reading about you in a WSJ reference.
We are AAA New York's magazine, and I would like to review some of your materials. If I
provide you with a fed ex # for free postage, would you send me what you have? --
Sincerely, C. K, Assistant Editor Car & Travel Monthly
Monday, October 18, 1999
Dear C. : Just let me know what you want from my site.
Photos
available here.
RoadRageous Video Tape and Course available here:
http://www.aipsnews.com/
DrDriving
----------------------------
Saturday, October 16, 1999
Subject: Driving and using e-mail
Dear Dr. Driving:
First of all, I would like to identify myself before asking you
several important issues with regard to driving and using an email system simultaneously.
I am an engineering student at the University of Toronto (Canada) and am currently taking
a course in Human-Centered System Design. Currently, I am conducting a research project
which involves using an email system while driving on the road. Matters of significant
interests to me are the psychology of driving, sources of distraction (diverging
attention) and the management of attention suitable for driving while using an email
system.
I would like to ask you the following questions:
How much attention driver has to give in order to drive safely?
Will the use of sound activated email system divert the driver's attention significantly?
If so, to what degree and what are the possible ways to divide the attention to both
activities (driving and using email) ?
What kind of interfaces are appropriate for the email system?
What kind of affordances, constraints and mappings should the system have?
How is this email system compared to the use of cellular phones while driving, with
respect to safety, attention, and responsiveness?
Thank you for reading this email and addressing my concerns. -- Sincerely, H.T.
Dear Mr. T: The questions you ask about attention management of drivers with e-mail
are the issues we indeed need to find out about, and I don't think the answers are known.
I hope you go forward with your investigation.
Perhaps you can share with me what sort of design you might be trying. Of course
sub-task analysis on various types of simulation data is a logical step to identify the
factors that should be monitored in actual driving. So the final step of this
investigation should therefore be data from actual driving trips.
One further
suggestion: In terms of dependent measures involving errors,
accuracy, steadiness, etc., one should always use measures in all
three behavioral systems of a driver: affective, cognitive, and
sensorimotor. These distinctions are explained in
this CHART.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Saturday, October 16, 1999
Subject: doctororganic.com / Threestep
Dear Dr. Driving:
I was wondering if you could check out my article on driving. It's at
my website www.doctororganic.com
. In the opinions area titled, THE ART AND ZEN OF DRIVING.
Thanks, and let me know what you think. -- Matthew
Dear Matthew:
Thanks for letting me see your article on the Zen of Driving. Excellent!
You're doing what I advise all drivers: the
Threestep Program:
acknowledge you need to change the way you drive
witness yourself while driving (like you're doing)
modify one step at a type and recycle the last two steps.
I recommend you look at at delightful little book called The Zen of Driving by Steve
Berger (Bantam books--probably Amazon.com can find a copy).
By the way, you can
link to my site from your article, if you want people to read more
about the
Threestep Program.
DrDriving
Thursday, November 5, 1999
Subject: Re: Threestep
Dear Dr. Driving:
I put your link on the driving article of
www.doctororganic.com. Can you
provide me with a reciprocal link? If so, I have provided you with an image. -- Matthew
----------------------------
Sunday, October 17, 1999
Subject: Medstar credit
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you for crediting Medstar on your homepage list of interviews!
I'd like to let you know about one thing...and request another.
First, if you'd like to link to a transcript of the story you were featured in, check
out "Medstar.com", our new web page...which is just getting started. The search
engine and other properties aren't working yet, but you can find the transcript, and our
research summary, if you click on the "Medical News Clients Only" section, and
then click on the 'archive'...and look under 'Mental Health".
Secondly, you list the story as "a Bill Flood" production, which would be
wonderful...if it were true. In fact, while I developed the idea and did some initial
research, the production was all Diana's. She gathered all the information and boiled it
down into something both entertaining and educational. She did much more than just
interview you! So, take my name off, and leave Diana's up, the next time you update your
media listings.
Many thanks--I hope you enjoyed working with Medstar. -- B.
F, Managing Editor,
Medical News
Dear Mr. F: Thanks for the correction and the link for the transcript--it's been
updated.
By the way, our book Road Rage and Aggressive Driving will be published by Prometheus
Books in September 2000. Our RoadRageous video tape and course by AIPS is now on the
market (http://aipsnews.com). And my latest Web site is on Air Rage, a new specialty I'm
building now. Perhaps one day MEDSTAR might do a piece on air rage as it is becoming more
widespread. My new site is at:
http://DrDriving.org/rages/index.htm
Take care, and thanks again.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Monday, October 18, 1999
Subject: courtesy first
Dear Dr. Driving: I do like anticipation driving. I never looked at defensive driving
as anything but being prepared and never got any feedback that anyone else did, so its
news to me. I taught less than 10 years so I don't claim to know everything. Someone
somewhere taught you differently, but I see nothing wrong with your term especially as I
always knew that common [uncommon actually] courtesy would eliminate most crashes even
without increased driving skills, they would drop 50%. But you don't need to perpetuate
your, maybe not so wildly shared, connotation of the word. It does not help since so many
professional and trained drivers see it as just the opposite. Your energy would be better
placed elsewhere. Adding in your term and reasons it is good, not what is wrong with the
other term would better benefit everyone. If all of us that care or know spent all our
energy on teaching positive skills and attitudes we still wouldn't be enough, so we have
nothing we can spare is my point. Have a great day. -- Daren
----------------------------
Monday, October 18, 1999
Subject: Male sex roles and drunk driving
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a health educator in Canada, and I am giving a seminar at a
Teens Against Drunk Driving Conference on male sex roles and their contribution to drunk
driving. Can you suggest any articles, quisize="3es, videos, etc. I tried clicking on the
student's list of Drivers Behaving Badly- e.g., car chases etc in movies, but I couldn't
get it (wrong URL). Any websites, writers, about what cars and driving mean to men
(besides a way of getting from A to B).
Do you have any other suggestions? -- J.A.
L, Communications Coordinator, Canadian
Mental Health Association, Ontario Division
Dear Ms. L: I need more specifics on what you're looking for. For instance, have
you checked these two:
http://www.dogpile.com
a search engine that queries a dozen other search engines so you
have a variety of results. There are a lot of statistics on drunk driving you'll find, and
many of them give gender information and age, etc.
ERIC database in most academic libraries, but also online through the Web. Then if you
find reports or journal articles, they can be obtained by fax by your library services.
If you have already explored these types of sources then what did you not find you still
want? Once you answer this, I can pursue it from there. Please feel free to write back,
and thank you for consulting me.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Subject: a basic plan for my project
Dear Dr. Driving:
I was thinking what my project is going to be, and I am quite
interested in a behavior of motorcyclists, who are not like "easy rider" rather
speed freaks!
A main point of my project is focusing on a relationship between their personality and
their behavior when they ride on the toy. Also, I am interested in the behavior when they
drive a car. I think they have a car for usual occasion, and drive it everyday.
My assumption is that when they ride on the toy for fun, they do not think about the
other users or somewhat...on the contrary, they might drive a car like the other drivers
do And their personality is a bit aggressive compared to Mr. average.
I will employ 3 questionnaires
personality test
self-measured questionnaire (on the bike)
self-measured questionnaire (on the car)
Is this a fine project or anything else.....
Please give me a comment on this. Yours sincerely, Shojiro
P.S. I cannot wear an aloha when I drive 'cause the weather is really but it is like
rainy day is everyday, and my car does not have a roof.
Dear, S:
I think your plan is good, but you could use one more dependent
measure: I wonder if the riders could tape record themselves by wearing a head speaker
connected to a portable tape recorder--or would there be too much background noise? It's
worth trying out to see if this would work. Of course it does work in a car. And instead
of a tape recorder, it could be a cellular phone and the recording could be made at the
other end. And you only need samples of a few minutes on several trips by a few
individuals, both experienced and less experienced, both male and female, both young and
older--to the extent possible.
Once you have the recording you can
analyze it yourself and
get further data from the riders and drivers by letting them hear it and comment on (a)
what they meant and (b) what they feel and think about it now as they listen to it.
When the time comes, you can consult me about how to analyze the tapes, but basically it's
pretty much common sense, except you count things as well. You can consult this CHART
which will help you CATEGORIZE the statements they make on the tape.
http://DrDriving.org/articles/chart.htm
In the instructions to the riders or drivers, you can say to them: Just give a blow by
blow description of what's happening, what you're noticing, what you're thinking, what
emotions you feel, how you react to others or what you see, etc. Just keep talking,
keeping up a stream of talk, as if you're talking out loud everything your mind is doing
or thinking. -- Something like that. You understand?
The above data is immensely more powerful and convincing and direct in comparison to
the paper and pencil personality tests and surveys you can give them to fill out--all
these are INDIRECT measures of the cyclist's driver's thoughts and feelings.
What do you think?
By the way, are you a cyclist and a driver? Do you switch your thoughts and emotions
for the two situations?
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Subject: CARR
By the way these links are very useful and
thought-provoking. I took some of the tests and learned I am aggressive (though never
actually violent). I plan to change. I would like to learn more about
CARR too. -- Debbie
Dear Debbie: Thanks for your kind comments. I fixed the link--thanks for telling me
(few people bother yet it's so important).
Write again after you
explore CARR and let me know if you get the impulse to want to do
something for the cause. Like forming a
Quality Driving Circle, or developing the Drivers Behaving Badly ratings for TV (you'll
see what I started in the CARRworkbook). And I'm glad you made the first step--A for
Acknowledging that you need to tone yourself down in aggressiveness (that happened to
me--which is how I became DrDriving--trying to tone down my being a Rushing Maniac--you'll
find my story if you explore the site further...).
See my Threestep
Program
here. Take care and write
back!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Subject: Some more thoughts and reflections
Dear Dr. Driving:
Since I came across your site(s) a few days ago I've been reviewing
my own driving and how I came to drive the way I do. The short conclusion seems to be that
I spent thousands of hours watching my parents drive. I think you could say that my
driving and that of my father are indistinguishable.
In some cases, this wouldn't be good. But in my case, it's something that seems to be
pretty workable. You see, my father flew Navy jets for a living and seems to have been
raised to see that hard work, good instruction, continuing improvement and mature behavior
are all important, positive things. He says that his attention to maintenance and
operation of the jets he flew are what kept him from having to jettison an aircraft on
many occasions. He taught me to drive with the same attitude and approach to machinery. In
fact, he was teaching me to fly light planes at the same time as driving. The methodical,
reasoned approach to flying can be of benefit in driving as well. I practically start the
car using a checklist! Perhaps my own Navy service, 5 years as a nuclear submariner, also
reinforced this behavior.
Anyway, I don't know how much of my driving success to attribute to family environment,
early training, and my own personality. But I suspect that starting life with the goal of
operating machinery smoothly, safely, and increasingly skillfully is a positive approach.
It's the one you wish your airline captain is taking. It's the one you want your 18wheel
driver taking. It's the one you want your kids taking.
Is it possible that we are so horrible as a nation because driver licensing is so easy
to obtain that it's valueless and has no meaning? I worked far harder for my pilot's
license and subsequently my license to instruct. Could it be that some positive incentives
for skill and excellence would be the way to get folks to wake up and pay attention to
what they are doing?
I often wish that I could hire a professional driving instructor in order to obtain a
"checkup". But I figure that anybody who is actually doing driver instruction is
pretty much buried at the basic level working with new drivers. The kind of checkup I'm
thinking of has NO RELATION to the so-called "advanced driving schools" which
are really racing schools. I want to get better at the mind games on the road. I'm not
entirely confident that having been on the do-it-yourself plan for 25 years I will have
covered all the material.
OK, that's my ramble
for today. I suppose that some folks would regard zero accidents in
26 years and 250,000 mi as success but I keep getting the feeling
that I might have missed something...Best Wishes -- R.
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Dear Mr.
Rr: Thanks for the thoughts. There are several good ideas in your last
message. Yes, positive rewards for excellence--that's a possible plan for both government
and insurance industry, even greater rebates from manufacturers. The idea of constant
improvement of skills that you were taught by your father--very important and few drivers
realize that, or even want to right now. We need a complete overhaul of driver training
and what it means to be excellent.
Your desire to know more about your attitude and thinking behind the wheel is also very
healthy and positive. One method I used for years: carrying a tape recorder and recording
myself while I talk out loud whatever stream of thoughts and emotions I have behind the
wheel. When I listen--it's very revealing. I wonder if you would try it and write back
with the results.
You are an unsung hero. Our country needs lots of people like you. Take care!
Leon James
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Subject: Sequence of road rage steps
Dear Dr. Driving: I would like to inform you that in your sequence of road rage steps,
the lady that caused the accident would not be charged with vehicular homicide because, a
person can only be guilty of homicide if they kill a person and by definition a baby must
be born in order to be a person. Therefore an unborn baby is not subject to the rights of
a person, and it is not homicide if an unborn baby is "killed". Sad but true! --
Brent
Tuesday, October 21, 1999
Dear Brent: ...
Which is why we were all surprised. This was the first legal case in any
county to invoke the vehicular manslaughter charge for an unborn child--and the woman was
convicted--but you'll need to check exactly what the conviction was.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Subject: statistics
Dear Dr. Driving:
I am impressed by the info on your website, but cannot get any of the
links to work. I like visual representations - any advice you can give would be
appreciated. Thanks -- Jim
Dear Jim: Thank you so much for letting me know--so few people do that! I fixed it, and
I hope you can get back to the document soon!
---------------------------
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Subject: paper on road rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
Hi, my name is Erin. I am doing a paper on speculating about causes
and I chose to do mine on Why we have road rage. I looked at everything on the web site,
but I was wondering if you happened to have anymore information that could be helpful in
my paper. If you don't that is okay. My paper is due Monday, but it is just a rough draft
so there is always room to add more. Thank you for your time. -- Erin
----------------------------
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Subject: Cause and Effect of Road Rage?
Dear Dr. Driving:
What is your opinion of the Cause and Effect of "Road
Rage?" -- AW
Dear AWi:
You'll find a complete answer to your question in
this document on my
site. Write back after you read it. Thanks.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, October 21, 1999
Subject: Road Rage Information
Dear Dr. Driving:
I have found on the internet you seem to be the expert on road rage.
I have been asked by my supervisors to give a presentation on road rage, mainly it's
impact in Hawaii. I was curious where I may be able to get more information about this
subject? Your web site is very informative, are there any brochures, flyers, or posters
that may be available to me and my audience. I am also located on Oahu. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. -- W. P III, CTM2, US Navy
Friday, October 22, 1999
Dear Mr. P: You might like to look around the dozens of documents I have--you
can use the search engine on my site. Perhaps you might like to start directly with an
"overview" article here:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/philosophy.htm and use the links
to go to other documents.
I might also mention a survey I did on Hawaii drivers (UH college students) and the
results here. I think you'll find plenty to
present to your audience. Once you know what might be suitable, just select that material
(for example a Table or a Test or some Paragraphs or a cartoon), give the Copy command and
then paste it into your Word processor. From there you can add things, etc. then print the
whole thing for your copy. All this is allowed as part of being on the Web.
If you want a handout also, just let me know what, when, for whom, I will give you
permission by return e-mail.
