| Fri, 15 Jun 2001 Hello Dr. James and Nahl,
I am the founder of www.MomsTeam.com
. The place for moms with kids in youth sports. We
get a lot of visitors looking for advice etc. In addition to running the company I do a
good deal of the writing. Especially on topics that I am passionate about. I am going to
be uploading a piece on summer driving -- to and from sporting events. Do you have any
stats on women an road rage and parents who are coming home from a sports event already
fired up? How about cell phones in moms hands while she is driving a van load of kids? I
would love to incorporate a list of ideas from you. If you would like to give us some
bullet points , we will make sure that parents know about your book and where to get it.
We will also feature it on the front of our site.
We are very interested in making your book available to parents.
If you are interested please let me know. I have attached the draft of the article.
Best regards,
Brenda
Sat, 16 Jun 2001
Hi Brenda, Here is a piece we wrote just for you. You can publish it as is or you can
summarize it in your own way. If you need more or something different, please let us know.
Aloha.
Rage Prevention Advice for Moms
By Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl
1. You're always a role model
Children are always learning and imbibing from their social environment. There is never
time out when you're not influencing your kids by what your do and say. It is human to
make mistakes such as swearing, forgetting a promise, or expressing prejudice. The
important thing is to make up for it in an appropriate way. For example, if you get
carried away by emotions and call somebody nasty names, you need to undo the hostility by
commenting right after: "I shouldn't have said that" or "No, I don't mean
that" etc.
2. The back seat is a road rage nursery
Our surveys shows that Moms tend to be aggressive drivers, especially when driving
SUVs. Keep in mind that you're teaching your kids to drive the way you drive. They get
conditioned to the way you handle the vehicle, how fast you tend to go, whether you take
corners abruptly, or pull out of a parking lot fast, or slam your breaks, change lanes
frequently, fail to obey road signs. When they start driving as teenagers they
automatically begin to drive as they've been habituated for years. You can teach your
children to adopt peaceful attitudes towards other drivers by telling them you value
supportive rather than aggressive driving styles. Get them involved in driving issues when
they are in the car with you. See if they know the way, point out traffic signs to them,
and show them how driving depends on teamwork, not competition.
3. Teach your kids the difference between acting aggressively vs.
supportively whether
on the road or the playing field. Don't badmouth others whether drivers, coaches, or
players.
Aggressive styles encourage habitual violence and anger which is followed by
depression, creating a cycle that is harmful to their emotional life and gets them into
trouble with others. Instead tell them the value of civility and the power of compassion.
This will encourage them to learn emotionally intelligent alternatives to rage and
hostility, which will be better for their health, happiness and success.
For more information please visit our Web site:
http://DrDriving.org
and consult our
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). Available on the Web and
in local bookstores.
------------------
Fri, 15 Jun 2001
Hello Leon James and Diane Nahl,
I would like to include your list in the article that we are trying to upload over the
weekend. If this is possible to do from you end, if not we can always add them later.
Thanks--I have a wild feeling that sports parents are some of the worst offenders just
after their kids loose a game. It is only an observation at this point. I may be able to
get some data in the future.
Thanks again,
Brenda
Friday, June 15, 2001
Hi Brenda,
Your site looks very useful indeed--congratulations on a getting hold of a good topic.
We would be happy to provide you with a bulleted list and/or a couple of paragraphs, and
thanks for offering to advertise our Road Rage book. We shall write again in a few days
after reading your article.
Aloha,
Leon James Diane Nahl
------------------
Sun, 17 Jun 2001
You guys are wonderful--thanks so much for helping. I will forward this to Terry
Straus, managing editor. He is going to get this on the site with your book info soon.
Thanks so much,
Brenda
------------------
Tue, 19 Jun 2001
Hi Carry,
I understand your aggressive driving problem--I myself had to recover from that trait
and that's I how I became Dr. Driving. Please read my book then write back. It's the only
way. It gives you exercises and an understanding of why this is happening to us.
The 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
Also, the Roadrageous video course you can do as home study. See here:
http://DrDriving.org/video
Aloha, Leon James DrDriving
------------------
Tue, 19 Jun 2001
Dear Dr. James,
I am a graduate student currently taking courses to obtain a driver's education
endorsement on my teaching certificate. As a requirement for a class, I must report on
what makes a good driver and what makes a bad driver. Additionally, I need to integrate
psychology into my report. I located your site and cannot locate anything specifically
stating what is a good driver or bad driver. I would greatly appreciate if you could give
me an idea of where
I could find such information.
