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          Welcome to

  DrDriving.org

 

We have written books and articles on driving psychology and have posted them on this site for your interest. We also post survey results and collections of road rage news and legislation. You'll find here the Web's largest collection of literature references on driving psychology and thousands of Web organized and annotated  links to sites of interest to driving and drivers. It's all free for your personal use. For other uses, please email us for permission. See also our privacy statement.

Aloha,

Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl
Kailua, Hawaii

Web Address
:  DrDriving.org
Email letters@DrDriving.org    ||    interviews@DrDriving.org

Read Dear DrDriving Letters and Answers

My Congressional Testimony on Aggressive Driving

Newspaper Stories on Aggressive Driving Quoting Leon James

Online Discussions of Controversial Driving Issues

Collection of Road Rage News Stories Around the World

 

Interviews on aggressive driving, road rage, culture of violence, more...
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Road Rage News Stories in the News from Google (2007)

Cars, Drivers, Passengers | and | Relationships, Marriage, Romance

Cats in the News, Pet Psychology, Human Catheads, More...

 

road rageAbout 115 people die each day from traffic crashes in the U.S.

Nearly 42,000 people die every year from traffic crashes, sending four million more to emergency rooms and hospitalizing 400,000, half with permanent disabilities.

On-the-job traffic crashes cause 3000 deaths, 332,000 injuries and cost employers over $43 billion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and can reduce employee productivity by 40 percent. road rage woman

In addition to the emotional toll, on-the-job traffic crashes annually cost employers about $3.5 billion in property damage, $7.9 million in medical care and emergency service taxes, $17.5 billion for wage premiums, $4.9 billion for workplace disruption (to hire and train either new employees or temporary employees) and $8.5 billion in disability and life insurance costs.

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   If you multiply these figures by 10 (one decade), automobile crashes in the U.S. mount to nearly half a million violent deaths every decade, and 2 million permanently disabled, costing about half a trillion dollars every decade.

 

Driving psychology in a lifelong driver education program tied to licensing and renewal, is the answer that will save most of this national and personal disaster. The articles below outline this solution.

400 billion aggressive exchanges per year in the U.S.

Here's the way we figure it: 125 million (drivers on the road daily) X 1,000 (mini-exchanges between drivers during two commutes per day) X .01 (1 percent proportion of hostile or stressed exchanges) X 365 (days per year) = about 400 billion stressful or aggressive exchanges per year in the U.S.


From: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation Of the Committee on Transportation and infrastructure House of representatives One hundred fifth congress July 17, 1997  Washington, D.C.

"Enforcement is important, Mr. Chairman, but we really need to study the causes behind road rage, and I'm looking forward to hearing from our witnesses this morning on ways in which we can identify and respond to the triggers which lead to aggressive driving. Perhaps we can incorporate some of these ideas when we move to reauthorize ISTEA."

"This committee has been fighting and will continue to fight to provide adequate funding so we can relieve congestion, and that certainly will have a very significant impact on reducing the aggressive driving that we're experiencing in this country."

"This committee does not have the capacity to change the emotions and the aggressive feelings of people out on the highway, but we do have a responsibility and the jurisdiction to try to change the environment which causes that aggression, and that environment is caused largely by congestion."
Members of the Committee


"In 15 years, I've identified many detailed psychological components of aggressive driving and have developed an empirically-based theory of what causes aggressive driving and what behavioral techniques can be used to measure and control it.

My research has confirmed to some degree nearly every driver has feelings of rage and thoughts of retaliation. For the past year, the media has increased coverage of road rage incidents, and people are asking questions for which scientific data are not yet available. Is aggressive driving increasing? Are there differences or is it a universal epidemic? What causes the increase in aggressive driving and how can it be controlled?

I think what's on the increase is the amount of habitual road rage we see today. I define habitual road rage as a persistent state of hostility behind the wheel, demonstrated by acts of aggression and a continuum of violence, and justified by righteous indignation.