Feel free to write back after you've had a chance to explore.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 22, 1999
Subject: Road rage protection
Dear Dr. Driving:
Hello my name is Gwen and I am doing an expository research essay on
Road rage and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Do you have any specific
information on this? I need 2 credible book sources still and I am coming up with nothing
in my college library. Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks --
Gwen
----------------------------
Friday, October 22, 1999
Subject: Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a second year graduate student in
the field of clinical psychology (MA program). I have been currently been given a topic
that I found by searching the web is of great interest to you. Due to your vast experience
with the topic of road rage, I was wondering if you could lead me to some Journal Sources
where I might go to gather more information about the topic. Please keep in mind that our
data base is a medium size and that obscure journals are not carried by our library. To
give you some background, the paper is related to social concepts. I was thinking about
linking road rage to gender, norms, attribution theory, and maybe some social cognitive
ideas. At this point, any journal references would be helpful so that I may define the
concept better and develop my literature review. Thank you for your time. -- Cristen
Saturday, October 23, 1999
Dear Christen: Here are the three files where you'll find what you asked for:
For
Journal articles
For Gender differences:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/gender.htm
For social
attribution and schema formation
Good luck.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, October 22, 1999
Subject: smart cars--ITS
Dear Dr. Driving:
FCC SETS ASIDE SMART DRIVING SPECTRUM The Federal Communications
Commission has allocated a portion of the radio spectrum for intelligent transportation
services, saying it hopes to jumpstart the development of technology for high-tech
highways. Such services could alert drivers to dangerous ice conditions, and could
encourage payment via electronic "tags" for parking and gas. (TechWeb 21 Oct 99)
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19991921S0015
----------------------------
Sunday, October 24, 1999
Subject: interview
Dear Dr. Driving:
My name is Carrie and
I am a student of Bowling Green State University of Ohio. I have to
interview someone for my paper on road rage that I'm writing for my
English class. If you could please take a few minutes to answer my
questions I would really appreciate it. If not please let me know as
well. Thank you! -- Carrie
What are the most likely causes of road rage?
Why has it been increasing so rapidly over the past few years?
What group of people are the most likely perpetrators of road rage?
Who are the most likely victims?
How much impact do the media have in the increase of this trend?
Will road rage continue to rise in the future? Why or why not?
Does what a person drives effect how that person drives? Why or why not?
Dear Carrie: I can't take the time now. However, if it's allowed by your instructor, you
can find my answers to each question in the
articles I wrote. Then you can select a piece
for the answer--and that's almost like an interview. I would score it higher in fact,
because it's more work than just getting the answers from me. Good luck in convincing your
teacher, and let me know if you can't find the answers that fit--use the search engine on
my site to locate things.
Monday, October 25, 1999
Dear Dr. Driving:
Thank you. I'll ask my teacher if I can just quote your website. --
Carrie
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 1999
Subject: Need pictures of road rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
I enjoyed your site and have gotten a lot of info for my term paper
due November 18, but I need pictures of road rage and cannot seem to find them. I am
hoping you can help me. If you have any could you please e-mail me, or at least point me
in the right direction? Thanks in advance. -- RLSPGB
Dear RLSPGB:
Some pictures can be
found here, and also, if you go to
the originals.
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 1999
Subject: Not a firm believer. . .
Dear Dr. Driving: I would like to see somebody stand up and say, "A lot of road
rage can be eliminated if people would simply follow the law, and use common courtesy when
driving on the road."
For instance, if you're driving down the highway (we'll say four lane), and somebody is
driving slower than you in the passing lane, it's the law that you yield to the upcoming
traffic and merge your vehicle to the right. People don't seem to realize that this is the
law (in MI at least). People like to stare straight ahead with both hands on the wheel,
totally oblivious to what is going on around them. I don't know what you teach in your
corrective behavior classes, but I'll tell you what, when people don't pay attention to
traffic around them and decide they'll drive anyway they like with complete disregard to
other drivers on the road around them, I get very upset. I don't get upset to the point of
using my car as a battering ram, but it does get me hot under the collar.
Maybe you can enlighten me as to how you see people getting to the point of "Road
Rage" because I hear a lot about road rage on T.V., but nothing is ever said on how
to correct it, i.e. be respectful of your fellow commuters. Please advise. -- K. Hall
Dear Mr. Hall: You wrote: "I would like to see somebody stand up and say, "A
lot of road rage can be eliminated if people would simply follow the law, and use common
courtesy when driving on the road."
Mr. Hall, your wish has been fulfilled: I Placed your statement on my site (look at the
bottom) with an email button for people's comments. I agree with you. The problem is this:
Most drivers will not do this, and it won't work if you put them all in jail or fine
them--there'll be a rebellion. Therefore we must give people the tools to be able to
follow the law, and that means to respect the law. Few people can do what you have done,
if you succeed in following the law on all your trips.
Now here is one thing I'd like to raise from what you wrote: you express sentiments
similar to what I call automotive vigilantism--and that is against the law as well as
against the morality. So I'm wondering if you'd like to go into this some more. May I
suggest you start with filling out my 26-item questionnaire that lists the common things
vigilantism makes you do, think, or feel.
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 1999
Subject: Re: Some more thoughts and reflections
Dear Dr. Driving: Boy, if I'd tape recorded myself during the 3 days I was traveling in
Fremont, CA. I'd have learned a lot. Compared to my usual routes, it was dense and fast
traffic. Combine that with not knowing exactly how and when to turn and it makes for
stress. I wish I'd had a sign in the back window saying "I'm not being stupid, I've
just never been here before!"
My wife had a thought for an article she "someday" might write. She thinks it
would be useful to advise young women to judge the driving of the men they date. After
all, if it progresses to marriage, you'll be riding with this guy for 40 or 50 years. Not
only might your lifespan be determined by how he drives but your children's survival and
THEIR driving habits will be determined by how this guy drives. Sort of puts a whole
different spin on how girls ought to look at the 18-year-old guys who drive new Trans Ams,
doesn't it? - R. Miller
Dear Mr. Miller: You always write messages that are so quotable I feel like putting
them in my book!! Your wife's observation is brilliant indeed!
This one I shall quote anonymously--it's great: " I wish I'd had a sign in the
back window saying "I'm not being stupid, I've just never been here before!"
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 1999
Subject: Re: Some more thoughts and reflections
Dear Dr. Driving: Seems to be a family trait that we try to encapsulate significant
thoughts with recallable stories. :-)
You might be amused to know that my favorite saying is - "Experience is what you
get when you were expecting something else." This seems to apply to SO MANY things!
I'm sure my wife would be flattered if you somehow incorporated her thoughts about
spouses' driving in your courses. While it's kind of gender-biased, it does reflect the
truth of how most of us live (gender roles happen anyway).
Feel free to use any of the thoughts or material as your own. Just don't make a $M
without sharing :-) -- R. Miller
"Old enough to know better but young enough to do it anyway."
----------------------------
Monday, October 25, 1999
Subject: From your leon.html File
Dear Dr. Driving:
I'm heavily involved with a neighborhood traffic calming effort which
has focused heavily on enforcement and engineering but limited to use of radar trailer for
education. When recently informed that many of the speeders on our collector road come
directly from our own neighborhood, we decided to look closer at educational
opportunities.
My recent discovery of your Web site has opened up both new educational directions and
resources to support them. I would appreciate a catalogue of your varied resources. Also
of interest are any agencies which may be distributing your materials free of charge, or
for a rental fee. Thanks. -- E.
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Dear Mr.
E: Thanks for your interest. I don't have a directory of available
materials because all the materials I publish on the Web are for free use by individuals
for study and education. For commercial use, or where there's payment for materials or
services using the materials, written permission is required, after mutual agreement is
reached.
You can explore the
hundreds of files on
my site and put
those you want into a list of addresses, then send it to me for
confirmation or publication.
There's also a search engine on my site. Typing in "traffic calming" gives 12
documents to look at (though they're but brief statements). Let me know what you think of
traffic calming and what the trend is. I'd like to have more on this on my site. One issue
that needs to be looked at is the "clash" between those who pass through and
those who live there. I'm wondering what kind of traffic calming devices enrage motorists
and try to evade them vs. those that are more acceptable. Are you aware of such a
distinction? I have not seen it mentioned by transportation engineers, but you can see
that a psychologist would think of that first!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: revised plan
Dear Dr. Driving: During this weekend, I totally revised my project, an outline of the
project is as below :
driving behavior and pleasure experience for motorcyclist
Subject: 20 male experience rider (least 5 years experience); 20 male inexperience
rider (less than 5 years experience)
method
there might be 3 questionnaires are employed
flow questionnaire : independent variable (see below)
personality test : dependent variable (see below)
driving behavior questionnaire : dependent variable (see below)
Independent variable: flow questionnaire, which would measure 8 dimensions of flow as
below:
intense involvement
clarity of goals and feedback
transcendence of self
lack of self-consciousness
loss of a sense of time
intrinsically rewarding experience
balance between skill and challenge
deep concentration
*see Csikszentmihalyi, M (1998) "the flow experience and its significance for human
psychology in optimal experience, psychological studies of flow in consciousness
Dependent variable (1): personality test, which would measure aggressiveness and moral
of the subjects
Dependent variable (2): driving attitude questionnaire, which measures how the subjects
rage on the road
Dependent variable (?): their experience range might affect the independent variable
(flow)
This was an actual design of my proposal project, and it has been banned by me by some
reasons, but I felt this would be a great project for me
Do you think this is a good project design or ? Please give me a comment on the project
design. I do not know which one should be the independent variable, the "flow"
or driving attitude? -- Shojiro
P.S. Can you believe that a toy of the subjects could reach 100m/h in 64 sec from 0.
Wearing crash helmet slash information of perception that I felt.
Dear Mr. S: Your project is good and the design is adequate. It doesn't make a
difference which is the DV and which the IV--you can do either, then switch. This is
because this design is semi-experimental or correlational, though it allows you to
"pretend" by arbitrarily (or theoretically) assign one variable as the DV and
another as the IV, and then do an ANOVA test between the sub-means.
In order to do a "true" experiment, you must designate the IV in advance,
then use random assignment to put subjects into the different IV conditions (treatment
conditions).
In terms of your DVs, you can use some of my tests if you like.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: your comments
Dear Kevin: Thanks for your comments on the survey and the mistake you caught. I agree
with you that we "experts" need to shift our focus to cover the drivers who are
a source of irritation by the way they drive (seemingly unaware or uncaring).
One suggestion I have is that IN THE MEANTIME drivers need to learn how not to let
these uncaring or careless drivers upset you. Why give them the power to upset you? I
discovered that it's possible to reduce the intensity of our emotions, despite those
drivers. And I think it's desirable to do so. So, I basically agree with you but I
recommend you work on your own passion against those people.
Which is why the survey you filled out could be of help by leading you to examine the
basis of that intensity. Please go to this file where I discuss the survey and it will
lead you to the larger survey (takes much longer to fill out). But it will again lead you
to the thought process and emotions we have that need to be trained better (no matter what
those other drivers are doing!!!). (see
here)
I hope you write back after you see these other articles and surveys. Since you're also
an expert at this (by daily experience for years), it would be useful if you could make up
various items I can add to the survey, or else make a new one, that would help me bring
out more awareness of the problem you see from your perspective--which is shared by many
many other motorists.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: Help please: "Tab's no drug week info"
Dear Dr. Driving: My school is having their NO DRUG WEEK and I was wondering is you
being police associated, could help me find out drug info like what the fines are for
doing certain drugs. Stuff like that, if I turn this info in to my class my teacher said
she would like it. -- Tabitha
Dear Tabitha: Check this file for the information you want:
http://www.drugsmartusa.com/
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: Help! Road Rage Info Needed
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm currently doing a research report on road rage, and I could use
your help. I've found a tremendous amount of information on the psychology of adult road
ragers, but very little on college students. Can you please provide me with any
information you have regarding this, if any. -- JP2U
Dear JP2U: My
students have done a number of reports on their own aggressive
driving. Please survey this
directory.
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: Your online study of road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a Social Psychology student and a sophomore at Whitworth College
in Spokane, Washington. I was wondering if it would be possible to use some of your
questions on your road rage survey for a small class project I am doing on road rage.
Please email me back, if you have time, with your answer and any other information you
think I would need on your survey. -- Maggie
Dear Maggie: Permission granted for the request below. I recommend that after they fill
it out, you let them score it by going through each item and discussing why it's good or
bad. (or some of the items...)
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: Unhappy airline passengers
Dear Dr. Driving: At the bottom of your page you have a chart entitled: "unhappy
airline passengers". Are these numbers representing one particular airline? All in
the states? World wide? Thanks a lot! -- Amanda
Dear Amanda: The bottom of the chart specifies the source of the information as the
U.S. Dept. of Transportation. From this I conclude that these are annual numbers for the
U.S.
----------------------------
Tuesday, October 26, 1999
Subject: air rage
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Denise. I am a mature psychology student gathering
information for my dissertation. I am interested in this relatively new phenomenon 'air
rage.' However, I am finding it difficult to find any academic studies which have been
carried out. I would be grateful for any advice you may be able to offer, or if you could
point me in the right direction. I am specifically interested in the interaction between
flight attendants and potentially irate passengers. Thank you. -- Denise
Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Dear Denise: The only information I have is what's on my site.
----------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Subject: road rage project: help needed
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a student at Vance High School and am writing my senior exit
project on road rage. I have visited your web site but still need much more information.
If you have any or know where I can receive some, it would be greatly appreciated. -- Ryan
Dear Ryan: Let me know what questions you want answered. If you don't know you need to
read some articles on my site first.
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Dear Dr. Driving: Hey, thanks for writing back to me. I don't have any specific
questions at the moment, but will definitely contact you later when I do. I need this
information for a senior exit project. I am doing it on road rage and your site is my
primary source. I would also consider an online interview at some point with you if at all
possible. Thank you for your time and know how on the subject, and I'll keep in touch. --
Ryan
----------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Subject: Road Rage Survey
Dear Dr. Driving: I am an adult student at Potomac College in Washington, D.C. I am
currently doing a paper and an oral report in my Psychology class on Road Rage. I am due
for my presentation this coming Saturday (October 30th). I would like your permission to
hand out copies of your World Road Rage Survey to my classmates (17 plus the professor).
Although I have not yet taken this survey (it was not available at this time) I have
taken your Driver Personality Survey and I would like to make an observation. I think you
might consider adding to your basic information the number of miles the person being
surveyed drives annually. I believe that is an important factor. I have an aunt who
received her license when she was in her forties and drives very little. I also have a
seventeen year old who has had her license for about 18 months and probably has more
experience driving in that time than my aunt has in the last twenty-five or more years.
I have enjoyed
reading your information on road rage and driving in general,
obviously in today's society it is a very important topic. Thank you
in advance for your time and cooperation. -- P.C.
P.S. I would also like permission to distribute your Are You An Automotive Vigilante?
and possibly the primer (if I can figure out how to download it). Thank you again.
----------------------------
Wednesday, October 27, 1999
Subject: thank you
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you for giving me a comment on my project design that I really
appreciate. Another thank you for giving me a permission to use or refer your materials. I
will carry on my project. -- S
----------------------------
Friday, October 29, 1999
Subject: Comments
Dear Dr. Driving: I just located your Dr. Driving website about two weeks ago, and
found it original, entertaining and highly informative. A close friend of mine who lives
in the mountains thought that she should search my name on the web to establish whether I
was bullshitting about things or whether there was substance to my ramblings. She was very
surprised to find so many locations linked to my name, and had to share it with me
immediately. Needless to say, your site dominated. Congratulations!
I am presently the senior associate at the Alberta Centre for Injury Control and
Research and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health
Sciences at the University of Alberta. The Centre is located on campus, under the
organizational umbrella of the Faculty of Medicine. I have been away from traffic safety
for about four years, engaged in Health Canada research and evaluation projects on
children and well being. I am now back in injury and traffic safety, managing two huge
projects - Aboriginal community development and an in-depth study on EMS (ambulance
services - also slated for a book similar to truckers).
I have recently completed a book on Qualitative Research and Injury Prevention/control,
to be published by the University of Alberta Press. This leads me to the following point.
I have been contracted to edit a book on the latest in traffic safety research/practice. I
want to skip the traditional and highlight new ideas, provocative issues and alternative
perspectives. We have a publisher interested. I wonder if you would be interested in such
a venture by writing a chapter on stress and pressures of everyday drivers and alternative
strategies that will/may work in addressing the stress. The book is sponsored by ACICR and
AMA Mission Possible Traffic Safety Initiative.