Keep up the great work, the website is awesome! If I get a driver's ed. job here in
Pennsylvania I will be sure to utilize your expertise and knowledge in the field of
psychology and Driver Education.
Sincerely,
James
Tue, 19 Jun 2001
Hi James,
This file contains an inventory of good and bad driver behaviors:
http://DrDriving.org/chart.html
Also, I'd like to let you know that our new book has been published:
It contains definitions and examples of good and bad driver behavior--see
outline here:
http://DrDriving.org/articles/book_toc.htm
------------------
Wed, 20 Jun 2001
Hi Diane (and Leon too)
The Dr. Driving website is really looking good! Nice job! The rage survey is also
excellent -- I took it and it really made me think, especially about the shades of
difference between emotions. This will be a very interesting book!
Great talking to you yesterday, Diane. Good luck with the electricians and I'll talk to
you again in a couple of weeks (and will hopefully report some significant progress on my
book!).
Love, Dana
------------------
Wed, 20 Jun 2001
I used to drive about 4,000 miles a month in a previous job. I had lots of
opportunities to see drivers at their best and worst.I found that the number one reason
for people to get angry, out on the road, was lane blocking. That is, people ignoring the
"slow traffic, stay right" rule. Time and time when someone blocked, that really
made people angry. I have also spent time driving in Europe. On the Autobahns, hanging in
the left lane is not only illegal, it kills people. Everyone is trained to stay to the
right, except to pass.
I had the opportunity to speak about this with a California Highway Patrol Office
recently. He stated that it is a common misconception that you have a "right" to
drive in any lane you want, if you are going the speed limit. Here in California, drivers
are more and more ticketed for blocking, regardless of the speed limit. With a large
influx of drivers from other countries, it was his belief that typically you will find
these people unaware of the law, especially when in their home countries often their
traffic is so congested, it doesn't matter where you are.
Just my opinion.
J.D.
------------------
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
My name is Marcus and we were part of a radio show two weeks ago (CHML) Hamilton,
Ontario, on Road Rage. Your views and research I have found to be enlightening, and very
necessary, to say the least. I am employed by a Safe Workplace Association in the province
of Ontario and have developed training relating to Road Rage awareness. Our mandate is
primarily Transportation Safety. Every year we take part in the second largest safety
conference in North America, located in Toronto. This conference is run by the Industrial
Accident Prevention Association of Ontario and draws close to 7000 delegates.
Would you be interested in taking part in this conference as a speaker on the topic of
Road Rage/Aggressive Driving? The seminar would be of either a 1.5 hr.(overview) or 3.5
hour(workshop) format. The dates are April 22, 23, 24,/2002. If so, could you advise what
your fees would be?
Thanks,
Marcus
------------------
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
I am a 13 years old who read your article about physiological problems while driving. I
am very interested in the brain, and when I grow up I'm hoping to be a psychologist or a
Neurologist. Please, Tell What College are you teaching from.
Thanks
------------------
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
I am looking for information about "games" some truckers play with cars on
the road. My husband was recently rammed from behind five times by an 18-wheeler while
driving on the interstate. They were in rush hour traffic and luckily only going about 15
miles an hour. Our car was totaled, my husband was scared out of his mind -- and the
trucker kept on driving. We have been told that some truckers do this as a sort of
"game." Have you heard of any incidences of this?
My husband was able to get information off the truck after it passed him. A police
report has been filed and we are trying to determine legal action.
Thanks for any info/advice.
Grace
------------------
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
Dear Drs. Nahl and James:
I was a truck driver for about twenty years. I am now equipment of Truckers' News. To
be honest I have rarely felt rage. I do, however, wholeheartedly applaud your efforts to
deal with a common problem, although perhaps the problem is not necessarily feeling rage
but acting on it. Certainly attitudes lead to behavior; I suppose the scientific question
might be whether it is more efficient to change attitudes developed over a lifetime or to
teach strategies to disconnect the attitude from a negative behavior and its often
negative result. Teaching such strategies would of course require a self-awareness on the
part of the driver and a willingness to change. That is, I think, the base problem:
creating the willingness to change.