Driving and habitual road rage have become virtually inseparable. Road rage is a habit acquired in childhood. Children are reared in a car culture that condones irate expression as part of the normal wear and tear of driving. Once they enter a car, children notice that all the sudden the rules have changed. It's okay to be mad, very upset, out of control, and use bad language that's ordinarily not allowed.

By the time they get their driver's license, adolescents have assimilated years of road rage. The road rage habit can be unlearned, but it takes more than conventional driver's ed."
Dr. Leon James

See Congressional Testimony by Dr. Leon James on Aggressive Driving
See Letters from Readers About My Congressional Testimony

book.gif (4305 bytes)    Excellent with the book:  ROAD RAGE AND AGGRESSIVE DRIVING

 "the definitive book on the aggressive driving epidemic."

 To read excerpts   ||   To order from Amazon.com

"With strong documentation and easy-to-follow steps, Dr. James and Dr. Nahl show us how to adopt a more gently paced way to stop racing against time and people to get someplace and truly enjoy getting there. They show us how being a better driver helps us lead a better, happier, healthier life." 
 Paul Pearsall, Ph.D. Author of
The Pleasure Prescription and Toxic Success: How to Stop Striving and Start Thriving

Children's Books at Amazon.com  ||  Songs About Cars || 


Articles on this Site Free for your use

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Aggressive Driving, Road Rage, Driving Psychology, Personality Makeovers, Air Rage, Pedestrian and Bicycling Safety, Bullying Rage, Surfing Rage, Parking Rage, Safety Education and Driving Courses, Elderly Drivers, Truck, Emergency, and School Bus Driving, Law Enforcement and Legislation, Classified and Linked Collections of Web Sites and Research References, Pets Psychology, Cars and Romance, and more...
by
Dr. Leon James

 

 

  1. My Congressional Testimony on the Psychology of Road Rage and Aggressive Driving

  2. Our Road Rage and Aggressive Driving Book -- Excerpts and Index 

  3. Dealing with stress and pressure in the vehicle. Taxonomy of Driving Behavior:  Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor

  4. A New Paradigm for a Global Lifelong Driver Education Curriculum

  5. Two concept Papers: Instituting a Program of Lifelong Traffic Safety Training
    and Promoting the Spread of Quality Driving Circles (QDC) for Post-Licensing Driver Self-improvement Programs

  6. Lifelong Driver's Education: A New Socio-Behavioral Proposal

  7. Driving Psychology Principles

  8. Aggressive Driving is Emotionally Impaired Driving

  9. Aggressive Driving is Emotionally Impaired Driving Conference Paper Summary Principles, Handouts, Analyses, and Charts

  10. Driver Personality Survey Results: Driving With Emotional Intelligence

  11. Gender and Driving--Men vs. Women

  12. Driving Personality Makeovers

  13. Musings of a Traffic Psychologist in Traffic--Social Psychology of Driving 

  14. Partnership Driving

  15. Philosophy of Driving

  16. Principles of Driving Psychology

  17. Psychology and Driving

  18. Violence and Driving--A Mental Health Issue

  19. QDC--Quality Driving Circles or Support Groups

  20. 3-Step Program for Changing Your Driving Habits

  21. Data On the Private World of the Driver (thoughts and feelings)

  22. What Drivers Complain About Arranged by Feelings, Thoughts, and Acts

  23. Traffic Emotions Education Cards

  24. DrDriving's Rating of the Strength of Aggressive Driving Language in Legislation

  25. Common Driving Habits and What To Do About Them

  26. Cars, Drivers, Passengers and Relationships, Marriage, Romance

  27. Drivers Against Pedestrians: How to Change Attitudes -- Checklist for Your Tendency to Pressure Pedestrians -- Your Emotional Intelligence Towards Pedestrians