There will be at least twenty authors. I
have confirmed inclusions by people such as Herb Simpson (TIRF), Redemaier on cell phones,
Sergio Schmidt (Brazil) on neuro psychology, Gerard Paris-Clavel (France) on underground
communications and traffic safety, Robert Dow (Australia) on marketing road safety and
Geral WIlde (Kingston) on bonus initiatives, Joe Flower on community change, Gunnerson
(Sweden) on roadway calming and Ezra Hauer (Toronto) on roadway engineering among others.
I will also write several articles and the overall design of the book will encompass a
Cybernetic Framework - subsystems that interact amongst each other at strategic junctures
to form a whole while maintaining integrity within the sub system.
The catch is that the sponsors want the first draft of the book submitted in Late
January. But I think that is doable.
Please write back ASAP of your interest. I will send the guidelines after and a brief
description of the framework. Also, I'd like to keep in touch with the happenings at your
center. It looks intriguing. Take care. -- Peter Rothe
----------------------------
Friday, October 29, 1999
Subject: Air Rage Research Info Wanted
Dear Dr. Driving:
I am an undergraduate at the University of Brighton in the UK and I
am conducting research for my final year dissertation.
I am currently researching into
Air Rage and wondered if you had any information you
could let me have. I appreciate that you specialize in Road Rage but I am trying to
investigate a possible link between the two subjects. -- D.
Dear Mr.
D: Yes, there is a link with road rage.
See in this file.
Monday, November 1, 1999
Dear Dr. Driving: Many thanks for this info. Lots of late night reading is on the way.
I can tell! Thanks again! -- David
Dear Mr.
K: Thanks for your kind message.
After you've had a chance to
think about it, I wonder if you can summarize for me what you've learned and what you
think we still need to learn. This is a new field so I'm learning about it from people who
also think about this issue. Thanks!
DrDriving
--------------------------------------------
Dear Dr. Driving:
More than a pleasure! Not sure how long it will take though! I would
be very interested to find out any other info you get on this subject. -- David
----------------------------
Friday, October 29, 1999
Subject: Nothing can be done about road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello - Road rage hasn't even started to reach it's peak yet. There
is very little that the police can do about it. Too many people with cars. It's all over.
-- Russell.
Dear Russell: Thanks for your gloomy message! But what do you actually mean?
----------------------------
Sunday, October 31, 1999
Subject: "RoadRageous - Aggressive Driver Course" Article by AIPS News
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello, my name is Kirstie. I am a 3rd Year (BSc (Hons))
Psychology student at the University of Huddersfield, England.
I am very interested in the area of aggression, particularly Road Rage, and I am
intending to base my dissertation within this field. Whilst carrying out some research on
the internet, I found the article RoadRageous which was produced by AIPS News and which
referred to an Aggressive Driver Course which I understand yourself and Dr. Arnold
Nerenberg have written to enable aggressive driving behavior to be unlearned.
I am very keen to find out more about the studies and research that you and Dr.
Nerenberg carried out before the Course could be written. Please can you tell me where
your article(s) has/have been published so that I can read your report in its entirety. I
am particularly interested in the methods you chose to measure anger and behavior.
Any information you can provide will be gratefully received. Thank you in anticipation.
-- Kirstie
Dear Ms.
K: This is indeed a very good research area, and so congratulations for
finding it and planning a project on it.
The RoadRageous video script represents my approach which is "social
responsibility in driving" and "driving personality makeover" techniques of
self-modification of behavior, and "lifelong driver self-improvement" through
"quality driving circles" and
K through 12 public school driving ed curriculum.
If you go to my site and use the above words and phrases to search the site itself on the
Pico Search button there, you will begin to see laid out, the pieces of text you can bring
together in your own fashion, and that will constitute the position you can represent as
mine. Just use the copy-paste technique (select in your Web browser any text, give the
copy command, then switch to your word processor and give the paste command. Recycle as
many times as you want and you've begun to accumulate or create my statements, as they
serve your project and perspective.
A second method would
be to look over the Topics file I have
here.
I have not published or done experimental research on this topic. Those who have appear
in my extensive bibliography of research on driving and drivers here:
http://DrDriving.org/facts/references.htm
All my research is empirical field research because my interest is in "the
thoughts and feelings of drivers behind the wheel." You can see that experimental
research would only be able to get at this indirectly, so much so as to be uninformative
as to what I want to know, namely, the actual thought sequences and emotional triggerings
and variations in states, moment by moment, in actual traffic.
The empirical technique that allows me to come closest to this is the
Self-Witnessing
Technique which I developed 30 years ago in association with my colleague and wife, Dr.
Diane Nahl. She applied it to what Herbert Simon (the famous information scientist who
received the Nobel Prize) calls "Protocol Analysis" -- see his book with
Ericsson by that title) and she used it with information searching behavior in libraries
and online. I started using the self-witnessing behind the wheel in 1982 by carrying a
tape recorder and speaking my thoughts out loud. Then many of my students tried it, and
this is how I discovered that every driver at some time feels negative emotions behind the
wheel and suffers impairment in judgment and civility.
These findings I have described in many ways and many contexts, as you'll find if you
look at the many articles on my site.
An additional method I sometimes use is the Survey Method. You'll find several articles
on my Road Rage Survey and
Driver Personality
Test, and what they mean in the context of
managing aggressive driving behavior.
I hope you'll write back to keep me informed of your progress, and I'd be delighted to
make comments on any theoretical issue, as well as on research design issues such as
measurement, tests, treatment effects, sampling, and statistical analyses.
DrDriving
-----------------------------------------------
Monday, November 1, 1999
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you so much for your prompt and very informative reply - you
have certainly given me plenty to go at - I am very much looking forward to exploring your
site.
I would love to keep you informed of my progress and would be very grateful for any
comments you could make - it is very kind of you to take the time. -- Kirstie
----------------------------
Sunday, October 31, 1999
Subject: Permission
Dear Dr. Driving: I
am writing a persuasive speech for my speech class on driving
safety, I would like to know if it would be ok to use your Test
yourself questions and scale to pass out to my classmates so they
can rate themselves. -- Christine
Dear Ms.
C: Permission granted. If possible, give them my Web site address:
http://DrDriving.org. Thanks and good luck with your test. It's a good idea to have them
do through with it!
Sunday, October 31, 1999
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you and I will include your website address on it. -- Christine
----------------------------
Sunday, October 31, 1999
Subject: Thanks
Dear Dr. Driving: Your information was very knowledgeable and interesting. I started
researching road rage for my topic for Public Speaking class and I couldn't believe all
the information I found out and how many Americans today are just out of control on the
roads. Keep up the work on informing others of road rage and I will do the same. Thanks.
-- Jenn
----------------------------
Monday, November 1, 1999
Subject: Road Rage: what are the causes?
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello, My name is
H. The reason that I am writing to you
is because I am currently writing a paper on the causes of road rage and would be
appreciate any kind of information you could give me that would help me out. I am going to
write my paper on some of the different causes of road rage. Some of the causes that I
will be looking at are peoples tempers, how hot headed people do stupid things when they
get mad. Another thing is how anxiety affects a person while driving. These are just a
some of the types of things I am looking for, if you can give me any help in finding other
cause's for road rage I would be very grateful. --
H
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 2, 1999
Subject: South African Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
I found your website while scanning the Internet for some information
on road rage in South Africa, where I am a journalist for the New York newspaper Newsday.
I have just begun doing research for a story on road rage, my interest having been sparked
by the shooting death of a 9-year-old boy this week by a motorist who fired into the car
in which he was riding. Has your research included anything from South Africa, and do you
have figures on traffic fatalities in general worldwide? I'd be interested in speaking to
you by phone this week, if you can tell me what time is convenient. I'm in Johannesburg,
which is 10 hours ahead of California right now so about 13 hours ahead of you. Thanks. --
Tina
Dear Tina: I'd be delighted to give you a phone interview (I'll check ahead of time to
see what I have on South Africa and other parts of the world).
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 2, 1999
Subject: Driver Psychology
Dear B: Thanks for your message. I've added your name to the list for a
newsletter to be created in the future.
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 2, 1999
Subject: what to do
Dear Jo Goecke:
I'm looking forward to your article. Be sure to let me know where I can
see it. Thanks!
About the woman you interviewed and got the red light running ticket and whom you
advised to go to the police about it, and she said she can always go to court:
I've had several people write to me about just such a situation involving different
types of violations, including threats of violence by enraged motorists. My advice for the
woman you interviewed is: "Try to forget it, and learn your lessons from it and
consider yourself ahead. It's not so much about you, as it is about fate, the law, chance
events, etc. It's not worth fighting for. What will you get if you fight and what will you
get if you forget it? Write down all your ideas in two columns. After you vent and get all
excited again about it, you'll calm down, and then think about it again. What's at stake
here? What really really will you be fighting for, at what cost in emotion, effort, time,
and money?"
One way of letting go, is to do
rational scenarios analysis of the event. First write
out every step, and number the steps. Second, re-read it carefully and try to insert
smaller steps you've omitted, like looking someone in the eye, or cussing out loud, or
hesitating for a an extra moment that took up time, etc. Third, now re-read it again, and
add what your thinking steps were. Now you'll have a lot more steps. Fourth, re-read it
again, and insert what your emotions were, each emotion being a step. Now renumber all the
steps and you should have at least 30 of them, if not go back and insert more steps. Fifth
and finally, go over each step and ask yourself this crucial question: Could I have made a
different step here?
The effect of this exercise is to help you let go and help you turn the experience into
a plus for you by becoming an emotionally intelligent driver, smart and safe, and enjoying
the driving experience, not hating it.
Sometimes people feel that it's somehow wrong to let injustice stand--and they have
different reasons for it, valid reasons, no doubt. And yet I take them back to the same
question: What are you fighting for really? Often people discover that their motivation
comes from venting and feeling outraged and not wanting to let go. This is a psychological
issue and my advice is that it's healthier to let go of it and use it to advance one's
life.
DrDriving
Subject: Re: what to do
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you for your sage advice. How I would love to take your
courses! Please be assured you will get e-mailed copies of the article for your portfolio
and URLs to find it on-line so you can tell others where to find it. You will also be kept
informed regarding reprints. I usually market an article for one year to 18 months.
Leon, I apologize that I was not clearer. The woman I interviewed says she experienced
road rage and is fighting "leaving the scene of accident" in civil court. While
she is awaiting this trial, she has run a red light (witnessed by a police officer) that I
am certain will be used against her in the civil trial.
Given the credentials of the authorities I interviewed for the article, my ethical
dilemma is do I continue to use her as the victim in my road rage article, knowing she has
been ticketed for running a red light, or do I pull her from the article and simply
interview another victim? My gut sense is I should just drop her part of the interview and
quietly interview another road rage victim. Your job cannot be easy! -- Jo
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: From your leon.html file/interview
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Sherri and I'm writing an article for
Traffic Safety Magazine, which is published by the National Safety Counsel. My topic is
impaired driving, and I'm focusing on factors that get less attention than DWI. I would
like to do a brief phone interview with you to discuss how emotional distress impairs
driving. I personally think it's a broader topic than road rage, but I'd like your
thoughts on the subject.
You can e-mail me or call me. I will need to reach you by Monday, November 8, to
include your interview in my article. -- Sherri
Dear Ms.
G: I'd be happy to give you an interview. Please call at my
office number
any morning from 8 to 11 a.m. Hawaii time.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: Road Rage Survey
Dear Dr. Driving: What has happened to your road rage survey? I cannot get there via
any of the links on the website. I had taken the survey a year ago and now I am in a group
in a personality development class and we are doing a project on road rage and we wanted
to use that survey to give to the class and also examine the results from your survey for
comparison. The personality test is too long for our purposes even though it is probably
more directly related to the class.
Is this a temporary problem or are you just removing that survey from the site because
you want people to complete the personality survey?
Is there any chance you would be willing to provide us with the road rage survey and
your previous findings. Our class is small, only 10 students. The class is SS310
Personality Development at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Ventura CA campus. Our
professor is Dr. Liza S. Any assistance
would be appreciated. -- Kelley
Dear Kelley : What you want has not been taken off, but is still there, namely:
The Survey Blank (questions) that you can copy at:
http://DrDriving.org/surveys/surveyblank.html
I hope this helps, and good luck!
DrDriving
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: Re: Road Rage Survey
Dear Dr. Driving: Thanks for your quick response to my inquiry about the older survey.
I was able to get to it via the link you provided in your message, but still had a few
problems getting to some of the links, especially the various survey results. Luckily, I
am still sure I have more than enough info to work with, your site is much more extensive
this year than it was last year!
In any case, I wanted to tell you that since I first took your survey last year, my
attention to my driving and aggression while driving has been greatly increased. I really
try hard now not to get upset and to try to realize what could possibly be motivating the
other person to change lanes without signaling (my personal #1 pet peeve), or to tailgate
me in a dangerous fashion. Though it is often very difficult to empathize with them, I at
least am doing better at not getting mad and just letting it go. So I just wanted to thank
you for that.
It is interesting,
though, because I lived in Germany for four years and drove all over
Europe (put 75,000 miles on the car) and while there is a great deal
of aggressive driving going on there, especially speeding,
tailgating, and light flashing in Germany, there is very little
actual road rage such as gesturing, yelling, and certainly never any
stopping to fight. I wonder why this is? Gesturing is prohibited by
law, but that does not stop them from speeding. And, as I'm sure you
know, there are speed limits posted on almost all German roadways,
including the infamous autobahn. One thing they will never do in
Germany is pass on the right. They will tailgate and flash you for
miles and miles but will never attempt to pass you on the right. In
many ways this is a good thing since passing on the right is a very
dangerous thing to do and I only very rarely resort to it. Of
course, tailgating is very dangerous as well. Anyway, just something
to think about. Thanks for everything. -- Kelley
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: road rage reduction web site
Dear Dr. Driving: I have just created a new web site for road rage reduction. Check it
out web site: www.roadconnection.com
-- Rossiter
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: SELF Magazine Article
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi, I'm writing a very small article for SELF magazine on driving and
was hoping to get your permission to use some of your terms and slogans. The driving
makeover, and possibly Inner power at the wheel. Your website was a treasure trove of
information! Thanks. -- L.
Dear Laura : Thanks for your very kind words! And yes, you have my permission to
quote from my site. Please give the site address as DrDriving.org (all that's needed).
Also, if you'd like an exclusive for your article, you can call me any morning between 8
and 11 AM Hawaii time. There are also photographs, logo, and cartoons accessible from my
site. Let me know if you need assistance. Take care and remind your readers that "The
way you drive is contagious".
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 3, 1999
Subject: Problem Solved! Thanks for Support!
Dear Dr. Driving:
Thanks for your support! The road rage victim in question has been a
difficult subject, very emotionally charged. Colleagues recommended I interview someone
else. I think this would be best. I have told the woman I interviewed that her story is on
hold for now until she gets through the civil lawsuit. I gave her your suggestions to help
her move on with her life. I was very kind. I'll check on her from time to time to see how
she is doing.
I have networked to get a couple of new referrals to interview. I expect this will be
completed by Monday or Tuesday of next week. I'm going to interview several people and
bring better balance to the article. This article will be ready for publication. Will keep
you informed as promised. -- Jo Goecke
----------------------------
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Subject: Permission request
Dear Dr. Driving:
I am writing to ask permission to use a few pages from your Dr.
Driving site for my class booklet. My students at John Abbott College, Ste. Anne de
Bellevue, Quebec will be viewing the film "Packing Heat," which includes a
section on Road Rage. Thank you. -- Lois Siegel
Film Director - "Baseball Girls", "Lip Gloss", "Stunt
People" http://www.cyberus.ca/~lsiege
Montreal and Ottawa, Canada
----------------------------
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Subject: Permission request
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello my name is Karin
and I am a sophomore in College. In the English class I am taking we
are required to write a paper on a problem in our communities and I
have decided to write me paper on road rage. I would like to take
some quotes from your articles on this web site. And I got the
impression I needed to write and ask, so, I did. Do I have
permission? I would really appreciate a reply! Thank You! -- Karin
Dear Ms. Price: Permission is granted. Good luck!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Subject: Refferral for AARP Article
Dear Dr. Driving: Sorry for e-mail problem at this end. Thank you for your support and
the referral. I'll use him in the AARP article, as well as you, and keep his name in my
database for expert opinions.