At any rate, I am writing in hopes you can consent to be interviewed either via e-mail
or phone for an article I am doing for the magazine. We are the largest magazine in the
industry circulation-wise, about 200,000. The piece is about how over the road truck
drivers can maintain a positive mental attitude. I am not writing a road rage piece but I
believe the idea of driving psychology might be fruitful for readers to comprehend. I
preach self-awareness a good deal. My question then is, do you have five or ten tips for
professional drivers to help them maintain a positive attitude? As you know truck driving
runs a close second to commercial fishing as the most dangerous occupation in America.
Truckers are isolated from normal human intercourse, work under extremely demanding and
often unrelenting pressure punctuated by periods of boredom and inactivity. This is how
they choose to live. How does one convince this sort of person that he has any control
whatsoever over his existence?
I am glad to have encountered your website.
Regards,
Terry
Fri, 22 Jun 2001
Hi Terry,
Here is our statement and the tips. Let us know if you need more.
Aloha, Leon James
Statement by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl:
Driving psychology has discovered that the driver behind the wheel has to manage three
aspects of the self-the driver's feelings, the driver's thinking, and the driver's
sensory-motor actions. These three systems of the self must coordinate and act together or
else the driver loses control in a situation. The feeling system includes the driver's
attitudes, needs, and motivation. The thinking system includes the driver's knowledge,
memory, and reasoning capacity. The sensory-motor system includes the driver's sensory
input and motor output, and all of the driver's actions. When everything goes well the
driver has full control over the three systems of the self. What disturbs this balance?
Let's consider an example. You're driving along and all goes well. Your threefold self
is coordinating properly. Your feeling system is held steady by your motivation. You're
motivated to get to your destination without unnecessary delays and you bring into play
your attitudes of caution and concentration. Your thinking system cooperates with your
motivation. You keep in mind the rules of the road, you follow the procedures you've been
taught, and you correctly anticipate the moves of other vehicles. Your sensory-motor
system coordinates what you see and hear, and executes the necessary motions with your
hands, legs, head, and body.
All of a sudden a four-wheeler passes you in the left lane and is speeding up to get to
an exit just ahead. You say to yourself he should have waited behind you to take the exit
and not try to pass at this point. You see the car turn on its indicator to get back into
the right lane. You are suddenly seized with a feeling of annoyance. Your feeling system
is quickly heating up with intense emotions of rage and condemnation. Your thinking system
floods with thoughts like "What an idiot. Etc." Your sensory-motor system
responds by holding the speed steady. And so you're now in a new situation. It's no longer
a normal situation. An incident is happening. What are you going to do next? You have a
choice of two ways to react to the situation, one dangerous, the other safe.
The dangerous mode is to tie together in your mind your angry feeling with prejudiced
thinking. The result is high risk behavior and a short-lived adrenalin high. The other
option is lay aside the prejudiced thinking and reason it out in a fair-minded way.
Instead of anger you now feel zeal and compassion. Zeal is an intense positive feeling
focused on coping rather retaliating. Anger is an intense negative feeling focused on
retaliating and punishing rather than coping with a difficult situation. Anger ties itself
to prejudiced thinking that serves to justify your aggressiveness, while zeal ties itself
to fair-minded thinking that serves to cope with the situation. Coping is behavior that is
safe and protective of everyone's welfare. Thus it has compassion within it.
DrDriving Tips:
1. First acknowledge that you need to train your emotions and thoughts behind the wheel
even if you have an excellent record as a driver.
2. Become a witness to your driving style and habits. On different trips focus on one
particular issue. For example: When do I get impatient? When do I get angry? What are my
thoughts when I get angry-are they prejudiced or fair-minded? What are my weak points?
What errors do I make? Keep a diary or log book of notes so you can review it from time to
time. Another method that works well is a tape recorder you can turn on and speak your
thoughts out loud. When you listen to it later you'll discover many things about your
personality as a driver.
3. When you find yourself cussing against other drivers, or thinking nasty thoughts
about them, don't let it stand. Remind yourself that being angry is useless and venting
your anger is harmful to your health. In addition, it sets you up for more cussing and
more anger, and at some point you feel yourself out of control making a move that is risky
and scary, and gets you into trouble.
For more on this topic consult this 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
For more information useful to truckers visit DrDriving on the Web:
www.DrDriving.org/professionals
------------------
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
Dr. Driving:
My Name is Amber and I am a senior at the University of Central Florida. I am working
with a professor to gathering as much information as I can on road rage and aggressive
driving. Your web site has been extremely helpful. I was hoping you could help point me in
the direction to find more studies. I am sure you are extremely busy but any help would be
greatly appreciated.