  28. Pedestrian Psychology and Safety

  29. Pedestrian Rage

  30. Bicycling Safety Information -- The War Against Drivers

  31. The Psychology of Air Rage Prevention With Compassionate Crowd Management Techniques

  32. Driving Informatics and Links

  33. Driving Information and Links

  34. Driving Topics and Web Links

  35. Birds Stories: The Social Psychology of a Backyard Aviary

  36. Songs About Driving Cars on Roads and Highways

  1. Driving Literature References

  2. Largest Collection of Road Rage and Driving Tips on the Web (1996-2007)

  3. 9 Zones of Your Driving Personality

  4. Acts of Kindness while Driving

  5. DBB Ratings--Drivers Behaving Badly Movie Ratings

  6. Distracted Driving: Cell phones, Multitasking

  7. Red Light Running

  8. Collection of Statistics, Facts, Advice, Tips

  9. Analyzing Newsgroups for Drivers--Student Reports

  10. Workshop Charts on Getting a Grip on Anger while Driving

  11. Music and Driving

  12. For Law Enforcement and Safety Officials: Aggressive Driving Questions and Answers

  13. Chart of Your Driving Personality

  14. Principles of Christian Driving Psychology

  15. Road Rage Overview

  16. Driver Personality Test

  17. Driving Vignettes

  18. Driving Cartoons

  19. DrDriving's Advice for Managing Your Own Road Rage

  20. Hawaii Road Rage and Driving Issues

  21. The New Driver Education for the Year 2000

  22. Collection of Road Rage News Stories Around the World

  23. Interview Answers on Road Rage and Other Rages for Various News Sources

  24. The Psychology of Parking Rage: Threestep Program For Prevention

  25. Driver Personality Test and Results

  26. Rage-Depression Survey Results for Age

  27. Rage-Depression Survey Results for Gender

  28. Rage-Depression Survey Results for Education

  29. Rage-Depression Survey Results for Age, Gender, Education

  30. Rage-Depression Survey Results: Notebook with Selections and Links

  31. Emotional Reactions to the September 11 Attack

  32. Half a Century of Science in Psychology: Scientific Neologisms Coined by Leon James For the Period 1958-2008

  33. Pets Psychology and Rage-Depression -- Pet Loss Support, Human Catheads, More...

Site Map  ||  Search this Site

Teen Drivers | Elderly Drivers | Parking Rage | Truck Drivers | School Buses | Emergency Vehicles | Police and Legislation | Boat Rage | RoadRageous Video Course | Distracted Driving | Bicycling | Surf Rage | Emotional Spin Cycle | Bookstore | Road Rage Book | Road Rage Articles

Index to Controversial Issues Debated

including these topics: 
Issues Part 1 -- Right Lane vs. Left Lane Feelings | Tailgating | Social Responsibility
Issues Part 2 -- Driving the Speed Limit | PSA Radio Spots | Car Phones | Automatic Pilot | DUI Counseling
Issues Part 3 -- Why I Tailgate | Coned Lane: When to Merge | Social Responsibility
Issues Part 4 -- Road Rage | Driver Education | Driving Personality | Stereotypes About Women Drivers
Issues Part 5 -- Merging When Lane is Coned | Continuing Driver Education
Issues Part 6 -- Good Drivers' Association | Slay Your Driving Dragon
Issues Part 7 -- What B.A.D. Drivers Do
Issues Part 8 -- Tailgating and Aloha Spirit Driving
Issues Part 14 -- Aggressive Drivers and Road Rage | New Name "Crashes" vs. "Accidents" |
Issues Part 15 -- Princess Diana: The Road Rage Incident of the Century: Day 1
Issues Part 26 -- Speed limits | DUI | Crosswalks |Traffic calming methods | .

Index to Controversial Issues Debated  ||  Search this Site


Drivers 'don't regret road rage'

Nearly two in three drivers have engaged in road rage in the last three years and nearly all thought their behaviour was justified, a poll shows.

More than 10% of motorists even admitted it could be good to be a bit aggressive on the road.

And nearly 60% of the road ragers said they had behaved badly after being annoyed by the poor driving of others, the survey from Zurich Insurance found.

From: The Press Association April 4, 2008.
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jAI4WQu3eiCA1bHjcqIESg7gHFCA 


One In Six Have Been Road Rage Victims

4/19/2008

- And nearly 300,000 have had cars damaged in road rage incidents, says MoneyExpert.com

One in six drivers have been victims of road rage incidents in the past 12 months, new research from www.moneyexpert.com * shows.

