From
jgwilliams1@hotmail.com Sun Jul 1 17:20:02
2001
Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 16:24:26 -1000
From: Jason Williams <jgwilliams1@hotmail.com>
To: dyc@drdriving.org
Subject: Road Rage.
Hello,
I was wondering if you can read copies of two emails that received that are listed below.
I work for a sports radio station in Grand Rapids, MI and these were sent in by a listener. I happen to be a NASCAR fan, and I would like to prove him wrong. Can you give me some advice on how I should respond to this person? Thanks for You help.
Jason Williams
#1
I am writing you to bring attention to a matter of growing concern, a matter that could become even more disturbing than
"Backyard Wrestling". This matter
of concern I am speaking of is Nascar Fan, specifically Nascar Fan and his/her misconception that if you place a round
sticker with your favorite drivers number in
your back window you in fact become a Sunday afternoon
legend. For example Monday morning I was heading into the city on I-96 and I come upon a rusty green Ford Ranger with
not one but two numbers in the back window, 3
and 8. I'm thinking great someone who worships a driver
with such great skills that he is now dead. Anyway I'll try and be brief. I was driving about 75 or so and this truck
was surprisingly obeying the 70 mph speed
limit until....... I attempted to pass this guy still dreaming
about competing at MIS the day before. Suddenly a puff of black smoke exploded from his exhaust and in his mind the
green flag had dropped. Well with gas prices
the way they are I let him go and he soon realized he in
fact was just an average neck on his way to another exciting day of pouring concrete or something. Well again I came
upon him to pass and again the same happened
every time he would slow back down as soon as I was boxed in
by another vehicle or I let off and took him away from his fantasy. The reason I am writing is I really don't want to see a
video series about "Freeway NECKCAR
Racin" NASCAR fan please realize there is a good reason you sit on your couch with a case of Busch Light every
Sunday and watch your heroes drive in circles
for three hours, you are not good enough to drive like
they do!!!! So loose the "I'm not tailgatin I'm Draftin" bumper sticker and all the little circle stickers with numbers on
them and please for the sake of everyone
understand that I am not Jeff Gordon or Rickey Rudd, or who ever your nemesis is let me pass you and accept
that I will not get more points than you or a
bigger payday the Freeway is not a race track and if you
still have the desire to do some Racin, spray paint a big 69 or 101x on your door and head out to Berlin and run in the
street stocks or whatever they are called.
#2
C'mon guys I cannot believe you are acting so surprised at the reports of road rage shootings and motorcycle chases. After
all I did put out a warning to all WBBL
listeners last week with my e-mail. NASCAR fans are getting out of hand, Turns out the reason for the motorcycle
chase is due to the fact that the neck on the
motorcycle passed squad car # 24 and seeing this the driver
of the bike was thrown into some sort of hypnotic state and thought he was dueling it out with Jeff Gordon for the lead
in the final laps at Daytona. I am honored
that you found my e-mail last week to be amusing, but it
was not my intent. These freaks are becoming an epidemic in West Michigan and until brightly painted cars driving in circles
are banned from television we are going to
see a continual increase in the number of these incidents.
I am urging everyone who is in earshot of this message to write your FOX and NBC affiliates and have this rubbish
removed from their stations. The apocalypse
is upon us and the few of us who have not been overcome
by the entrancing powers of NASCAR, must attempt to restore our roadways to previously safe conditions. It is no
longer the Q-Tip in the powder blue Buick
that we need to fear on our daily commute it is indeed NASCAR
fan.
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
From leon@hawaii.edu Sun Jul 1 17:20:30 2001
Date: Sun, 1 Jul 2001 17:15:53 -1000
From: Leon James <leon@hawaii.edu>
To: Jason Williams <jgwilliams1@hotmail.com>
Cc: DrDriving <DrDriving@aloha.net>
Subject: street racers and NASCAR
On Fri, 29 Jun 2001, Jason Williams wrote:
> I waas wondering if you can read copies of two emails that received that are
> listed below. I work for a sports radio
station in Grand Rapids, MI and
> these were sent in by a listener. I
happen to be a NASCAR fan, and I would
> like to prove him wrong. Can you give me
some advice on how I should
> respond to this person? Thanks for You
help.
Hi, Jason Williams
The two letter writers represent a type of thinking on the road shared by millions of
drivers. The drivers they are protesting about represent street racers and there are
millions of them around. And there is a third group like yourself who support NASCAR but
not street racers--and there are millions of those. So you're talking about a threeway
battle on our roads. This is why our book is titled Road Rage and Aggressive Driving:
Steering Clear of Highway Warfare.