Thank You
Amber
Thu, 21 Jun 2001
How about this Bibliography: http://DrDriving.org/facts/references.htm
------------------
Fri, 22 Jun 2001
Well, just a few more days and we get to "meet" on the Shirley radio show and
I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for including my book on your web site and
I’ll be sure to put yours on mine (I had heard of you but - what an oversight on my
part - didn't realize you books on this topic, too!). I'm also in the process of expanding
my list of hot links so maybe that's a possibility, too. You certainly have an extensive
(whew!) web site! I need to come back when I can spend more time. Good job! Looking
forward to being "guest buddies" on Sunday - maybe this will be the first of
more opportunities to combine our efforts, knowledge, and expertise.
All best – Layla
Fri, 22 Jun 2001
TO:Layla
Producer, "Shirley Connects"
I'm attaching the Emotional Lifestyle Diagram from our forthcoming book "Seeing
Red, Feeling Blue: Custom-Designing Your Emotional Lifestyle" by Diane Nahl and Leon
James
Aloha, Leon
Fri, 22 Jun 2001
Hi Layla,
We are very happy we will be on Shirley's show together. This is an important topic and
we have enjoyed your book. We will be at the Maui Writer's Conference over Labor Day--will
you be there? If so it would be great to meet. aloha, Diane
------------------
Sat, 23 Jun 2001
Hello Dr. James,
I am a community college student trying to complete a writing assignment on the
negative consequences of aggressive driving. I have found a lot of information on the
subject, but not much on road rage, This is where I hope you can help. The NHTSA defined
aggressive driving differently than road rage, the latter a criminal offense. My problem
is that some sources that I have found lump the two together, and I want a strict,
quotable definition of road rage. Can you help me? I thank you in advance.
Patrick
------------------
Sat, 23 Jun 2001
Hello:
My name is Leslie. I am a Family Service Worker for Headstart is Tennessee. I found
your sight very informative. I wondered if you have a brochure that I could hand out to
families in our program about Road Rage.
Thanks,
Leslie
------------------
Mon, 25 Jun 2001
I am doing a speech on road rage and I would your definition of road rage please
Thanks
Crystal
Sat, 23 Jun 2001
For a definition of road rage and its relation to aggressive driving, please consult
our 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
Also, the site has several such definitions, e.g.
http://DrDriving.org/articles/testimony.htm
http://DrDriving.org/rr.html
Aloha, Leon James
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
I found your road rage cartoon (God's Advice in traffic) with Google.com image searcher
(new feature--excellent!). I'd like to place it with a link to your site
www.lhm.org/art/rage2.jpg on my site that presents a preview of a book in preparation
called Heaven on Wheels (prior title: Christ Against Traffic Rage). The address is:
http://DrDriving.org/youth/christ.html
I think our message on Christian Driving Psychology would fit well with your focus on
Bible-based arguments why we should exercise charity as drivers.
Aloha and Peace, Leon James DrDriving
------------------
Mon, 25 Jun 2001
Dear Dr. Driving,
I am putting together stories for a new TBS series called "Worst Case
Scenario," based on the best-selling book of the same name. The basic idea of the
show (and book) is to show people how to survive any situation, no matter how bad it gets.
I was wondering if it would be possible to get a screening copy of any videotape and
background information you might have regarding air rage and/or road rage. If we decide to
license your tape you will of course be paid a reasonable license fee.
I would also be very interested in speaking with you about the possibility of becoming
a technical consultant on the show, or being interviewed on-camera for certain segments.
If you are interested in working with us on the show or licensing footage, please
contact me via phone or e-mail and I will be happy to provide you with a Federal Express
account number and shipping information you can use to forward your materials to me.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Davis
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
Thanks for your advice on our site--your observations are correct and I've heard it
from several people. I'm planning to do something about it (I have no technical or
secretarial help for the site so it's slow...). Regarding your inquiry about air rage, I
put my ideas into the Web site on air rage and I don't have additional pointers to give
you. Perhaps if you relate to the site and ask me questions about what's already there, I
might have things to say....
------------------
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
I would need a list of references cases related to pedestrian rage directed toward
drivers (vigilante action, hitting/scratching car or assaulting driver when he left the
car)
My car has been hit (laterally, back) by a pedestrian and it seems like there are no
documented cases I can refer to. It feels like, because he did not have a car or gun I
will be inherently seen as the aggressor and him as an innocent victim.