More than 7.4 million motorists have been involved in confrontations with other drivers with younger drivers the most likely to be on the receiving end of other road users’ anger, the independent financial comparison website says.

The survey found that nearly 300,000 drivers had their cars damaged as a result of road rage confrontations – graphically illustrating the need for insurance. According to the RAC Foundation some ten per cent of drivers have been involved in an accident with an uninsured driver.

Several motor insurers such as Sainsbury’s Bank, which pays up to £1,000 compensation if drivers are assaulted, offer cover for road rage as part of their standard policies while others such as women-only insurer Sheila’s Wheels provide counselling services.

Sean Gardner of MoneyExpert.com, said: “Most of us will have lost our tempers while stuck in traffic and can sympathise with the sense of frustration felt by other drivers.

“But any sympathy goes out of the window for drivers who take out their anger on others. Shouting and swearing at other motorists is bad enough but damaging other drivers’ cars is beyond the pale.

“Our study did not thankfully find any evidence of physical assault but that is perhaps more down to luck than anything else. The fact that one in six of us has suffered from road rage is worrying. And of course many of us may be guilty of road rage ourselves.”

MoneyExpert.com estimates that around one in twenty fully comprehensive car insurance policies have a specific allowance for personal injury caused by road rage. However there are often exceptions and caveats, such as whether you caused the altercation and whether you are related to your assailant.

The most common form of road rage reported by motorists is tailgating – driving too close to another car – or other forms of aggressive driving. Around three-quarters of those who have suffered road rage in the past year were tailgated.

Half of the road rage incidents reported by motorists resulted in verbal confrontation while four per cent saw cars being damaged.

Around 16 per cent of motorists say they have suffered road rage in the past year – that rises to 19 per cent of 18 to 34-year-old motorists. Drivers aged 55 or over are least likely to be victims.

Drivers in the North of England are more likely to be road rage victims with 18 per cent reporting incidents while just 12 per cent of motorists in London have been victims.

From: http://www.webitpr.com/release_detail.asp?ReleaseID=8303 

traffic close upThe Effect of Age, Gender, and Type of Car Driven Across the States

by Dr. Leon James

http://www.drdriving.org/surveys/interpretations.htm

Summary:

The pattern of results thus far lead me to the following conclusions:

Aggressive driving is made up of a syndrome of habits that stick together
with plenty of individual variation.

Young drivers are more aggressive in all driving behaviors than older
drivers; senior drivers are the least aggressive.

Men are more aggressive than women when they drive sports cars and light
trucks (S-10, Pick-up, Ram, Ranger, F-150, Silverado, Dakota, etc.); women
are more aggressive than men when they drive SUVs and luxury cars. For
economy and family cars, it depends on the specific behavior.

There appear to be three psychological categories of vehicles people
drive: tough driving cars (sports, light trucks, SUVs), soft driving cars
(economy, family), and special driving cars (vans, luxury). Each of these
psychological categories has its own aggressive driving syndrome that
distinguishes it from the others.

It is evident that aggressive driving is a cultural norm that is generationally transmitted as a habit imbibed in childhood when riding with parents and reinforced by repeated media portrayals of drivers
behaving badly. To get us out of this, I propose a program of Lifelong Driver Education.


Calm down. Aggressive driving, rapid acceleration and braking can affect fuel mileage. By avoiding such behavior, you can see savings up to 30 percent. That could be a savings of more than $1 per gallon.
original article here

What is Your Mental Driving Economy?

Do you Practice the Emotional Use of the Gas Pedal?

by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl

1. When the light turns red on me just as I get there, I feel depressed for a few seconds.

2. When I just make the light, I feel elated.

3. When a slower driver blocks my way, I get enraged with impatience and disapproval.

4. When the slower driver blocks the passing lane, I feel outrage and condemnation.

5. When I get to work in less time than my average, I feel elated and competent.

6. When the lane I am in is slower than the other lane, I feel like I am being cheated or that I have chosen the wrong lane.