May I have your permission to take some quotes from the e-mail advice you gave me
regarding helping the woman I interviewed, who had run a red light, to move on with her
life? I'd like to add some of it to the present article. It could help many people. Take a
moment and re-read that e-mail. I asked you for confidential advice and I want to honor
that promise.
Got a call from California Automobile Association and the office of the president has
"a dynamic road rage" victim for my consideration to interview. I'll try to call
on Friday, if not, Monday. It's always sad when an interview compromises my professional
ethics. -- Jo Goecke
Dear Jo:
But of course you have my permission to quote any or all of it, etc. Did I
mention that my agent sent in a proposal to Modern Maturity about a year ago and we've
heard nothing about it from them. It was about me as DrDriving summarizing what people ask
me and what my advice is. If you do your article for them and plan to talk to Rothe, you
might like to check out his book first (The Safety of
Elderly Drivers, 1990). I have not
met him but he's asked me by e-mail not too long ago to contribute to an edited book he
was doing on the future of traffic safety.
About your upcoming interview with the road rager, you might like to read something I
wrote about how drivers think and feel, as part of my current ongoing
Driver Personality
Survey on the Web.
Uncharacteristically for me, it is a brief article, so easier to go through. And the
reason it's so brief is that it's only part 1 for several that I need to add.
I'm curious about where in the final analysis, you'll come down on this issue: Road
rage is a type of temporary insanity due to stress or extreme provocation vs. Road rage is
choosing to throw away decency for the delight of vengeance, then justifying it as having
been provoked by the other.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Subject: Re: info request
Dear Dr. Driving:
Thank you for the preview. It is very interesting, needless to say,
especially about the Ho Chi Ming Trail. There are serious problems with the
trucking
industry and you have touched on a major sore point but honestly there is quite a deal
more and most of it stems from lack of (or none at all) government interaction with the
industry. Both the Canadian and USA government have failed dramatically in assisting
drivers, carriers and customers from getting a safe trucking industry. The rates we are
working on are the same (or even lower) from 1982 rates.
As we know, nothing else has
stayed at these rates and needless to say the picture for new drivers is BLEAK and the
shortage is growing every day (drivers are finding it more profitable being on welfare
than in the drivers seat of a truck). As your article states, drivers are running illegal
just to keep up with the "jones" and it isn't working. Another thought is that
when the "baby boomer" drivers (age 40 to 50 at present) get ready to retire (in
10 years or less) there will be a HUGE shortage of professional drivers and needless to
say, also a HUGE ROAD RAGE situation. People like yourself are one of the few hopes that
the trucking industry will get the government (both Canada and the USA) to seriously look
at what is happening and hopefully work on changing it (for the better?).
A good example
of how ass backwards our government can be, last year when I emailed you I was working on
getting a grant from our WCB to create a professional drivers look and prevention video on
"Road Rage", I made it through all the gauntlets except for the last one where
they required I have support from the provincial trucking association, well I don't
because our local association has 230 members in BC and we have 10,081 carriers in BC and
I am one who does not see them representing our drivers in the best interest and therefore
being turned down for the video grant. I haven't stopped trying and I am still looking for
a financial backer so I can do the video but times in trucking are not easy.
I'm so adamant about
trying to help the industry (trucking) I'm working on starting up my
own trucking association and also a drug and alcohol consortium so
professional drivers will have somebody on their side for help and
training. All I can say, please keep up the good work as
professional drivers want to get home tonight as well. Thank you. --
M.
----------------------------
Friday, November 5, 1999
Subject: Aggressive Driving
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a reporter with the Baltimore Sun and I am writing a story on
aggressive driving. I am interested in speaking with you about the problem and how
driver's can change their attitudes. I would also like to know where I can go to get more
information. Howard County Police Sgt. A.J. Bellido De Luna referred me to you.
So far, I have crunched a lot of accident data and found that there hasn't been an
increase in aggressive driving related accidents. But some experts I've spoken with say
that it's about to balloon as more drivers hit increasingly congested roadways.
Thanks for your time. I'd love to talk. -- D., Sun Staff Writer
----------------------------
Friday, November 5, 1999
Subject: Re:
Threestep
Dear Dr. Driving: I put your link on the driving article of
doctororganic.com
. Can you
provide me with a reciprocal link? If so, I have provided you with an image. Take care. --
Matthew
----------------------------
Saturday, November 6, 1999
Subject: Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Book
Dear Dr. Driving: I would like to be informed of the publication of your book. -- Dave
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: Teenage driving
Dear Dr. Driving: I was wondering if you had any stats or info that could help me in a
paper. I'm writing on why driving at age 16 might be more beneficial than at age 18. I was
trying to find something on either having more experience or anything along those lines.
So if you could help me out, I'd appreciate it. -- EEGPBD
Dear EEGPBD: Go back to my site at http://DrDriving.org and scroll down to the Pico
Search Engine and type in three words:
teen teenaged graduated
and you'll get a bunch of files to click on.
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: Your website
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello, my name is Marcia and I'm in the field of Traffic
Safety. I am quite new to the Internet and would like to know if it is o.k. to print some
of the material you have online, and whether or not there is a charge for doing so. I have
only scratched the surface to all the information given at your site. I find it
interesting and am sure I could spend hours reading different things. Please let me know
what I can & cannot do. If you have other materials like videos or workbooks, I might
be interested in purchasing some. Do you have a catalog?
Thank you for having
such an informative site and I look forward to hearing back from
you. goodbye for now. -- M.
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: MIT cars and drivers
From:
http://www.media.mit.edu/cc++/
CC++: The MIT Media Laboratory's Car Research Group The digital revolution is
reconfiguring almost every aspect of our everyday lives. So why not our automobiles?
Imagine a day in the not-too-distant future when your car can respond to your habits and
intentions, or even sense the actions of other cars; when it will not only have its own
personality and attitude, but also variable colors for its many moods.
Since its founding in 1985, the MIT Media Laboratory has developed a reputation for
"inventing the future," working closely with the newspapers, television, and
computer industries to change business, education, entertainment, and daily life in a
newly emerging digital society. Notions that were held to be at the lunatic fringe of
computer science 15 years ago--such as multimedia computing and interface agents Pare now
at the centers of their respective industries. The Media Lab's track record has been
conspicuous and controversial, but usually right on target.
Today, we're continuing to look for ideas that are as outrageous in 1998 as "a
personal computer in every home" was in 1980. This has led us to the embedding of
computation in everyday household objects, and the implications of high-bandwidth
interconnectivity for ordinary, daily activities.
Now the Media Lab's attention is turning toward the implications of digital
technologies for the automotive industry: we are looking at ways that the digital
revolution can "reinvent" the car as we know it. This includes understanding the
changing demands of driving itself, and exploring creative opportunities for greater human
interface. CC++ will also focus on the potential benefits of applying design methods and
tools from media technology and medical research to auto manufacturing. We see this as an
opportunity to fully redefine the future of automobiles and our lives with them. Instead
of being "commoditized" hardware items, much as computers were until they
started to become personalized, we envision a day when our cars will know as much about
what we want as we ourselves do, and will take an active part in enhancing our enjoyment
and sense of investment in our traveling partners.
The research program, whose members will be limited to companies that manufacture
automobiles, will be defined in part by our industrial partners and in part by the skills
of our faculty and staff. Four potential research areas are:
Automobiles as Interface: Exploring verbal and non-verbal communications between the
driver and the automobile. Creating autos that learn about their owners, enhancing and
directing awareness, sensing intent, and using new display technologies to communicate.
Cars with Connections: Cars talking amongst themselves modulating traffic patterns,
transient networks, and passing messages to one another along the roadway.
Design and Features: Experimenting with pioneering designer interfaces such as
interactive holography and responsive paint.
Attitudes and Automobiles: Using cars to think about ourselves--and our relationship to
our cars and our communities of drivers--in new ways. (Is it okay to have fun again?)
CC++ held its first meeting in July 1998. Leaders of the automotive industry from
around the world were invited to hear about the Media Laboratory's vision for this newest
research group, and about the ideas that will move it forward. CC++ began in January 1999.
This fee also includes participation in one of the Media Lab's three major research
consortia: Things That Think, Digital Life or News in the Future.
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: Permission. This publication is distributed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety in the interest of information exchange. The opinions, findings, and conclusions
expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the
Foundation
Dear Dr. Driving: Please accept this written request to refer to an adapted version of
your road rage outline. I am presenting a 20 minute talk on road rage to my class of 12
nursing students as a community health issue project. I found you website very useful in
organizing the objectives I wish to convey. The items I wish to utilize will be
appropriately referenced as plagiarism is not tolerated. -- M. RN
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: Globe Online Recommendation
Dear Dr. Driving: Here's an article recommended to you by D. D'Alessandro from The
Boston Globe Online http://www.boston.com/globe
I recently reviewed your web site with my
school bus drivers and we now drive with
aloha style...Just thought this article would interest you. My bus co. is in N.H. and only
1 hour from the mentioned location!!! If you would like to get more involved with training
school bus drivers, send me an e-mail. All your info on the web really interests my
drivers. -- Deb
The following story appeared in The Globe Online:
Date: 11/08/99
Headline: Suspect says his car is firebombed
Story Intro:
LONDENDERRY, N.H. - A man charged with trying to kill another driver by ramming her car
last week says he has since received threatening calls and his car has been firebombed.
Yesterday, his house was damaged in a two-alarm fire.
Dear Deb: Thank you. I'd like more of your ideas on what is relevant. Perhaps I can
post a special Page called DrDriving's School Bus Site. Let me know your ideas and
suggestions!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Monday, November 8, 1999
Subject: use of text for class
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi! I wish to use this
workbook for class and for my research paper
in my criminal justice class. I am also using your articles on road rage because they are
great. If you have any concerns please email me. This workbook will be a great help in my
presentation in class if don't mind. -- vsptrooper2b
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Dear vsptrooper2b: You're welcome to use the materials for your studies. Maybe you can
write later to tell me how you did. If you send me a copy of your essay or report, or
portions thereof, I'd be glad to post it on my site where I place visitors' contributions.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: black box in cars
From Wired at
http://www.wired.com/news/news/story/20010.html
GM Watches You Drive, by Lindsey
Arent
12:30 p.m. 3.Jun.99.PDT
An in-car surveillance system presently running inside many General Motors vehicles is
a significant erosion of personal privacy, critics and consumer advocates said Thursday.
"The biggest problem is that it appears that these devices were installed without the
consumer's consent," said Barry Steinhardt, associate director of the American Civil
Liberties Union.
"Clearly, the information will quickly get out of the control of the auto
owner," Steinhardt said. "This may be as troublesome for what it portends for
the future as what it can do now."
GM said its Sensing and Diagnostic Module (SDM) -- currently installed in hundreds of
thousands of cars -- is only used for aggregate crash research, and poses no threat to
consumer privacy.
Still, watchdogs are concerned that the latest SDM collects a little too much data for
comfort.
The unit records and processes the last five seconds of vehicular data before a
collision. The box determines the force of a collision, the speed at which the car was
traveling, whether the brakes were applied, and how the airbag fared. The unit also tracks
engine speed, the angle of the steering wheel, whether or not the seatbelt was worn, and
the position of the accelerator pedal.
Presently, it is unclear exactly who will have access to the data collected and what
the information will be used for.
The New York Times reported about the device -- and the value of the data culled -- on
Saturday, but the device is nothing new.
Since 1974, GM cars equipped with airbags have collected crash data. The SDM is simply
a superior version of those earlier diagnostic models, said Bob Lange, a GM engineering
director.
"Our view is that the information recorded is the property of the vehicle owner,
and we obviously won't collect data without an owner's permission," Lange said.
"When we collect [information] and use it for research data, no one will be able
to identify a person or vehicle as being the source of an event. We will honor the privacy
concerns that people might have."
With the help of a Santa Barbara firm, Vetronix, GM will develop software and a cable
that will unlock the secrets of the box. For a few hundred dollars, consumers will be able
to pull the SDM data into a laptop computer.
Steinhardt said that the data will inevitably end up in the hands of police. Further,
it could end up being subpoenaed in a lawsuit.
Crash-analysis experts also questioned the box's reliability.
"An inexperienced person might not be able to interpret the data properly,"
said James Stratton, senior crash investigator at the William Lehman Injury Research
Center at the University of Miami.
Stratton said that some SDMs produce a series of figures, or a code that might be
meaningless without the proper documentation and training. But, he added, the SDM data is
far more reliable than that turned up through a typical crash reconstruction.
With humans, he said, "there's more room for error."
Despite the fears of privacy activists, safety industry experts say the box is a giant
step forward in vehicle safety and accident investigation.
"Current methods are clearly not as accurate as we'd like them to be. This could
give us better information about how effective restraint systems are," said Adrian
Lund, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a crash research group funded by
insurance agencies.
But regulatory questions linger as well.
"Can or should owners be given the option of having the black box installed in
their motor vehicles?" asked Lawrence Friedman, chairman of the motor vehicle
liability division of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.
"Are we going to have a state or national law on the books that's going to require
the manufacturer to install it, like in aircraft?"
University of California law school professor Eugene Volokh said that data from the
system would probably be admissible in court. "A reliable program that gives reliable
conversion of the data -- that's like bringing in the eyewitness," he said.
That's exactly what makes the unit so menacing, Steinhardt said.
"Its entirely likely that...legislation will begin to require the installation of
various tracking devices on the grounds that cars are a dangerous instrumentality,"
he said.
Sensing this apprehension, insurance companies aren't exactly gushing over the boxes.
"People may feel they have the right to privacy in their own vehicle," said
Donald Griffin, spokesman for the National Association of Independent Insurers, which
represents over 600 insurance carriers.
"[The SDM] could reduce fraud -- but it could also cause more lawsuits against
insurance companies for using the information."
GM's Lange said he is not concerned that the box might turn consumers off, and that the
company's research reveals that car buyers aren't particularly concerned.
But Steinhardt remains skeptical.
"The loss of personal civil liberties always begins with the best intentions of
our government."
Declan McCullugh contributed to this story.
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: men vs. women
Dear Dr. Driving:
Do you have any info on statistics about accidents involving men and
women? ( who cause more accidents.) -- D. Peterson
Dear D.:
Please try this file where I put whatever information I find about
gender differences.
Please write back if you find more.
Thanks.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: question 1
Dear Dr. Driving: I
would say the answer would be just keep going. unless you would be
blocking the yellow car. Stopping and waiting could cause a traffic
jam and would piss people off. -- D.
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: The statistics on your road rage web page
Dear Dr. Driving:
With all due respect, I feel that
your survey is very bogus on your
road rage web page. Very, very bogus, and conducted very unscientifically. How should it
be conducted? I don't know. But the findings regarding the highest/lowest road rage states
is highly ridiculous. I am not ridiculing you; I am merely pointing out, in a friendly
way, no offense intended, that the "findings that were printed are wrong. New York unaggressive??????? What a laugh. You have obviously never been to the New York
Metropolitan area. I guess that you are talking about uspstate New York. But the biggest
concentration of people are in the New York Metropolitan area (such as New York City, Long
Island, Westchester County, and part of New Jersey.
The drivers here on
Long Island are UNBELIEVABLE. You are afraid to go out on the road.
No matter how fast you drive, it is not fast enough for the guy/gal
in back of you. Tailgating at high speeds. So close to your back
bumper, it scares you to death. These people are ruthless animals
when they get behind the wheel of a car. Totally selfish. People
behind you on exit ramps pull onto the road in front of you, while
you are trying to look to see if there is oncoming traffic. It
doesn't matter if it is a man or a woman behind the wheel of the
car; these people are SCARY. -- G.
Dear Mr.
G: Thank you for your comments. I realize that there are large
differences in local driving norms so that motorists behave differently in different parts
of the same city, let alone state. Also, these results are not representative of the
overall pattern, given that it's not a random sample but self-selected. Still, would you
say that the experiences you've had can describe accurately the overall state of NY? So we
need to take "average" statistics carefully, as you said.