Incidentally, I believe I can disprove his accusations (about my speed) but I would
feel much better to find similar cases.
Yours is the only site that documents pedestrian rage, in these 2 places: Question
"Why should I resist blaming idiot drivers who endanger my life because they're too
stupid to be aware of pedestrians in crosswalks?"
Also, in the PEDESTRIAN AGGRESSIVENESS SCALE (PAS) 13. expressing pedestrian rage
against a driver (like insulting or throwing something). Do you think you can point me to
some sources?
Thank you,
Asa
Tuesday, June 26, 2001
Sorry Ana, but I don't have any other information than appears on my site. Good luck
with your case.
------------------
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
I really appreciate your quick response. My lawyer might be able to do some research.
I'll make sure to recommend your test to various people I know.
Thank you,
Asa
------------------
Mon, 25 Jun 2001
Dear Dr James, Dr. Nahl
I want to compliment you on the website at aloah.net, I found it to be very
informative. I myself have done some website development, and if I may, I would like to
offer a little bit of criticism. The website was hard to navigate because of it's size.
The opening page should consist only of a short 'here's what this website is for' and
'here's who we are' and the rest of the info links off of the main page. Just a little
advice.
The reason I write you though, is because I am a competitive speaker. I am captain of
my speech team, and am writing a speech about Air Rage, problem, cause, solution. I have
found a lot of information on the web about the problems associated with air rage, and the
causes. But I was wondering if you could provide any advice on what to use as content for
my solutions. Should the government intervene? Should airlines have strict policies, and a
'zero tolerance' policy?
I thank you for your time
Jules
------------------
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
Yes maybe you can help me I'm trying to locate the exact effective date for the law
that was passed some time in 1998(I think) That states if you get charged with a drug
charge you lose your license for two years which goes into effect from the time you are
released from incarceration
thank you for taking the time to read this
------------------
Tue, 26 Jun 2001
Dear Dr. Leon:
My organization, Public Agenda, is conducting a nationwide survey about morality and
manners. We have conducted some focus groups and interviews, and I'd like to ask for your
feedback on several points. Road rage and behavior behind the wheel comes up a lot. Is
there any time this week or next that you would be available for a short interview by
telephone?
If you have any questions about Public Agenda, or this particular project, I'd be happy
to answer them. Thank you.
Thad
------------------
Mon, 25 Jun 2001
Hello Dr. Driving!
I am Bill, a volunteer anti-car pro-pedestrian/cycling/mass transit advocate in NW
Indiana/Chicagoland.
There is an organization in Chicago called "Breaking the Gridlock"
(http://www.breakingthegridlock.org) that has a conference in Chicago every fall. They are
looking for speakers for this year's event (Sept. 29, 2001). I was wondering if you would
be interested in speaking about road rage at the event (perhaps about 1 hour)? If so, let
me know your fee and what travel arrangements you would like and I will submit it to BTG.
It is a one day conference.
Last year our speakers were Jane Holtz Kay (_Asphalt Nation_), Katie Alvord (_Divorce
Your Car!), Charles Komanoff (Right of Way, NYC), Tooker Gomberg (Toronto city councilman
and Green Party mayoral candidate), and Ben Gomberg (Chicago Bicycling Coordinator)
So far this year we have former Bogota, Columbia mayor Penalosa who was instrumental in
passing several carfree ordinances in the city, and tentatively James Howard Kunstler,
author of _The Geography of Nowhere_ and _Home from Nowhere_ among others.
Thank you,
-Bill
------------------
Thu, 28 Jun 2001
Hi Dr. James- hope all is still well in Hawaii. I've got another question for you. I
just got hold of a 1998 USA Today article that says "aggressive driving imperils the
average driver no more today than it did 10 years ago. Contrary to popular notions about
mounting mayhem on the highways, aggressive driving is neither a new nor worsening
problem."
What's your take on this? It's completely contradictory to everything I've been reading
from AAA and NHTSA...
Call or drop me a line when you've got a chance.
Thanks again for your help.
Cloe
Thu, 28 Jun 2001
Hi Cloe,
First, the article is old (1998) and much has happened since. Second, it is an example
of resistance to admitting to the problem. Some people resist the idea that AD is worse
because they don't want it to be recognized. InDrDriving's Threestep Method, the first
step is Acknowledge (that you are an aggressive driver). This is the hardest step. Nine
out of ten men and seven out of ten women refuse to admit they are aggressive. To admit
that AD is a national epidemic like NHTSA says, is to admit that one is possibly an
aggressive driver.