7. When ...
Let me know what else you do as a driver that pertains to how you keep track of other drivers in relation to you. Why do you do that? Email DrDriving


Driving literacy facts that every driver needs to know!

World wide, about 1.5 million people are killed in road accidents every year -- that's 15 million killed on the roads every decade. Road accident research has pointed towards driver error in the majority of cases. In the U.S. about 42,000 traffic fatalities occur every year and about 1.5 million injuries annually at a total cost of 200 billion dollars -- that means in every decade we kill 420,000 Americans on the roads, injure 15 million Americans on the road, and pay a whopping two trillion dollar cost in repairs, injuries, insurance, and economic loss.  Our foreign oil dependence and domestic shortage would be solved if we stopped using the gas pedal emotionally in traffic every day.

Almost all of "driver error" can be traced to insufficient emotional intelligence training behind the wheel. All drivers can train themselves to acquire emotional intelligence behind the wheel. We have proposed that driver education start early in elementary school when we can train young people to acquire respect and compassion for others in public places -- pedestrians, drivers, passengers, road workers, law enforcement. We describe a threestep method for driver personality makeovers. Every individual is raised to be an aggressive driver and pedestrian through years of training on the back seat of the car driven by parents and other adults -- road rage nursery! Add up the years of daily television watching and video gaming involving drivers behaving aggressively, dangerously, and violently. By the time we start driving we automatically drive aggressively, have competitive feelings and intentions behind the wheel.

The threestep self-modification approach can provide adult drivers with a new supportive driver personality style, to replace the aggressive driving feelings, emotions, intentions, judgments, condemnations, and acts of risk and folly that all of us experience and tolerate on a daily basis. Driving is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis, and it has the highest cost as well. We can change that.

Useful statistics

on car crashes and injuries may also be found on these Web sites:

www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov 
www.safecarguide.com/exp/statistics/statistics.htm
www.car-accidents.com/pages/stats.html
www.transport-links.org/transport_links/filearea/publications/1_771_Pa3568.pdf


Moffat: Violent Heart: Understanding Aggressive Individuals

Site Map  ||  Search this Site

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Directory of Topics in Driving Informatics with Web Links
Definition of Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

Children's Books at Amazon.com  ||  Songs About Cars


A Brief Summary of
How Driving Psychology Explains What is Aggressive Driving

by Dr. Leon James (2007)

Aggressive Driving is a philosophy (P), an attitude (A), and a weakness (W).
You can remember this as  AD = PAW.

Aggressive driving as a philosophy

Road regulations and civility do not apply to me some of the time.

Aggressive driving as an attitude

Driving is a competition for who gets through first. I am more entitled than others -- me first. I can't be a wimp and let other motorists take advantage of me.

Aggressive driving as a weakness

Aggressive driving is an emotional weakness or a lowered ability to cope with routine everyday exchanges with other motorists. It is a lack or insufficiency of emotional intelligence. It involves mental venting to oneself behind the wheel, and social venting to one's co-workers, friends, or any stranger who will listen.

The PAW syndrome of aggressive driving is part of the culture of disrespect on highways. It is a world wide phenomenon present in epidemic proportions in every country studied so far. It is a generationally transmitted socialization habit and therefore is going to increase and get worse with every subsequent generation -- unless we stop it through lifelong driver education programs and quality driving circles for driver self-improvement activities tied to license renewal.


DDC 4, 5th edition includes two new 10-minute video sessions:

Chain of Choices” looks at the choices that each driver makes every day. Proper following distance, common courtesy road rage, driver distractions are covered along insight from Dr William Glasser and Dr. Leon James on why people choose the driving behaviors they do. View a short-clip from “Chain of Choices


What is Speeding?  From National Public Radio -- Listen to this program now online

Talk of the Nation, June 7, 2007 · Most states are tough on drunk drivers, but it is actually speeders who cause the most deadly car crashes. Yet, even when they are caught, many speeders get off easy. Guests discuss the psychology behind our desire to speed and why we think nothing of going above the limit.