--------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: The Road Warrior
Dear Dr. Driving: Remember me? I e-mailed you about six months ago when I saw your
remarks about "the daemon of road rage must be tamed." I said that it cannot be
tamed; it must be evicted. This has not changed since the beginning of time.
I know who the real enemy is. And I did more than take my turns a little too fast.
I appreciate your website regardless of our foundations. And I have forged a new weapon
in the battle against evil plans, strategies and tactics. It is not psychology that wins
against these demons--whether they can be seen or not; it is spiritual power that wins.
This is the crucial point that I make in my new book, Confessions of a Reformed Road
Warrior. Look for it in the future on retail bookshelves. Until then, if you are
interested, you can obtain a copy through my company, A Class Act. E-mail me for more
details. And I would like a copy of your book.
No matter, we are on the same team. I am retired permanently against the
unacceptability of aggressive driving leading to road rage. I thank you in your continued
psychological resistance against the enemy. Until later. -- M.D. McGinley
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 9, 1999
Subject: Copyright
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Dave. I am a 35-year veteran truck driver and occasionally
give safety talks at my local library to young and middle aged persons, and to any one
that will listen. I have found your website to be extremely helpful with information that
could help me in this endeavor. What is involved with using excerpts (copyright) form your
works. These are strictly free of charge presentations that I do because of my strong
feeling's to get the word out about "road rage" and driver education in general.
-- Dave
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 10, 1999
Subject: Senior Citizens and licenses
Dear Dr. Driving: Can you please e-mail me anything you have on Senior Citizen license
retakes? I am doing a project for school and I really can find anything on the subject? Or
can you tell me your opinion on this subject? Are you for it or against it and why? -- Joe
Dear Joe: Try this
page first to see if you can find what you want
here.
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 10, 1999
Subject: Road Rage and the
School Bus Driver
Dear Dr. Driving: Great to hear from you...Do you travel to seminars? Are you willing
to have someone else present your materials?
The NH School Transportation Association is always looking for speakers. I am a board
member and would love to have your material presented to all interested drivers, managers,
instructors in the school bus industry.
I am a certified NH school bus instructor and feel your positive approach on such a
detailed topic could be enjoyed by many.
Let me know if any of the above can be accomplished. Also, visit
http://www.nhsta.org
-- Deb
Dear Deb: Thank you
for your kind words. Actually I don't travel for speeches this year
as I'm doing most of my work online and taking care of daily duties
I can't quit on. But in the future maybe.
Take care and let me know your ideas on what I should put on my projected site for
School Bus Drivers.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 10, 1999
Subject: Thank you for the interview
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you for your time today, it was my pleasure. I reviewed our
conversation and it looked and sounded good. Some very good sound bites as we like to say
in TV. I look forward to working with you further as other projects present themselves.
Aloha. -- S.
----------------------------
Thursday, November 11, 1999
Subject: permission requested
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a senior attending Penn State University. I would like to use
some of your information in a presentation on Road Rage in my Social Psychology class. It
is an hour long comprehensive study on the cause and effects of road rage correlating with
aggression. If you could give me any advise of information to assist me I would be very
grateful. -- D.
----------------------------
Thursday, November 11, 1999
Subject: Failing to stop at a stop sign
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm a 6th grade student at Rosedale North in Bakersfield, CA. This
year my science fair project is called, "Do People Really Stop At Stop Signs".
I'm looking for a statistic on accident caused because of people failing to stop at a stop
sign. Anything you might have would be great. -- Keith
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Dear Keith: Please go to my site and type in "stop sign" in the Search
window there for DrDriving site. You can also do the same on any Web search engine. That will lead you to
statistics. But I tried for a few minutes and didn't come up with statistics. Sorry. Now
you try!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 11, 1999
Subject: Road rage project
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm doing a project on road rage and I would like to know if it is a
controversial issue. If it is will you please tell me how it is. Help would be
appreciated. -- Travis
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Dear Travis: Start reading this file. It will lead you to what you're looking for:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/book_toc.htm
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 11, 1999
Subject: Road rage info
Dear Dr. Driving: I am doing a project on aggressive road rage and wondered if you had
any information you could share for my part of it. -- fivfut02
Dear fivfut02: Please try this article that will help you:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/book_toc.htm
----------------------------
Friday, November 12, 1999
Subject: Dr. Driving Website
Dear Dr. Driving: Wonderful! That is the only word I can think of to describe what a
magnificent site you and Dr. Nahl have put together. I don't think that I have ever seen a
site so chocked full of information dealing with a specific topic.
I happened to visit your site in an effort to research the topic of Road Rage.
Unfortunately, I am not researching for myself. You see, I fell into that pit of anger and
frustration which can drive one to un-characteristic behavior. To make a long story short,
I took the leap from mild mannered to 'Epic Rage' in a matter of moments. As a result the
court here in Ontario, thought that instead of throwing someone who has never been in
trouble with the law before into prison, that a nice little research paper and sharing my
experience with others might be a more suitable way of making retribution.
In closing Dr. James,
I don't know if I will actually be able to spend the hours that I'm
sure it would take to view all the information on your site, but I
was wondering if some of your statistics in my report. I only ask
because from a Canadian standpoint, there has been a lot less
documented on the subject that in the U.S. -- J.
Dear Mr. W: Thank you so much for your very kind words about my site!
I'm so glad you wrote to tell me about the Court's alternative sentencing for your road
rage outbreak, namely to do some research on the topic and to write it up as a paper and
to present it publicly to others. First, I want to congratulate that judge for being
flexible in a positive way and to have the foresight to recognize that mandating the
offender to do a research paper for public presentation, would be superior to negative
forms of punishment in this case.
I think Ontario law enforcement has been very keen on the education part that should go
along with the enforcement part, and your case is another piece of evidence that shows it.
See their Web site.
Second, I think it's
a wonderful opportunity for you that was presented, and already from
your first message I can tell that you've changed your driving
philosophy, and now you're ready to implement your new philosophy by
committing yourself to a
Lifelong Driver Self-Improvement Program. I suggest that you can
impress the judge, and also serve as a good role model for others,
if you include in your report, a description of your plan to pursue
this
Lifelong Driver Self-Improvement Program. May I suggest you
consult the technique that my students have used for making their
own Driving Personality Makeover Projects. Please go to
this Web Page.
Third, I hope you'll feel free to e-mail me as you work on your paper and
plan. I can publish it on my site, if you give me permission and can e-mail it to me. I
can learn a lot from your situation and solutions, and I have not yet been presented with
this type of Court alternative--but I think it's an exciting possibility, and I'd like to
introduce the idea to other places. If you don't mind, when you write back, you can sketch
in the details for me. My head is busy with all sorts of questions like:
Is this done somewhere else?
Why did this judge think about it?
How can we make this a standard alternative that other judges could follow?
What would be the Instructions we should make up for the individual:
Should it include what you're doing?
Should it include more specific activities to be done?
How can the work be verified by competent authorities--should some third person be
designated to supervise?
Could this supervision be done online, so any Court anywhere can assign this alternative?
See what I mean, Mr. W? You've got me busy. Thanks ever so much for writing and
opening up a new dimension of application for my work! May God bless you in your effort at
becoming a supportive driver. It happened to me. Years ago I had to give up being a
Rushing Maniac, and I had to humble myself and let my wife coach me for years, and tone me
down. I'm still struggling, but I've learned all sorts of techniques in the process--which
is why I'm DrDriving today!
One final thing:
Maybe you'll have the honor in history of creating the first QDC
ever. Quality Driving Circles. I've been promoting it on my Web site
as the only real answer to road rage and aggressive driving. But no
one is listening. Such QDCs would be perfect for Court mandated
alternative sentencing activities. The Page is
here.
And, yes, Mr. Wilson,
you can make use all the stats you see on my page for your research
paper. You'll be interested in the Table
comparing Canada
and the US, and the Provinces in these Tables.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Subject: Road rage research paper - help needed
Dear Dr. Driving: We are doing a research paper on aggressive women drivers. We are
Seniors attending Irondale High School in Minnesota. Your web sites have been very helpful
to us and we would like a chance to ask you some further questions. If you would allow us
to call you and interview you for our paper we would appreciate it greatly. Our resources
are low and hard to come by and any of your advice on road rage (specifically women
drivers) would help!
If you could return
us with an e-mail with your phone number and an appropriate time to
call within the week of Nov. 15- Nov. 19 to interview you we would
jump at the chance to talk to you! Or, if you would prefer to do an
interview via internet or any other suggestions we would love to
hear from you! -- C
Dear Ms.
C: How about this: you e-mail me your numbered questions, say up to
5, and I will paste answers from my articles on the site. You can then edit them to make
them shorter. How would that be? It's equivalent to an interview, maybe better, because a
phone interview is hard to keep notes on in an accurate way.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Subject: Permission to use
Dear Dr. Driving: I am currently enrolled in the University of Phoenix online and would
like your permission to cite some of the information on your Web site in a Cause and
Effect Essay I am writing for my current Communications 101 class. I would also like to
include your URL within my essay and within my references. Please let me know as soon as
possible if this is permissible. Thank you for your time and your informative Web site. --
C.
----------------------------
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Subject: Trucking web site
Dear Dr. Driving: I received your web site on Trucking Safety and deleted it
inadvertently. I tried to access it and it would not let me in. I have also tried to
access Music and Driving and can not gain access to that page either. Can you help in any
way?
Subject: Trucking Web Site
Dear Dave: The
trucking page is at:
http://DrDriving.org/professionals/
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 14, 1999
Subject: men vs. women and insurance rates
Dear Dr. Driving: Do men or women speed more, and does that affect insurance rates? If
so, please tell me what the going rates are. -- Noah
------------------------------
Monday, November 15, 1999
Subject: Road Rage in people whose jobs require driving
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a graduate student yet I have to work. I am a visiting nurse and
thought about doing research on the nurses who are out in the community looking for
patients' homes to do home health nursing in their homes. Sometimes I find it amazing that
people can't give directions to their homes. In driving slow and calling from my cell
phone, I eventually get there, yet people in those areas are honking the car horns at you,
throwing their hands up in the air, yelling. I notice your work is geared toward the
general public and not persons who use their cars to work out of. Do you think this is a
good topic for a research paper? -- LB
Dear
LB: Yes, great research topic--giving directions skills. My wife is better
at it than me. I think it must relate to navigation skills (men drivers make mistakes
instead of asking for directions). Please send me the results of your research so I can
post it on my site. Good luck and write back if you want reactions from me. Thanks!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Monday, November 15, 1999
Subject: Driving questionnaires
Dear Dr. Driving: I'll be quite honest with you. I need some help if at all possible. I
am a student at Davenport college and for my exam I have to "teach the class"
for thirty minutes on road rage along with the other members of my group. Unfortunately I
am a procrastinator when it comes to work and I have to have as much research to present
to my group by 11/16/99. I am requesting a copy of a questionnaire to possibly use as an
exercise in class that "my students" could do and then discuss. Please help me
any way that you can as fast as you can. I'm desperate!!! -- Kay
----------------------------
Monday, November 15, 1999
Subject: need an address
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Lisa and I am doing an art project on road rage. I am a
student at The Metropolitan State Collage of Denver. For this project I have to write two
letters concerning the subject that I choose and I am looking for people to send the
letters to. -- Lisa
----------------------------
Monday, November 15, 1999
Subject: Question concerning
Truck drivers?
Dear Dr. Driving: I know that California is the # 1 worse state for truck drivers, do
you know the 2nd worst state for truck drivers? Thank you. -- Sara Tanaka
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Subject: speech on road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm giving a speech on road rage can you e-mail me info. Thank You.
-- w
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Subject: road rage speech
Dear Sandra: Permission granted--and good luck! Thanks for your interest in our
materials!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Subject:
old age drivers
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi! I am giving a persuasive speech on people at the age of 65 should
retake their drivers test. Can you give or have any facts on what percent, statistics of
accidents are caused be old drivers. Or anything on that line of information of that sort
of old people causing car accidents? -- Kessler
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: DrDriving's Trucking Safety Page
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello. I'm sure I am becoming a pest and if so I apologize. I
attempted to bring up the "driving connected.com" and received the message that
is in the attachment of this e-mail. My wife tried at her place of business, and I went
personally to my ISP office and they could not bring it up either. I tried my security
setting to low settings and that did not work either. Could you mail me this report and I
will be more than happy to pay for you time, materials, and postage. Let me know what the
charges are. I was able to get the "How Music Affects Drivers" by going through
the back door sort of speaking. -- D.
Dear Mr. C:
An alternate address to get there is this:
http://DrDriving.org/professionals/
It would be hard to send the page to you by e-mail since you would lose the formatting
and the links and the pictures. But now it's almost impossible not to get there with the
four addresses I give you above. By the way, I never type addresses because that
introduces errors (like the extra space). Instead I try to select the address, give the
copy command, then paste it into the address window. This always works better.
DrDriving
Subject: reply to my connecting to the web sights you sent to me
Dear Dr. Driving:
Good try, but still no luck. I guess I will have to live the rest of
my life not knowing what is there. If this is the worst that happens
to me from now till I dye I am in great shape. thanks for trying to
help. I will stay in touch and let you know how the rest turns out.
-- D.
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: remember me?
Dear Mr.
P: In early October we had an exchange after you indicated you'd like
to do supportive activities (see message below). How are you doing?
Thanks for writing. Yes, it would be great if you were the first to actually try out a
Quality Driving Circle in your neighborhood. It would give me a chance to hear from you
what kind of materials I need to prepare. I'd be glad to help you do this. I suggest you
first read about QDCs on my site. Try this as an entry point:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/qdc.htm
See if the material there can be printed out and used by group members. Be sure to read
some of my student report links on that page. Then please write back with your ideas and
we'll take it from there. Thanks very much!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: speech
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Nathan and I go to Northern Virginia Community College. I
am doing a speech on road rage in the DC Metropolitan area. I would definitely like to use
some information I got off your web address. Any other information you have would be a
tremendous help. Thank you for your cooperation. If there is anything you need please
e-mail me back. -- Nathan
Dear Nathan: Permission granted for your request below, and good luck with your speech!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: Aggressive Driving
Dear Dr. Driving:
My name is Michael. I put together the
Congressional hearing on the
subject of aggressive driving in 1997 at which you testified via videoconference.
Currently I am taking classes at Cornell University and am preparing a research paper
detailing the links between the public's interest in aggressive driving and the roles that
Congressional and media attention played. If you have any information or data or insights
that could be helpful I would greatly appreciate it. I hope all is well in Hawaii and
thank you for your time. -- Michael
Dear Michael:
Hello, nice hearing from you again! All is well in Hawaii. Lots has
happened since we last communicated, as the topic has matured. I've become a noted
authority on the subject. If you check my
Media Interview Page you'll see I'm listing
over 1000
entries since then--national and local press, radio stations across the country and
abroad, etc. My site delivers thousands of Pages a week to visitors and I'm consulting
with agencies and law enforcement.
I'm mentioning all these details because in a very real sense
my DrDriving persona has
been a significant part of this media blitz on the topic. Why was I so successful?
Partly because I was the man of the hour at the right time in the right place--and you
had something to do with by discovering me on the Web before others! But this is not a
sufficient explanation. You have to include my message, or content, or rhetoric--which is
unique. More than 1000 reporters have talked to me. At first they're un-enthused: they've
been assigned a story to write, often due to some high profile incident in the area. They
don't know much about the issues. But when they finish the interview, they are enthused
and express gratitude. I am able to activate the rhetoric of aggressive driving in their
mind so they can be inspired to write from their own understanding of what I explained.
So I think this is a partial explanation of the media effect on the development of the
aggressive driving issue in our society: namely, the availability of a rhetoric from which
reporters and readers can bring this topic to the fore in their awareness.