Evidence for my explanation is the Awareness Gap I told you about. If you ask drivers
how often are you aggressive, they say 35% of the time. Then you ask them how often other
drivers around them are aggressive, they say 85% of the time.
So two things are going on. One, not being consciously aware that one is aggressive,
and two, denying that one is aggressive.
Does this make sense?
Aloha, Leon James
Wed, 27 Jun 2001
Hi Cloe
Here is the document: http://DrDriving.org/courses default.htm#california If you can
please refer to our book and the 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)
Site: www.Driving.org
------------------
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
Thanks Dr. James. The road rage story will be in Sunday's paper. Check the website if
you're interested: http://www.pressdemocrat.com
Cloe
------------------
Thu, 28 Jun 2001
Once again, as a member of the humble public, it is time to take umbrage with the
legislature of New York State. Representative Felix Ortiz watched some knucklehead crash
because he was yapping on a cell phone and the entire electorate must suffer the
inconvenience of not being able to work. Apparently the individual who suffered at the
hands of this madman had no legal recourse in a world of torts. The fact the no
perceptible figures can be associated with these types of accidents makes little
difference. Making no mention of the fact that the entire legislature rarely does any real
work, we now must suffer the risk of another excuse to be held criminally liable for our
daily actions. The reality is that if an accident is to occur because of cell phone use,
it is when the caller looks down to dial the phone. "Hands Free" technology does
little to prevent this type of accident.
A new revenue stream has been created and reluctant law enforcement people will now
deal with a host of angry motorists conducting the business of this Empire State. A
hundred dollars will gladly be forked over for not suffering the inconvenience of standing
in local courts being lectured by doddering justices admonishing motorists to beseech
their legislator if they don't like the law. A few people will stand and fight while
lawyers tisk-tisk their effort. We can read maps, operate PDA's and eat while driving but
we cannot hold a phone to our ear. I urge citizens to get the hands free technology and
use it. Take an old shoe or your TV remote and mimic the use of a phone. This may be our
only form of civil disobedience.
Sincerely,
Ernie
------------------
Thu, 28 Jun 2001
Hi my name is Quan. I attend the University of Cincinnati. We are working on a group
project where my group is speaking on road rage. I was looking at one of the sites and saw
that Dr. James came up with what he thought was the five types of drivers including
passives, aggressors, narcissists, etc. I was wondering if you could possibly send me
information detailing these people more thoroughly. Thank you
Also if it isn't any bother, can you send the stuff over the weekend or is their a link
or another site where I can find the information on my own.
Thanks again
Quan
Thu, 28 Jun 2001
The types of drivers are best explained in
our 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
But you can also find more on this if you use the Pico search engine for our site (main
entry page for
www.DrDriving.org
).
Aloha, Leon James
Mon, 4 Jun 2001
Dr. James,
I'm a features reporter for The Fresno Bee newspaper working on a story about Internet
home pages. I found some of your work on the Web (from your own home page, of course) and
would like to talk to you for my story. I'm particularly interested in the psychology of
web pages -- why do so many people have the urge to open their "homes" for all
the potential world to see? Does the typical home-page builder fit the profile of a person
who is already outgoing, gregarious and well "linked" to his or her local
community, or do home pages give voices to people who normally wouldn't be so
demonstrative? Is there such a thing as sharing too much, and if so, what does that say
about the person who does?
I'll also be writing a shorter accompanying story with tips about ways to make better
home pages.
Thanks very much,
Dylan
Monday, June 04, 2001
Hi Dylan,
Yes, I'd be happy to talk to you for an interview. My number is 808-261-2382 and you
can call daily Hawaii time 8:30 to 10:30 (the West Coast is 3 hours ahead, so: 11:30 to
1:30 your time).
If you know in advance when you'll call, please email me, otherwise just call.