Leon James, professor of psychology, University of Hawaii; co-author, Road Rage and Aggressive Driving
Judith Stone, president, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
Richard Retting, senior transportation engineer, Insurance Institute of Highway Safety

Also: From Wisconsin Public Radio two programs on drivers and roads:



 

At Issue with Ben Merens  - 05/18/07   Click here to listen to this program now Listen   WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO
                                             - 07/23/07 
Click here to listen to this program nowListen

After five, Ben Merens and his guest discuss Road Rage... why it happens, why it's on the raise, and how to protect yourself from aggressive drivers.

Guest: Leon James, author, "Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare" (Prometheus Books).

KHON Channel 2 FOX Television Honolulu.  Interview on the evening news with Tina Shelton regarding the psychology of speeding vs. breaking the speed limit. June 28, 2007. See the video segment here.

How "real" is road rage? Read a few news stories on road rage around the world from
DrDriving's Collection Road Rage News Stories  ||  Dr. Leon James in the News

Road Construction Rage -- see news stories here.

What is Aggressive Driving?  News clip for Medics and FORSCOM military bases.


Inquiry into Violence Associated with Motor Vehicle Use

Government of Australia Final Report April 2005

Chart of road violenceKey concepts:    Road Violence, Road Hostility and Selfish Driving.

Selfish driving involves time urgent or self-oriented driving behavior, which is committed at the expense of other drivers in general, but which is not specifically targeted at particular individuals.

 The Committee came to the conclusion that road violence is not caused by any single factor. Rather, an act of road violence is the result of the complex interplay of a number of factors. In the Committee’s view, road violence is no different from other forms of violence even though the involvement of motor vehicles can increase the potential for physical harm. The model shown on page 186 (Figure 10.1) of the Final Report explains the Committee’s understanding of the interaction of the various factors involved. In any road violence incident there will be a chain of events starting with a triggering event. Person related and situational factors play a role in the interpretation of the triggering event that in turn play a role in how an individual will react to the trigger that may result in a road violence incident taking place. The Committee believes that this model can assist in analyzing the effectiveness of strategies and initiatives relating to violence associated with motor vehicle use.


See the full report here: Inquiry into Violence Associated with Motor Vehicle Use


road rage photo

Younger drivers with the longest commutes are most likely to react to an aggressive or rude driver. Those with the longest drives are the most likely to make an obscene gesture.

To get the survey results, Prince Market Research, an independent marketing research company, conducted 2,512 interviews between Feb. 4 and March 23. The survey has a margin of error of 2 percent.

From: http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1403674


 

National Safety Council (NSC): Fatal accidents increasing

By William Atkins Tuesday, 12 June 2007 According to a June 7, 2007 NSC report, the number of fatal, preventable accidents in the United States is increasing after a decreasing trend for over twenty years.

Related stories Young women are increasing their drinking-and-driving Tall and short people heighten risk of air bag injuries Driving Mistakes We All Make, Not Just Mothers Xbox ad banned in Britain Driving: simulation vs reality

Specifically, the number of human deaths from preventable, fatal accidents has risen over 20% between 1996 and 2005. In 2005, approximately 113,000 people in the United States were killed accidentally.

The all-time record high is 116,385 accidental deaths in 1969, which the report says could easily be exceeded, if the percentage trend continues, within a few more years.

The all-time record low occurred in 1992, at about 99,440 people dead from preventable accidents. The decreasing trend in fatal, preventable accidents occurred between 1969 and 1992. That good trend is related to the initial installation and use of seat belts and air bags, home smoke detectors, and better drunk-drinking laws.

Accidents are the leading cause of death in the United States for all people aged one to 41 years. Overall, in all age groups, accidental deaths are fifth on the list of preventable fatalities—with heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases being in the top four.

The number one activity involved within accidental fatalities include motor vehicles, especially, activities such as speeding, general distractions, multitasking, using cell phones, and not wearing seat belts.

The number two activity involved with accidental fatalities includes the ingestion of illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter drugs. The NSC report states that overdoses from all types of drugs are the fastest-rising cause of accidental deaths.

Falls, choking, and drowning, in that order, are the third, fourth, and fifth leading causes of accidental fatalities in the United States.