The most important aspect of this rhetoric is my special orientation of helping people
to view aggressive driving and road rage as a culturally transmitted and maintained
normative activity by which we give ourselves permission to express hostility under given
conditions of felt provocation. The full rhetoric of my approach can be seen (a) by
exploring my articles and materials on the DrDriving.org site and (b) by exploring how the
reporters have written about it after my interviews with them (many of these can still be
viewed on the Web--see my Media Interview page at:
http://DrDriving.org/about/interviews4.htm
I'd be delighted to consult with you on your project as you evolve your concept and
data. My book ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING is being published by Prometheus Books
(Amherst, NY) in September 2000. My RoadRageous video course is now available and has been
adopted by Driving Schools and several law enforcement departments.
Legislation has been
passed on aggressive driving laws in
16 states so far. This is the other part--besides
media--that drives the topic: government and law enforcement.
Then a third part is driven by
citizen activism (CASAD, Speedtrap Registry, DUD, etc.).
These forces or trends are reviewed in my book which will be the first major work
integrating and focusing the topic--thus creating a new category in Current Events (Yahoo
has got it there, listing the Congressional Hearings, and my site under Road Rage).
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: Aggression
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a psych student at the University of Mo. at KC and I would like
to know how you would interpret a more nature oriented view of road rage. My paper is a
sort of nature vs. nurture approach. -- Keith Pattison
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Subject: Charming Alabama Story
Dear Dr. Driving: This one makes me wonder about folks living in Alabama; not so much
the perpetrator and victim, but the comments attributed to the radio call-in show
listeners.
The local Birmingham paper seemingly doesn't have much interest in this story; they
reported on it, and I couldn't find a single editorial or letter on their website about
the killing.
http://www.postherald.com/papers.shtml
----------------------------
Thursday, November 18, 1999
Subject: Our research paper!
Dear Dr. Driving: Sorry about not returning your Email quickly. I haven't quite
mastered the computer yet and misplaced your response! But we thank you so much for
returning a Email to us! We narrowed down our thousands of questions to just seven that we
would feel would most benefit our paper! So if you could answer and return them at your
convenience that would be great!
Our topic: Why are women becoming more aggressive behind the wheel?
Do you feel that women are becoming more aggressive behind the wheel? If so, why?
Do you feel that there is a certain personality characteristic (or other reason) that
might make a female driver more aggressive than another driver (male or female)?
What do you think are the stereotypes or false notions about female drivers?
How has society played a role in the aggression of women drivers?
Do you think that aggressive female drivers are thought of differently than aggressive
male drivers?
Why do you feel that people rate themselves as being better drivers than other motorists
on the road?
Do you think that measures taken to curb road rage should be identical for males and
females?
Thank you! -- A. and S.
Dear Ms.
C and Ms. A:
It's a cultural norm we pick up as children while riding in cars and watching TV. Women
have more freedom now, hence more freedom to express hostile norms in the way men do.
The same psychological issues are involved, namely, a driver feeling entitled to driving
in a certain way and anyone in the way is annoying. Intolerance behind the wheel is a norm
a woman learns, even as she shows tolerance in another area.
This is as much up to you as to me. I no longer have stereotypes about drivers since I've
been studying them in detail for years.
Yes, More tolerance of society for women acting aggressively like men (military combat,
boxing, wrestling).
Well, you can answer that as well as I can. I do not have data on this beyond the
stereotyped thing above.
Most drivers place themselves on the top. This is their reputation of themselves. But when
they start self-witnessing activities (observing and monitoring yourself while driving),
and keep track with notes, they find out they drive with more mistakes than they thought.
Yes. Separating the genders is not politically feasible without discrimination.
You're welcome. Send me your report if possible!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 18, 1999
Subject: web page
Dear Dr. Driving:
My personal thoughts on road rage are as follows.
RR is a media invention. Fatal accidents and assaults are on a decline and have been
for several years. Don't believe the hype.
People in Canada have been getting out of their cars and telling each other off for at
least 40 years. Sometimes even coming to blows. Seldom does anyone ever get hurt. In
America these same interactions lead to shootings. This is because in Canada we lock up
the criminals and in America you don't. Recent increases in serious altercations on
Canadian highways can be directly traced to the decline in the Canadian criminal justice
system.
When I drive a huge ugly old car ('78 Olds) and wear my baseball hat backward nobody ever
tailgates me or cuts me off. I noticed the same effect in New York City in a ratty,
horrible old pickup truck. Even the cabs stayed away from me. I call this the Kamikaze
Effect. If you drive something so crappy that you clearly don't care what happens to it,
the stupid suburban housewives, snowbirds and business geeks will not crowd you for fear
you might ding their sheet metal. Old flat bed delivery trucks are my personal favorite
street weapon. NOBODY *** with them.
When faced with an actual nut, who is clearly trying to hurt you, whip in behind them and
stay there. This is the superior tactical position, and gives you all the advantages. You
can pull over, turn off quickly, ram 'em, or just grind the bastard up against the guard
rail, as it suits you. I find a couple of meetings with the guard rail will take the fight
out of most SUV drivers and cabbies.
In Arizona I rarely have problems with people deliberately cutting me off and hitting the
brakes. In New York it happened almost weekly. I attribute this to the fact that in
Arizona people commonly go armed, and in NY they do not. An armed society is a polite
society.
Never let them smell your fear. When merging, changing lanes or slowing for a turn, one
must move inexorably like the juggernaut. Let that 2.5 tons of Detroit steel do it's job.
People will see that you would like to crush them and will stay out of your way. If they
think you are afraid of them, they will shut the gate on you instantly. So check traffic,
put on the turn signal, and move into that space like a truckload of wet cement.
When in doubt, use force. Very few traffic situations cannot be resolved with a judicious
application of the gas pedal, the front bumper, and a willingness to use the sidewalk.
Driving is combat, and you are alone in enemy territory. Remember that and you will make
it home ok. -- The Phantom
----------------------------
Thursday, November 18, 1999
Subject: Aloha philosophy
Dear Dr. Driving: Good evening. I'm from Israel and at my M.A degree I dealt with road
rage. I am very excited from your idea of Aloha driving spirit and I will be very pleased
to get more information in order to apply this model at my little town in Israel which is
suffering from high level of road rage. Thank you in advance. -- AVNER.
-----------------------------------------------
Thursday, November 18, 1999
Subject: Permission to use
cartoons
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Bill and I work for Exxon. We are having a safety program
on road rage and I would like to use your cartoons in the posters I am doing to advertise
the event. I will give credit to show where the cartoons came from. Is that OK? -- Bill
Dear Bill: Permission granted for your request as long as my Web site address appears
on the cartoon poster itself (corner or side). The address should read as follows:
"From the Web at DrDriving.org"
Which one is it by the way? Can you send me a copy of the handouts you might have?
DrDriving
Friday, November 19, 1999
Subject: Re: Permission to use cartoons.
Dear Bill:
Thanks for the nice slide, Mr.
B! I'm curious about your program--do you
have a version I can see? One suggestion: you can use handout with a
short test on it. That always goes off well. You can choose items
from various tests and make one up of your own.
The list is here.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Thursday, November 18, 1999
Subject:
road rage stats
Dear Dr. Driving: Road rage is a horrendous problem. I'm wondering if we can do
something about it. -- John
----------------------------
Friday, November 19, 1999
Subject: Thank You!
Dear Dr. Driving: We just received the responses for the interview and your answers are
so helpful. We now have a really great source to look at and are excited to get the actual
writing of our paper on the way. Thank you very much for all your help. We will be sure to
send you a copy of our paper! Thanks again! -- S. and A.
----------------------------
Friday, November 19, 1999
Subject: thanks
Dear Dr. Driving: Thanks very much for your kinds words of support for
www.bullying.org
Thanks also for the references you have offered. I am in the process of finding these
types of resources to be listed on the site. I would be very grateful if you would
continue to provide your comments and feedback. It is my hope to have the site active
early in the New Year. While the site is primarily intended to be focused on youth, I also
would like to include references and issues such as the ones you are dealing with on the
road. Thank you again very much for your support and feedback. -- William
----------------------------
Friday, November 19, 1999
Subject: story
Dear Dr. Driving: I know that many people do well as a result of adversity. I had
children to bring them up to have the best life and the best opportunities possible.
I have a very bright sensitive son and I have tried to put him in an environment where
he will flourish. I learned from my parents that you have to for the best for your
children.
Last year I had 2 children living in a middle class neighborhood going to private
schools suited to their abilities.
Now my wife has moved to an inner city working class neighborhood, living in subsidized
when, to quote my son, she "is acting poorer the the real poor".
She is starving and neglecting my son - deliberately and depriving him ]of the mental
and physical stimulation that he needs. He also is without the affection he needs. I am
the nurturing parent for him and I had guarded him from the hostilities of his mother for
over 14 months.
Although she has 100 s of thousands of dollars - she is pretending to have no money.
I have spent all the money I have. I have spend all the money that would have paid for
private school for the children till university.
Liam was a year younger than the next youngest child in the private school. The staff
said that he was "a bit immature" then. Well, he has had to grow up a lot in the
last 6 months. He has learned that neither the courts, the police, of Child Protection
Agencies will protect him from him mother.
The children have witnessed his mother beating up his father, who never hit back, quite
a few times. They have heard he scream at dad and the kids almost daily.
The quotes I like from his mum are: "Why don't you leave? You are only staying
because you love the children"
"You will do anything for the children"
"You are only a paycheck"
I stayed in this abusive situation for two years till I was ordered out by the courts.
I have third party affidavits that show she abused a 4 year old child.
When I called 911 when she beat me up. I could not get the police too charge her -
although she told the police "I was trying to kick him in the balls". Had a man
(even) threatened to hit a female he would have been evicted and charged. In Canada 5000
men are dealt in this way annually.
I believe the problem stems from fact that society cannot accept that women are
aggressive.
In the past women were abused and were not listened to. Now the pendulum has swung the
other way. If a woman accuses a man of assault, it is assumed that the woman must be
telling the truth. This puts enormous power in woman's hands. If means that women can tell
lies and be believed. My wife (according to my son) told the housing authority that she
was abused and do got subsidized housing immediately, instead of a nine year wait. She
also "forgot" to say that she had 100s of thousand of dollars.
My son needs about 2000 cal/day. My daughter needs 800 cal/day. Renee feeds both the
same amount of food. This effects my son physically and mentally.
I get to see my children 8 hours a week. Because I had a cash flow I had to represent
my self and I discovered that my lawyer had never entered my affidavits into the court
record.
My wife claimed that she was the sole parent of the children and that the children
would be frightened to be with me. That was completely false, and I have the third party
affidavits to confirm it.
My son has run away to me many times - yet no one in authority wants to listen to him.
I have to explain to him that the people who are forcing him to live with his mother are
not deliberately being cruel, that they are simple naive. My son is learning that society
condones child abuse if is it practiced my women. He has also learned that is acceptable
for women to beat up men. What will he do as an adult? What should I do to get him heard?
Why should a child live in a hostile home where he is routine screamed and hit? What
lessons does this teach him? -- C
Dear
C: Thanks for writing me your story. It's sad indeed. I think you're doing
the best thing when you don't pay her back evil with evil. That's the most important
lesson your children can learn from it. Try not to criticize her and pray with them. God
always brings good out of apparent evil. Thanks for writing and good luck. Write back
later to tell me how things are going!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, November 19, 1999
Subject: your website & material
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi there, my name is Lincoln. I live in Brisbane (Queensland,
Australia.) I am a Psychology student at the University of Queensland here in Brisbane.
I just wanted to pay a compliment to you for your website. I think it is fantastic. I
recently completed a subject in Associative Learning. a major assignment for this subject
involved me selecting and monitoring a behaviour then performing a functional analysis and
finally designing a behaviour modification program in an attempt to change the original
behaviour.
Over the past little while I had noticed myself becoming more and more of an
obnoxious/aggressive road user. this seemed to be manifest by lots of horn honking. this I
recognize is not too good (for a lot of reasons) so I thought I would take the assignment
and use it to attempt an improvement. I decided to use horn honking as my behaviour as it
seems that horn honking has been used extensively in research to suggest aggressive
driving. I have been able to significantly reduce my horn honking and am working on some
of the other inappropriate driving behaviours I exhibit. (I got a great mark too)
Anyway, I found your website(s) as a result of the research I was doing for the
assignment and it was a fantastic help.
So thanks very much for a wonderful resource. I will keep checking back on a regular
basis. -- Lincoln.
Dear Lincoln: Thanks! Write back on your future projects: tailgating? rushing? cursing?
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 21, 1999
Subject: Road Rage Information
Dear Dr. Driving: My name is Jim, and I am a student at Hunter College High School in
New York City. I am writing a paper for my Introductory Psychology paper about road rage.
I would be greatly appreciative if you could forward me some factual information about
this condition. Any information would be very helpful. Thank you. -- Jim
Dear Jim: Good luck with your paper. You need to read some of the articles on my site!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 21, 1999
Subject: Re: failing to stop at a stop sign
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi! Just a quick note to say thanks for your help. My mom and I used
a lot of the info from your web site. I turned in my project last week on Tuesday and the
were judged on Thursday and I received 1st runner up out of the four sixth grade classes.
Thanks again! -- Keith
----------------------------
Monday, November 22, 1999
Subject: news article for Tuesday's paper
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm doing an article about a new effort on the part of New Jersey
officials to encourage motorists to "Drive Friendly," a rather daunting task in
the NY-NJ metro area, as you well know.
I wanted to get your
perspective, and some comments about Aloha Spirit and the like. I'd
love to talk with you if you have ten minutes today. -- Paul
----------------------------
Monday, November 22, 1999
Subject: Psychology
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello! My name is Johana. I am an eighth grade student studying at
Shanghai American School. This school is an international school that attracts students
from all over the world with different nationalities. I am Chinese and was born in
Paraguay.
In science class, we are doing a project where we have to establish contact and
correspond with scientists to discover more about their work. I wonder if you have the
time and interest to assist me with this project. I hope of scientists in general and your
field in specific. I might even find a suitable science fair project to do.
For this project, you only need to establish contact with me through e-mail, and answer
some questions that I have prepared for you. If I wanted to know more about a certain
topic, then maybe you con tell me more or give advice, and few documents. Please let me
know if you are willing to participate in my project.
Thank you very much for your time and patience. Hope I can have contact with you soon.
Best wishes. -- Johana
----------------------------
Monday, November 22, 1999
Subject: Idea for road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm an older driver and have been thinking a lot about road rage and
what might be done to minimize it. I searched "road rage" this evening and found
your site. Thanks for collecting the data and completing the statistical analyses. You are
dedicated.
I believe that everyone has experienced some type of road rage and you are right in
showing that age diminishes road rage. At one time I gestured frequently at aggressive and
dumb drivers--until I learned that many people carry guns in their cars. I stopped.
Now my idea. Is it possible to design a WEB site that people could contact and report
license plate numbers of people they observe being aggressive on our highways? The license
plate numbers could be stored and when, let's say, three or more reports are made on
aggressive scofflaw driving, local law enforcement officials would be automatically
notified. Unfortunately, the law officials may not be able to do anything unless there is
an accident or other incident. But perhaps a warning letter could be sent to the owner of
the car reporting when and where the three (or more) incidents occurred.
This may be a little bit too much like "Big Brother is Watching" but I'd love
to report some of the aggressive drivers I've seen to someone or something. In fact, a
person might drive a little more slowly and defensively knowing that the person behind can
report bad behavior.
Think about it. Something has to be done to decrease this problem, a problem that will
only continue to grow. -- Tracy
Dear Tracy: Thanks for your kind comments. About your idea: congratulations for
thinking about it--but others have already implemented the idea in different ways: call
local police (many communities have this) but not much gets done about it--I heard. Then
there are Web places you can post the license plate number of the car and what you found
offensive.
http://www.comnet.ca/~chezken/duds.html
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Subject: road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: I have briefed your page and find your work fascinating. I was hoping
you could answer a question for me? Are there any stats on collisions caused by motorists
driving below the minimum speed of 40, which seems to be the standard for superhighways?