Aloha, Leon James DrDriving
------------------
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Dr. James,
Thanks again for the interview. Here's a link to my story:
http://www.fresnobee.com/features/life/story/0,1767,277125,00.html Also, I wrote an
offbeat, Web-only sidebar -- a home page told from the point of view of the story itself:
http://pages.prodigy.net/munro3/index.html
Regards,
Dylan
------------------
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Aloha Dr. Driving,
My name is Carla, and I am interested in doing a survey but too, I am interested in
gender statistics in regards to "insurance" purposes. No, I am not an insurance
agent or anything like that. I am just your average middle aged female who would like to
find out more about "why shouldn't women ages 18-25 ( though I thing more in the age
ranges of 18-30) have to pay higher insurance rates?" they drive just as badly as the
men do in this age category. I live on Oahu, Hawaii....and I am strongly thinking about
asking the population here, what they think as well (on the subject of gender ages 18-25
paying the same high insurance rates, whether they are female or male), as I know I am not
alone in what I see on the roads on a daily basis. Women are definitely right up there
with the men in this age category when it comes to speeding, road rage, cutting people
off, tailgating...the list goes on and on. What do you think? Thanks for reading my email
and I will await your reply. P.S.- your site is the greatest, I definitely will be back!
Mahalo Much,
Carla
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Carla,
The only Hawaii survey data I have is in this location:
http://DrDriving.org/surveys/hawaii.html and it does deal with the gender issue you raise.
As for your argument: You need to be aware that asking people about this or that only
gets you what they think. So if what you're looking for is a survey of what people in
Hawaii think about men vs. women drivers, then a survey well conducted will give you that
information. But if you want to know whether mend or women drive the same way or one
better than the other, then asking people will not give you this information.
------------------
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Aloha Dr. Driving,
I just emailed you with another matter, but I am interested in knowing why you don't
have states like Hawaii in your survey?Could you please explain?. Yes, I am interested in
knowing more about the "stat's" here on Oahu and on the other islands as well.
Do you see doing a survey/study on aggressive driving here on Oahu (in the Hawaiian
islands) any time soon or in your near future?. Thanks for reading my email, I can't wait
for your reply.
Mahalo,
Carla
------------------
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
Our Mission is to help you protect and optimize your greatest asset your people.
*******************
Welcome to the third issue of "The Grimme Report" newsletter from GHR
Training Solutions...and the inaugural edition of our electronic E-zine. It is our
intention to bring you this news bulletin monthly including tips on preventing workplace
violence, reducing stress and improving employee performance.
In this issue:
- Is Workplace Violence Decreasing?
- Violence Prevention Tip #1: Respect
- Violence Prevention Tip #2: Thanks
- The Stress Connection
- Workplace Issues Quiz
- To Subscribe or Un-subscribe
Is Workplace Violence Decreasing?
---------------------------------
According to a front-page story in June 26th's Wall Street Journal, it is. In the
"Work Week" column's lead article, reporter Carlos Tejada cites Bureau of
Justice Statistics, "showing annual workplace murders fell 37% to 645 between 1995
and 1998." Great news, right? Well, maybe.
As we were quoted in the same article, "Whether the [murder] stats have gone down
or not, it's still a pressing issue." You see... workplace murders are merely the tip
of the iceberg ^Ö representing less than 0.05% of the 2 million victims of physical
workplace violence each year.[Same source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 7/28/98
What do we mean by "pressing issue"? This iceberg of workplace violence costs
$13.5 BILLION in medical expenses and results in 1,750,000 lost workdays ^Ö every year!
The WSJ article also reported violence-related injuries fell 27%. However, as we
pointed out, a great deal of physical "violence often goes unreported." To say
nothing of VERBAL violence (e.g., bullying and all those forms of "rage") ^Ö
for which there are no reliable statistics.[We've seen estimates of 6 million instances
per year.]
Considering our increasingly complex and stressful world, is it likely that rage (and
its often accompanying violence) is decreasing?
Look at the events since the 1998 statistics quoted by Mr. Tejada. We have dot.com
failures. The stock market is down. Businesses in all sectors are cutting back: 10-15%
reduction in force is common ... and benefits and services for employees who are not
cutback are being reduced. These are all TRIGGERING EVENTS for violence.
The good news is that violence CAN be prevented...and much of the underlying rage
alleviated. How? You ask. Well, there are many things employers and individual managers
can do (and we'll be telling you about them in future issues). Here now are two:
Violence Prevention Tip #1
--------------------------
Make sure your workplace is not a breeding ground for violence – by treating each
and every employee with RESPECT.
Demonstrate in every personnel decision, employee communication and daily interaction
that you care about your employees as persons, not just as workers.
RESPECT means ensuring that your verbal remarks, emails and memos contain no statements
of blame or insult (even if unintended). It means being sensitive and responsive to
employees' personal and family responsibilities.
This is especially important when cutting back. Cutbacks of all types cause employees
to experience loss ... and are triggers for violence and rage in unstable individuals.