To avoid warfare in the form of duels, hostility, risk, all
three groups have to adopt an attitude of latitude about the others. Those who do
battle with the street racers can change their reaction to "How do I stay away from
this dangerous driver." If engaged, same advice. If provoked, same advice. This
retains maximum control of the situation and the highway. If you do anything else, there's
going to be a duel and you've lost control of the outcome.
The street racers who go around challenging drivers to a duel and act provocatively in
many ways, can change their reaction to "Oh, well, this driver is not going to race
with me. I better lay off." They should remember that most drivers cannot handle the
kind of risk they feel comfortable handling. If they entice or provoke someone to a race
and they're not able to handle it, they've lost control of the situation. Eventually the
street racers must see that this behavior is anti-social and irrational.
Those who love professional racing but not on the streets or highways, can remind
themselves that their love of racing has consequences for society that they need to take
some responsibility for. Maybe not the entire responsibility but some. Perhaps they need
to think about how to neutralize the bad effects of professional racing on some fans.
Perhaps there are to be more discussion of this topic so fans can become aware of the
potential dangers involved and how they can avoid falling into the addiction of street
racing.
Hope this helps. If you can, please quote our book and our site:
Book:
Leon James, Ph.D. and Diane Nahl, Ph.D.
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare
(Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2000)
ISBN 1-57392-846-1
Our site:
www.DrDriving.org
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
+++++++++++++
> #1
>
> I am writing you to bring attention to a matter of growing concern, a matter
> that could become even more disturbing than "Backyard Wrestling". This
> matter of concern I am speaking of is Nascar Fan, specifically Nascar Fan
> and his/her misconception that if you place a round sticker with your
> favorite drivers number in your back window you in fact become a Sunday
> afternoon legend. For example Monday morning I was heading into the city on
> I-96 and I come upon a rusty green Ford Ranger with not one but two numbers
> in the back window, 3 and 8. I'm thinking great someone who worships a
> driver with such great skills that he is now dead. Anyway I'll try and be
> brief. I was driving about 75 or so and this truck was surprisingly obeying
> the 70 mph speed limit until....... I attempted to pass this guy still
> dreaming about competing at MIS the day before. Suddenly a puff of black
> smoke exploded from his exhaust and in his mind the green flag had dropped.
> Well with gas prices the way they are I let him go and he soon realized he
> in fact was just an average neck on his way to another exciting day of
> pouring concrete or something. Well again I came upon him to pass and again
> the same happened every time he would slow back down as soon as I was boxed
> in by another vehicle or I let off and took him away from his fantasy. The
> reason I am writing is I really don't want to see a video series about
> "Freeway NECKCAR Racin" NASCAR fan please realize there is a good reason
you
> sit on your couch with a case of Busch Light every Sunday and watch your
> heroes drive in circles for three hours, you are not good enough to drive
> like they do!!!! So loose the "I'm not tailgatin I'm Draftin" bumper
sticker
> and all the little circle stickers with numbers on them and please for the
> sake of everyone understand that I am not Jeff Gordon or Rickey Rudd, or who
> ever your nemesis is let me pass you and accept that I will not get more
> points than you or a bigger payday the Freeway is not a race track and if
> you still have the desire to do some Racin, spray paint a big 69 or 101x on
> your door and head out to Berlin and run in the street stocks or whatever
> they are called.
>
>
>
> #2
>
>
>
> C'mon guys I cannot believe you are acting so surprised at the reports of
> road rage shootings and motorcycle chases. After all I did put out a warning
> to all WBBL listeners last week with my e-mail. NASCAR fans are getting out
> of hand, Turns out the reason for the motorcycle chase is due to the fact
> that the neck on the motorcycle passed squad car # 24 and seeing this the
> driver of the bike was thrown into some sort of hypnotic state and thought
> he was dueling it out with Jeff Gordon for the lead in the final laps at
> Daytona. I am honored that you found my e-mail last week to be amusing, but
> it was not my intent. These freaks are becoming an epidemic in West Michigan
> and until brightly painted cars driving in circles are banned from
> television we are going to see a continual increase in the number of these
> incidents. I am urging everyone who is in earshot of this message to write
> your FOX and NBC affiliates and have this rubbish removed from their
> stations. The apocalypse is upon us and the few of us who have not been
> overcome by the entrancing powers of NASCAR, must attempt to restore our
> roadways to previously safe conditions. It is no longer the Q-Tip in the
> powder blue Buick that we need to fear on our daily commute it is indeed
> NASCAR fan.
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
>
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