Also, do you believe that road rage could be caused by our sense of freedom, when we are
told to do this, we do the opposite. Example: at 70mph and approaching a vehicle doing the
minimum speed, who is at fault when the second car causes a pileup from a rear end
collision. We have been reminded of the limit of speed for decades, most drivers know the
roads not only in their surroundings but, nation wide. Highways are designed for a higher
rates of speed than 45, 55, and even 75, do you suppose we are tired of being told how to
drive and at what speed?
I'm of the opinion that it is time to change the speed limit to speed maximum on all
4lane highways or larger. I can understand a speed limit inside city limits, but not on
the interstate networks. The song by Meatloaf a few years ago, "I can't drive
55," is an example of the state of drivers attitudes. I agree! Give us our freedom to
speed and get the dangerous slow pokes off the interstates and on the back roads where
they can drive as slow as they want.
I would ask for a response ASAP because I am doing a thesis on road rage and speed
limits and your input would be so appreciated and valued. -- Don
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Subject: road rage in Alabama
Dear Dr. Driving: There was a case recently in the news and I can't seem to find it on
the net can you send it to me if you have it. It was about a woman in Alabama who shot
another woman and killed her over road rage. I have a friend who was involved in a recent
incident and she needs the article for a charge of assault for her attorney. -- Joanne
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Subject: Road Culture
Dear Dr. Driving: I
caught your comments on the NBC News. Do you have a web site or
other place where I could learn more about your theories? R.
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Subject: Thanks for the cards
Dear Dr. Driving: Thanks for all the work you did on the cards, they look great. I
don't think anyone else is doing anything like this and I am hoping we get the grant to
try it. I sent the package off yesterday (11-23) and they are supposed to review the
packets in December. Also I spoke with
AIPS and they were kind enough to send me the
video tape and student handbook as well as instructors manual for the course. It looks
like a very good course, but I think there will need to be a lot of discussion in between
the segments to give a law enforcement slant to the course. Otherwise the officers
attending will take it as a Drivers Ed course and not give it their full attention.
If we do not get the grant I still plan to lobby the people with the bank accounts
($$$$) to put this together next spring. I think that with your help and the
TEE cards as
well as the video course we can make a positive influence here regarding aggressive
driving.
In reference to the legislative packages I tend to agree with your classifications on
the weak language. It seems that in those that have weak language the wording is very
vague (example: reckless driving). But in the same sense most of the strong wording seems
to duplicate language in the penal code system. I'm not sure about most of the other
states but pointing a firearm or look alike at anyone is a criminal offense already, just
as DWI. I agree driving over 30 MPH is definitely aggressive, but in most cases aggressive
driving occurs at much slower speeds (speeding in a 50 MPH zone means aggressive is at 80
or more). Specific language using existing laws, following too closely, speeding, unsafe
lane changes are signs of aggressive driving and getting cited for these offenses in a
certain time period or in combination would be good. Requiring education courses such as
"RoadRageous" would also go a long way to improvement as well as license
suspensions and graduated licensing. The more serious offenses could be dealt with through
penal charges such as Aggravated Assault, DWI, Reckless Conduct (pointing a gun) and so
on.
A major stumbling block always seems to be the judicial system. We can enforce all the
laws on the books but if the courts do not back us up then law enforcement is just a paper
tiger. There is no doubt that stiff prison sentences had a major effect on crime around
the country and the same needs to be done with aggressive driving. Unfortunately, most
aggressive drivers do not fit the criminal "profile" the public sees with
murders, burglars and robbers. Public perception must also be changed so we can get tough
on all aggressive drivers and they should expect harsh punishment in the court system for
repeated violations.
Anyway just some thoughts, I will keep you posted on the progress of the grant and our
efforts here in San Antonio. Adios...(Spanish for goodbye) for now. -- Tom
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Subject: re: Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving: My best friend was murdered by another driver on 11-8-99. I just feel
that I should share this story with anyone who will listen. I copied & pasted this
article that I found tonight on the Internet, so it would be easier for me to explain.
I've lost the only person who I think knew me better than anyone else. Here is her story
incase you are interested. Thank you for listening. -- Crystal
Yahoo! News Top Stories Headlines
Wednesday, November 10 3:14 AM ET
Road Rage Hits Placid Ala. Suburb
By JAY REEVES Associated Press Writer
ALABASTER, Ala. (AP) - It started with the two drivers jockeying for position during
the maddening rush-hour commute.
Witnesses said Gena Foster had cut off Shirley Henson on Interstate 65, and the two
then tailgated each other for miles, alternately getting ahead and slamming on the brakes,
police said.
It didn't end when their cars came to a stop in traffic on an exit ramp, as Mrs. Foster
got out and walked to Mrs. Henson's window. Seconds later, Mrs. Foster lay dying from a
gunshot in the head.
Police blamed ``road rage'' and on Tuesday charged Mrs. Henson, 40, with murder. She
was freed on $50,000 bond.
The women did not know each other, and neither had a criminal record, police said.
Mrs. Henson sat in her sport-utility vehicle, crying. A .38-caliber pistol sat on the
passenger seat, right beside her briefcase. "Oh my God, I shot her! She's dying,''' a
witness, Lisa Adney, quoted Mrs. Henson as saying over and over.
The 25-mile drive from downtown Birmingham to the exit can take up to 90 minutes. On
Monday evening, witness Jim Hardy told The Birmingham News, Mrs. Foster, driving a black
Pontiac Grand Prix, cut in front of Mrs. Henson's Toyota 4-Runner.
"One cut the other one off, and then they started tailgating each other and
slamming on their brakes,'' said prosecutor Randy Hillman.
Both got off at what police said was their normal exit. Stopped on the ramp, Mrs.
Foster got out of her car and ran toward the Toyota, which was stopped several feet behind
her Pontiac.
Mrs. Adney pulled up right after the shooting and checked for a pulse on Mrs. Foster,
sprawled beside the Toyota's driver-side door. Mrs. Henson was still seated in her
vehicle, the window rolled down halfway.
"She said, 'She came at me and I shot her,'" said Mrs. Adney, who held Mrs.
Henson's hand as the woman tearfully dialed 911 on her cellular phone. "Obviously
from where the girl was lying she was right in the lady's face."
The prosecutor said Mrs. Henson had plenty of options other than opening fire,
including pulling around Mrs. Foster's vehicle.
Prosecutors said they did not know if Mrs. Henson had an attorney. She did not return a
telephone message Tuesday, and no one answered a knock at her two-story home in Alabaster,
a bedroom community south of Birmingham.
Mrs. Foster lived outside Columbiana, about 15 miles away. Ex-husband Chris Foster said
she had `"the biggest heart in the world."
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Subject: Permission wanted
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm a writer working for a trade/association magazine called
"Textile Rental." Most of member companies have trucks and drivers, and I'm
preparing an article on road rage -- I'd like permission to use some of the information on
your website for my article. The article will be printed in our February magazine.
If you'd like to find out more about our organization, our website is
www.trsa.org
Thanks for your attention. -- Nancy
Dear Nancy: You have
my permission to quote from my site. Just to make sure you're aware
of these two items: DrDriving's
Trucking Safety Page
DrDriving's
RoadRageous Video Course (of interest to
truckers too)
If you want an "exclusive" for the article, you can e-mail me a couple of
questions and I'll send you the answer, or by phone if you prefer that. Let me know. If
possible, please e-mail me a copy of the article. Thanks!
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Subject: NBC Nightly News
Dear Dr. Driving:
Ron and I saw you 11/22 on NBC Nightly News re the major segment on
road rage. It's great that you, your work, and the road rage problem are getting such
exposure!
Aloha. --
E
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Subject: questions about road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi, I'm a student at Washington State University, working on a road
rage project. I was wondering if you would mind if I sent you some questions through
e-mail, if you could give me answers to them. Thank you. -- Daniel
Dear Daniel: You can send me a couple of questions, but if I've already answered them
somewhere you can find on my site, I will simply direct you to the article. If that's
acceptable, then send the questions.
Dear Dr. Driving: Thank you for taking the time to respond to my last message.
I looked through your website quickly, but didn't find information regarding the focus
of my paper.
I know that in Seattle, there has been a police program/unit that has been in existence
for a little over a year now. The program involves unmarked cars designed to blend in with
traffic, sport utility vehicles, taxi's, etc.
The intention of the program is to stop aggressive or raging drivers before they can
cause any serious harm.
My question is: Do you think that a program like this does anything to alleviate this
problem? Why or why not?
I guess my other question for you then would be: What other police actions might be
affective in alleviating the problem? Or can the police do anything significant to stop
the problem? -- Daniel
Dear Daniel:
It would be easier for me to answer if you told me first why you're asking, or where
are you asking for, or what's your view on it and why. Then I can give you an intelligent
answer, and then also, you might be involved enough to receive the answer!! So back to you
with this one.
> What other police actions might be effective in alleviating the problem?
I have answered this
question in
this article
DrDriving
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Subject: I have a link
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi. My name is Amanda and I am a final year undergraduate psychology
student at Leeds University, England.
For my final project I have constructed a questionnaire to test responses to everyday
frustrations (including driving violations) and its relation to health i.e. is it health
for you to let your frustrations out!
The questionnaire is now online. Would it be possible to add a link to my page on your
web-page?. The URL is:
http://members.aol.com/AJNutter/index.html
Thanks! -- Amanda
Dear Amanda: I've put
a link to your test in
this file
Send me the results and I'll publish it on my site. sounds real interesting!
DrDriving
Dear Dr. Driving: Thanks for linking me. The results won't be available until the
middle of next year, but I'll definitely send the results as soon as I have finished the
research. -- Amanda
----------------------------
Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Subject: Road Rage Presentation
Dear Dr. Driving: I am a sophomore in high school and in a drivers' education course.
For the completion of the course, we are required to do a power point presentation on any
subject dealing with driving for the class. Many students have chosen Alcohol as their
topic, but I have chosen Road Rage.
The reason I'm email you is because I, in all my research, am having a tough time
trying to find even the simplest of information. Is there any facts that you would say are
important that they need to be put on the 5 page presentation? If you do have any, I'd
appreciate it. This presentation is due on November 30th. Thank you for taking the time to
read my email. -- Sadie
----------------------------
Friday, November 26, 1999
Subject: Test on Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello, I really like this site and I'm giving a speech next Friday,
Dec.3, 1999 and I wanted to know if you could e-mail me some information and the test. I
would like to give a test to my class mates if possible. I figure at one time or another
every person that drives has done road rage. Thank You. -- Lillian
Dear Lillian: You're welcome to use the tests for your class. You can find several on
my site, and you can simply choose the items you want them to fill out.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, November 26, 1999
Subject: "From%20your%20tprintro.html%20File"
Dear Dr. Driving: I think your traffic psychology is a wonderful addition to drivers
education. I would like to enforce this idea in drivers education classes in Illinois ,
where driving is taught in high schools. I think if your ideas and concepts were taught
hand in hand with learning how to drive, we would have safer streets to drive in. Please
send me some information on who I can go to. I am in the Chicago and Suburban areas. --
Diane
Dear Diane: Thank you for the kind works about my work. I hope you have a chance to see
my DrDriving site at
http://DrDriving.org
Please look it over and let me know what area you'd like to start working. One
suggestion: look at these three files specifically, then let me know:
Children and road rage
http://DrDriving.org/youth
Quality Driving Circles
Traffic Enforcement and Education
DrDriving
----------------------------
Friday, November 26, 1999
Subject: Road Rage
Dear Dr. Driving: I
am finding your web page to be very informative and useful. I am a
college student at Park College in Missouri. I am conducting
research and a public relations project on road rage. If you have
any extra's, I would love them. -- Amy
----------------------------
Saturday, November 27, 1999
Subject: HPD's Poor Driving Habits
Dear Dr. Driving: All of us watch how the operator of a police vehicle will conduct
himself in traffic. It's amazing how many of their vehicles have broken turn signal
indicators. I know they have to be broken because if these police officers were too lazy
or self-centered to use their signals, THEN THAT WOULD REALLY PISS ME OFF. See you on the
roadways. -- Kevin
----------------------------
Sunday, November 28, 1999
Subject: Road Rage -- Interview request
Dear Dr. Driving:
I am a Swiss-American journalist working on an article about
"Road Rage" for the Tages-Anzeiger, Switzerland's largest newspaper. I would
like to set up an interview with you on this topic, ideally for early next week. Please
let me know as soon as you can if you would be available and when. I would be happy to
call you at the time/number specified (I'm in San Francisco). The interview would take
approximately half an hour of your time. I would be grateful for your response. -- Sarah
Dear Sarah: Thanks for your interest in DrDriving. I would be happy to give you a phone
interview.
DrDriving
Dear Dr. Driving:
Some of the questions I will be exploring in this article are (and yes, I'm aware that
some of this info can be found on your website):
What are the root causes of "road rage"? Is it mainly an American phenomenon?
Is it primarily a consequence of the increase of traffic, the long commuter drives, the
speed of "modern life"? What is the role of cultural factors such as the much
quoted "loss of manners"? Does road rage have different causes/manifestations in
men and women? How successful are reeducation programs for aggressive drivers?
Since the article is for the "Science" section of the paper, I'm particularly
interested in scientific studies that have been conducted in connection with "road
rage".
I'd also be interested in talking to other experts on the subject, and would be
grateful if you have any referrals. -- Sarah
----------------------------
Saturday, November 27, 1999
Subject: Are there any aggressive driving laws passed by congress?
Dear Dr. Driving: Hi, I was wondering if there is any laws being passed by congress, or
any major actions being taken by congress to pass laws having to do with aggressive
driving that I would be able to find out-please let me know of anything of this sort. --
linz
Dear linz: Yes, check
this file on the Web
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 28, 1999
Subject: Entering intersections
Dear Dr. Driving: My daughter just completed a science project that showed that men are
at least twice as likely to enter an intersection where the light has already turned
yellow than women. Some days they are 4 times more likely. She may pursue this more next
year. Last year she determined which was the most dangerous intersection in our city. Any
suggestions? -- FS
Dear
FS: Good idea for her to do that! Please
look in these two files for more ideas for her to do as projects:
here and
here.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Sunday, November 28, 1999
Subject: Great Web Page
Dear Dr. Driving: This is a great web page and a very interesting program. This is
certainly something we could use in the S.F. Bay Area . H.
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: Re: Permission to use
Dear Dr. Driving:
It's quite an honor to hear from you. I've read quite a bit about
you and your work and have always found the information to be quite
intriguing. I've cited you many times. Feel free to use the crashing
truck graphic. I downloaded it from a web site that offers free web
graphics so there is no copyright problem. -- C.
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: S-B Article
Dear Dr. Driving:
Yipee! Your message is getting such wide coverage. Ron and I saw the
your picture and the article in the 11/27 Star-Bulletin - front page no less. I was glad
to hear about the distribution of the
TEE cards. Keep up the
good work. -- E
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: Front page
Dear Dr. Driving: CONGRATS TO YOU AND DIANE ON THE FRONT PAGE STORY - WHAT A SUCCESS
FOR YOU AND PSYCHOLOGY - KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK - YOU ARE SAVING LIVES - DOESN'T GET BETTER
THAN THAT! ALOHA. -- TONY
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: curious
Dear Dr. Driving: I am getting ready to talk about road rage to my speech class, can
you give me some stats on the holiday season and rr?
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: Driving rage
Dear Dr. Driving:
I've been living in Bucharest now for eight months, driving for about
six months. You may not have a clue about bad driving until you come to a place like
Bucharest. I also lived in Colombo, Sri Lanka for two years. I never drove there because I
would not have lived through the two years. Another driver would have killed me for sure.
Back to Bucharest. My comment to your article is, "As a cure, send all of Hawaii's
bad drivers to Bucharest, Romania. Here, they will be able to hone their bad driving
skills to the max. There are no clear driving rules, except "Do what you want, when
you want, and to hell with the others." If the police stops you, pay a fine and
continue on your way. If you're connected somewhere, then continue on without stopping.