These five categories of accidental fatalities account for about 83% of all U.S. accidental deaths. The state of Massachusetts has the lowest death rate from preventable, fatal accidents. Unfortunately, New Mexico has the highest death rate.

The website of the National Safety Council is http://www.nsc.org/. The NSC has tracked statistics of preventable, fatal accidents since the 1920s. Its results are published in the Journal of Safety Research.

Search this Site  ||  Songs About Driving Cars on Roads and Highways

Interview Answers on Road Rage and Other Rages for Various News Sources by Dr. Leon James


From: http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=508227

Hypermiling: the new way to save money on the road


Rob Barrett finds driving a new kind of challenge. That's because the Eden Prairie dad is coasting along using a new driving trend: hypermiling.

"You take a two thousand pound car, you accelerate to 60 miles per hours. That's like a thousand joules of energy," Barrett said. "You just throw it all away by putting on the brakes."

Instead, Barrett -- like other hypermilers across the country -- rely on a technique of coasting and little accelerating. They also use the standby techniques of driving the speed limit and keeping their tires inflated to the right pressure. The trend is getting traction, especially with rising gas prices. "It's only going to go up and it's not going down. If I can use half as much it's just great," he said.

Barrett estimates he's gone from 27 miles per gallon... to 40, using his 1999 Acura Integra, not a hybrid. That's 50 percent better gas mileage, which is saving him money.

From: http://www.wlwt.com/news/15971868/detail.html

Hypermilers Always Focused On Improving Gas Mileage

(...) He said he would drive below the speed limit whenever he could do so without holding up traffic, and Engels said he doesn’t mind taking a curious turn or two on his way to a destination. (...) Engels is a hypermiler – a growing number of drivers who modify their driving habits to exceed EPA fuel efficiency standards for their vehicles.” (...)

Engels owns a hybrid car that he customized with aerodynamic hubcaps and an internal radio antenna to cut down on drag, but he said anyone can benefit from hypermiling. (...) “Actually, the people that have regular cars can turn out better percentage performance than the hybrids do,” he said. (...) In addition to well-known fuel-saving techniques – such as maintaining proper tire pressure and keeping windows rolled up and air conditioners turned off – hypermilers try to keep their vehicles in constant motion. (...)


Safety: Aggressive driving targeted by new technology

08 Apr 08 15:01

Military personnel are among the first in the UK to benefit from a new technology that measures aggressive driver inputs and flags them up on the dash, writes Nick Gibbs.

Designed to alert drivers to unsafe maneuvers, the gadget from US-based GreenRoad Technologies measures g-forces and compares them with a safe-driving benchmark. Sophisticated software can then recognize 120 different driver actions and will judge whether they're dangerous or not. If a danger is recognized, a red light appears in the driver's peripheral vision.

article continues below



Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008
Dr James,
I'm not sure if you've heard anything about this stunt, but I came across it and wanted to
inform you (just in case).  It has left many people injured and some dead.  If you just look
up "Ghost Ride the Whip" you will find more information on its origins.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOiWaTSypt4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cGyeYtvb4M&feature=related
Aloha,
W.W.

From the National Safety Council Web Site:   http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

Odds of Death Due to Injury, United States, 2003

Type of Accident or Manner of Injury

Deaths

One Year Odds

Lifetime Odds

All External Causes of Mortality

166,857

1,743

22

 

Deaths Due to Unintentional (Accidental) Injuries

109,277

2,662

34

 

 

Transport Accidents

48,071

6,050

78

 

 

Motor-Vehicle Accidents

44,757

6,498

84

 

 

Pedestrian

5,991

48,548

626

 

 

Pedalcyclist

762

381,693

4,919

 

 

Motorcycle rider

3,676

79,121

1,020

 

 

Occupant of three-wheeled motor vehicle

13

22,373,077

288,313

 

 

Car occupant

15,797

18,412

237

 

 

Occupant of pick-up truck or van

4,163

69,865

900

 

 

Occupant of heavy transport vehicle

442

658,032

8,480

 

 

Bus occupant

36

8,079,167