Just ignore the cop.
But the thing that does not occur here is fighting. Name calling is allowed. Fist
waving is allowed. And other obscene gestures are allowed, but frowned upon. So as bad as
the bad gets, violence is socially unacceptable. So send your bad drivers here to learn
proper fist waving, name calling and other obscenities, but no fighting."
You guys have it good. You don't know what bad driving is all about. Nor do you know
what bad roads are all about. And you don't know what bad pedestrian behavior is. If you
want to know, come to Bucharest. Driving here will give you an appreciation of how good,
driving wise, road condition wise, you have it in Hawaii.
You don't have manholes without manhole covers in the middle of the street. Watching
for open manholes, potholes the size of a 55-gallon drum, pedestrians who ignore traffic
light, and cars that ignore lines is a real challenge. You gotta watch for everything.
Plus, they place traffic lights where you cannot see them. And they have
"round-abouts" just like in Paris, just like in Washington DC, and just like in
Colombo. Maneuvering about a round-about should be part of the driving test given in
Hawaii. Can't maneuver, no license.
Well, just another day in chilly Bucharest with ice on the cars and ice on the roads.
Did I say "Ice on the roads." Yup, just one more challenge. Ice on
"cobblestone roads." -- ET
Dear
ET: Thank you! I enjoyed your description of the traffic situation and driver
relations--sounds like Las Vegas under booming construction (but I know there is a
difference...).
DrDriving
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: information
Dear Dr. Driving: Hello. I printed out some information I think was wrote by you, it
had your email address at the bottom. I lost the site where I got the information. The
information included title topics like THE SYMPTOMS OF ROAD RAGE , ROAD RAGE AROUND THE
NATION, and THE COMPONENTS OF ROAD RAGE. Can you please send me the site? -- Ehende
Dear Ehende: The document is my Congressional Testimony here:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/testimony.htm
DrDriving
----------------------------
Monday, November 29, 1999
Subject: information, please
Dear Dr. Driving: I
am doing a science project on the subject of safe driving. My
overall problem is to determine the affects of the color of a
person's vehicle on their ability to drive safely. "If a person
purchases a red car, will they automatically be an aggressive
driver?" and etc...I read some of your conclusions and I noticed
that there were none involving the affects of color on safety. I'm
hoping that you may have this information and just haven't gotten it
out yet. If this is so, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could send
me any information, research, and/or statistics you may have on the
affects of vehicle color on safe driving so that I may continue my
research. If you don't have this information, could you please point
me in the right direction to find it? Thank you for your
cooperation. -- V.
Dear V. : Sorry I haven't analyzed the data on color--too busy right now. Try
searching Web engines (different ones) on "color +automobile or +car I did find a
couple of articles once.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Subject: Survey
Dear Dr. Driving: Can I print this without using 16 pages? I'm fairly new with this
computer. I want to take the test to the class of 25 people and I don't have enough paper
to print 16 pages for each person. -- Lillian
Dear Lillian: I suggest you work with your browser and word processor, both open
simultaneously. Then select with your mouse the text or item you want to use, switch to
the word processor and paste it. Go back and do the same for all the items you want. Then
fix the word processor file and print it. Now you can photocopy as many copies as you
need.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Subject: A few questions???
Dear Dr. Driving: I'm
doing a report on road rage and was wondering if you know of any web
sites that relay any facts regarding the number of road rage
incidents annually. How many own cars and how many are on the
highways everyday in Southern California? -- KB
Dear KB: You'll need to do some research. Try the search engine on my site first.
DrDriving
----------------------------
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Subject: story for the road rage/kindness page
Dear Dr. Driving: I don't believe in this "touchy-feely" tone your page
promotes, but I do believe in common courtesy and obeying the law.
Recently I was driving a company vehicle, a large panel van that blocks out a lot of
the vision of the road. Where I live, the law says you can't enter an intersection unless
you can go through it completely. So, because the next block ahead was full of cars
waiting for a light to change, I waited behind at the previous corner so I wouldn't block
out cross traffic. But that's not the payoff.
A vehicle from my
right was waiting to turn left but couldn't see through my vehicle,
and in the other lane going my direction, cars were still
approaching the red light. So what I did was hold up my fist
signaling "two" with fingers extended, then a car passed, and I
signaled "one"; then it passed, and then the car on my right could
now safely make the left turn to the opposite direction I was going,
knowing no cars were coming. He gave me a courteous wave in reply.
-- B.
----------------------------
Wednesday, December 1, 1999
Subject: road rage
Dear Dr. Driving: My Name is Mike and I am a student At Harford College in Bel Air, MD.
I am doing some research on road rage. You seem to be an expert on the subject. Is there
any new information on to eliminate aggressive driving. I am doing a research paper on
road rage and the solution to the social problem, any current information on the topic
would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to hearing from you. -- Michael
----------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 May 2000 19:12:27 -1000
To:
DrDriving@DrDriving.org
Subject: Your
misunderstanding of the issues and premises never cease to amaze me...
These aggressive laws are about jobs and dollars.. nothing more.
1. Each time you go through a red light (engaging the intersection when already red) A
significant number (majority) of traffic light are not timed in accordance with MUTCD
guidelines or on the basis of engineering that have determined the prevailing speed of
traffic being regulated.
a Many times resulting in short yellows and irregular timing sequences. (equivalent of
speed traps)
b Many red light camera are placed at intersections with low accident rates, but high
volumes and/or other traffic sites with design flaws where the cameras record significant
violations yet have no effect on accident rates. The cities profit from there in action.
c AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, the latest AAA study out of Minnesota and a like one out of
England shows that doing an engineering review of an intersection and bringing the devices
up to standards and specifications (MUTCD) (timing) resulted in accident reductions of up
to 50%.
d. Excerpts of another report
"So far I have measured 13 intersections. I take at least 20 readings of amber
time at each signal. I measure the clearance distance also. Where appropriate I measure
the uphill or downhill grade as the case requires. All the data is then statistically
analyzed and calculations specific to the intersection are made. Out of the 13
intersections I have measured and analyzed so far, five (or 38.5%) failed to provide the
minimum amber needed to make a so called safe stop. All 13 (or 100%) failed to provide the
minimum amber time required for a vehicle to make safe passage and clearance of the
intersection, which happens to be a CODE OF VIRGINIA requirement. "
2. Each time you go through an amber light (visibly speeding up to make it, not just
getting caught in it) See above
3. Each time you switch a lane without signaling first These citations are always
grouped with speeding as a primary component of aggressive drive laws. Before you jump on
this band wagon go look at the actual data. Here in Nevada, even with urban cities like
Las Vegas and Reno, out of 70,000 accidents last year there were only 5 were caused by
changing lanes without signaling in total, with another 8 as contributing cause. ZERO on
the interstate/open highway with free flowing traffic, yet it was the most popular
secondary citation written here by the NHP on these classifications of highways.
4. Each time you make a turn without signaling See above - Yes you should signal when
making a turn, but it is not an aggressive driving type of offenses. Normal citation
should suffice.
5. - 10. Each time you go over the speed limit by more than 1 mile See the study I
conducted in Montana. Speed enforcement, as practiced, has not shown to have any effect on
vehicle speeds or accident rates. Most enforcement occurs when traffic is light, lowest
accident frequency sections of highway, during the times of day when accidents are least
likely to occur, targeting the safest vehicles in the bell curve on roads that have the
limits set well bellow the finding of the engineering recommendations.
http://www.motorists.org/pressreleases/montana.html
The charts speak for themselves without my commentary. The changes or fluctuations in
the fatality rate had nothing to do speed limit changes. However, it is interesting to
note they recorded there lowest rates ever when there were no limits whatsoever.
http://nj.npri.org/nj99/03/fedagency.htm
<---- this is a sad truth
http://nj.npri.org/nj99/04/rule.htm
<---- this is a parody
11. - 14. This type of behavior is unacceptable at all times. Interesting to note that
the Governor of MN vetoed a "slower traffic keep" right bill primarily at the
request of the state patrol - what's up with that. Here in Nevada I wrote a bill that was
signed into law that says you even if you are exceeding limit , yet impeding traffic, you
can be cited.
15. Each time you drive without a valid driver license. The number one cause of lose of
license is not having the money to pay for traffic fine. Primary Victims.. those that
don't have money and work from pay check to pay check.
16. Each time you drive with an alcohol level above the legal limit AGGRESSIVE
DRIVING??? There are sufficient laws on the books for this one.
17. Each time you drive while drowsy enough to have droopy eyes In bridge (transit)
states like Nevada the Fed highway monies are not enough to repair and replace the
highways, and there is no funding available to operate rest stops. Well in excess of 70%
the open highway accidents are single vehicle events. Yet rest areas are virtually
non-existent. NONE on the high accident 15 corridor between Vegas and the California
line... and Casinos do not qualify as rest areas.
18. - 19. Each time you drive and use a hand held cellular phone when not in an
emergency situation Despite all the hype, accidents caused by technology are low and the
benefits from cell phones has been enormous. when accidents do occur, before the vehicles
come to a stopp the 911 centers receive multiple calls and live reports on the severity
and nature of the event. Furthermore, the idiotic recommendation to pull over to shoulder
and stop to talk is the most dangerous act a motorists can perform. The act of leaving and
entering the stream and dramatic speed differentials creates an extreme hazard and is
never a good idea unless you leave the roadway at an off ramp.
Technology is here and there is no turning it back... This week the President lifted
the military scrambling of the GPS signals to enhance transportation electronic device
applications and navigation. As with driving, flying or any other endeavor we will as
species adapt. And our survival and lower accident rates says we aren't doing to bad a job
20. Each time you drive in a car whose windows are dark tinted enough so other drivers
cannot see you What does this have to do with aggressive driving???
21. Each time you drive and other drivers can hear your radio or music blasting loud
enough that it can be clearly heard in an adjacent car whose windows are up What does this
have to do with aggressive driving???
22. Each time you unmistakably rev your engine in order to intimidate someone or to
show them your displeasure Rare occurrence.. and if vehicles are stopped what does this
have to do with aggressive driving???
23. Each time you get to a traffic light and stop too close behind another car (you
cannot see the other car's tires) What does this have to do with aggressive driving???
24. Each time you approach too fast another car that's stopped, fast enough that the
other driver feels threatened Way too Subjective
25. Each time you follow too close and keep it up for more than one minute (even when
you're travelling in a pack) 6,000 cars an hour traveling at speeds up to and excess of 80
mph are daily routine on most urban interstates... at less than 1 second intervals.. What
does this have to do with aggressive driving??? I have the actual Caltrans reports if you
would like to see them.
26. Each time you're cruising in the passing lane, refusing to move over as soon as you
can Already against the law in most states... virtually never enforced.
27. Each time you're waiting in traffic and blocking an exit or intersection, when you
could have stopped sooner Already against the law in most states... virtually never
enforced.
28. Each time you can be seen making an obscene gesture at another road user Freedom of
speech... seems to come to mind even if offensive.
29. Each time you can be heard hurling an insult to another road user Freedom of
speech... seems to come to mind even if offensive.
30. Each time you don't make a full stop at a stop sign Most stop signs have been
placed contrary to the MUTCD (no supporting justification) many could be replaced with
yield signs or removed all together. When rational motorists determine that there is no
safety hazard... they will proceed with caution without coming to a complete stop. This is
why the yield signs in are recommended instead of stop signs. Save the stop signs for true
hazards. There are many many areas where accident rates could be reduced, the solutions
are not to found in aggressive driving laws, particularly as they are being enforced.
Worse yet, NHTSA has been holding back studies and field reports from publication that are
contrary to their stated objectives... anyone one can claim success when they withhold
publication of the projects that failed, alter data and quote out of context.
From: Leon James
Date: Fri, 05 May 2000 11:56:41 -1000
Subject: your amazement
thank you for your detailed commentary on the survey about how to define aggressive
driving. Perhaps you'll be surprised to hear that I agree with most of your comments. My
role is to make sure people's opinions are voiced and so the items I have in the survey
don't necessarily mean that I consider these aggressive. I have included all items that
law enforcement and
legislative bills mention as aggressive driving--no standards yet and
things vacillate enormously. A few areas of disagreement remain with respect to insults
(which you see as a freedom of speech issue) and things a driver does that intimidate
other drivers (approaching too fast or too close--maintaining distance between you and the
vehicle ahead of you, either moving or stopped). I consider it aggressive (if you ask
drivers--they feel intimidated, and that's the line I draw). Still, I support the idea of
giving these things different weights since some are more serious than others. I'm writing
a revision of my aggressive driving prevention course for law enforcement (recently given
to Texas and Florida traffic officers). Since you and your organization are very
knowledgeable and have definite views, perhaps you'd care to give me some suggestions on
what to include in such a course regarding how officers should orient themselves in
traffic stops involving traffic infractions.
Take care.
Leon James
DrDriving Says...The way you drive is contagious!
From Fri May 12 14:25:49 2000
To: leon@hawaii.edu
Subject: Note on your request for comments..
Here is the note I attached to this email that I sent out to our national Issue
advisory group. This group not only includes engineers and other such professionals, it
also includes several former law enforcement officers, one captain that ran the states
accident reduction program and another was a former highway patrolman.
DR DRIVING poses an
interesting question at the end of this email. We as a group should collect a list of
items and send it to him. The comments were scarce, yet consistent, and several of us
simultaneously sent back the same reply. Truth.. "how officers should orient
themselves in traffic stops involving traffic infractions" had us a bit puzlled.
Once an officer decides to make stop.. no assumptions can be made. He must approach with
caution and remain in control of situation.
The other truth that became apparent is most
of the high profile tactics and publicized operations such as Michigan used using unmarked
cars driving slowly in the fast lane, then arresting those that pass is Wrong,
Antagonistic and illegal here in Nevada and many other states. The real problem.. much of
the aggressive driving issues were very subjective, ignore this problems core and most
prevalent form of aggressive behavior. Traffic 101, accidents are conflicts in flow, and
to reduce accidents, flow management is always the best policy. Slower traffic keep right,
use signals, courtesy and etc. are the tenants of this flow strategy. Long ago safety
engineers have documented that slow driving (slower than the mean) is wrongly assumed
safer.
The enemy in the aggressive driving problem is not those that are the current
target... to the contrary, it is the PASSIVE Aggressive Driver who stays in the left lane
because of ignorance, self righteous entitlement and and and. The George Carlin skit is
the answer here.. anyone slower is an idiot.. anyone faster is a maniac. Pretty close to
the truth except that the slow driver in the left lane creates a constant and ongoing flow
obstruction point that the traffic traveling at the prevailing speeds has to navigate
past.
My feeling is the person who needs to cited is PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE DRIVER who failed to
yield or act with road courtesy that is maintaining a constant and intentional dangerous
flow conflict strategy.. why.. doesn't really matter does it.
My conclusion.. if you want to really have an affect on road courtesy/safety. Promote
Road Courtesy Slower Traffic Keep Right AND!! Start citing the PASSIVE
AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS
IN FACT we might want to suggest they initiate an Anti Passive Aggressive program rather
than having law enforcement agencies being the aggressor and using this wrong and
misguided behavior as justification to write citations - to what end?? On every safety
chart, motorists traveling above the mean are the least likely to be involved in an
accident. (plus 12 mph safest) (except one by NHTSA/TRB that incorrectly stated the mean
was the safest speed, using false info and data supplied by NHTSA in 1998, after they
blocked the publication of one study for 5 years and simply chose not to report others
because their findings were contrary to NHTSA's public positions.)
PS.. the mean on most
interstates in the US is greater than the posted limits. There fore the primary focus of
speed enforcement continues to targeted at those who on the relative risk charts are the
least likely to be involved in an accident during the safest times of the day on the
sections of highways with the lowest accident rates. Without exception, I can prove this
is what is going on in any state and I have used this often with members of the press..
you pick a highway.. I will do the research or show you what to look for.. and the results
are always the same. Most speeding citations issued in way that has no possible effect on
accident reduction.
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