Violence Prevention Tip #2
--------------------------
THANK people often. It will lower the stress level and create happier employees in the
process.
And when you praise or show appreciation, follow some simple guidelines:
- Recognize accomplishments (and attempts) both large and small
- Be specific, prompt and sincere
- Do it publicly and in private; verbally and in writing
These efforts don't cost a dime. And, as workplace research studies continuously show,
yield bottom line results!
The Stress Connection
---------------------
Stress is both a cause and an effect of workplace violence. An effect of those 8
million yearly incidents of physical and verbal violence is a 41% increase in stress
levels. And, as a cause, stress is the common factor in all the triggering events of
violence.
Demanding deadlines, extensive overtime, criticism, unclear instructions and any type
of change all cause stress ... and can precipitate negative reactions ranging from
crankiness to verbal abuse to physical assault. And, according to the "1997 National
Study of the Changing Workforce", such 'job demands' have a documented 16% negative
impact on employee performance.
Also, just as violence results in lost workdays, so does stress itself. According to HR
News (Nov. 1998), "stress has increased dramatically as a reason why today's
employees are missing work, almost tripling since 1995".
Well, what can you as an employer do about it? Those two tips can help here as well.
That "National Study of the Changing Workforce" also found that 'workplace
support' (such as described in the tips) has a 19% POSITIVE impact on performance (and an
even greater impact on employee satisfaction and retention) AND tends to alleviate the
negative influence of 'job demands'.
Another way you can prevent the ravages of stress is to become proactive by initiating
and supporting stress management programs, especially those that emphasize long-range
personal change.
------------------
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
Hello. My name is Jacinda, and I am doing a speech on road rage for my public speaking
class. I am writing to ask for permission to use your materials.
Thank You,
Jacinda
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
Permission granted. And good luck! Aloha, Leon James
------------------
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
You super safety advocates are all alike. Take an insignificant bit of data and declare
to have found something major. Just like the gun control proponents. If the Volvo and
minivan drivers among you can't handle driving today I suggest you and them get your slow
poke asses off the road.
------------------
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
I'll pursue my PhD in aggressive driving and want to buy your book and get permission
to take some ideas from your questionnaire. Could you please guide me in this area and how
can I buy your book.
Thanks
Zelda
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
You can purchase the book at http://amazon.com Or through your university or other
bookstore that orders from abroad: 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
------------------
Sat, 30 Jun 2001
Dear Dr. Driving,
In my search for information on Aggressive Driving I found a description of types of
drivers. According to the description there are three types. These types include: 1. the
law abiding citizen who tries to be safe and courteous and "stay out of the
way." 2. The driver who breaks the traffic rules and endangers others without knowing
it. 3. The driver who breaks the rules by tailgating and weaving in and out and speeding.
He does this with no regard for the safety of others.
I would like to find this description of drivers again to include in an article I am
preparing for our local newspaper. The classification was clear and, I think, thought
provoking. Do you know the classification that I am speaking.
If you know where I can find this, I would sure like to know.
Thank you,
Jack
Sun, 1 Jul 2001
I'm not familiar with that particular typology of drivers. Please check out the
typology in our 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 Aloha, Leon James
------------------
Fri, 29 Jun 2001
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.
Jerry
#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 tailgating 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.
Sun, 1 Jul 2001
Hi, Jerry
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
------------------
Mon, 2 Jul 2001
Leon James
Dear Mr. James -- I'm writing a column for this week on a road rage incident in which
assailant got out of his car and belt whipped a 70-year motorist before he was subdued by
other drivers. The attacker had been cutting people off before he decided to bump rear end
of the elderly gentleman’s car.
I would like your insights on two questions I have:
You mention there's road rage, parking rage, shopper rage, etc? Isn't it all the same,
except venue different?
Also, do elderly motorists trigger violent rage in folks? We also had a 70-year old
woman punched in face by a doctor angry that she cut him off on a highway, albeit
accidentally?
I will likely use your comments in the column. Thanks....
Ryan
Mon, 2 Jul 200
On Mon, 2 Jul 2001, Rosario, Ryan wrote:
You mention there's road rage, parking rage, shopper rage, etc? Isn't it all the same,
except venue different?
This is true. Rage is possibly the most common of human emotions. Rage and anger are
very similar. All humans and animals are born with the tendency for rage. The hallmark of
civilized life is that humans can use their rational capacity to override the in-born rage
response. This is called civility. George Washington said that civility is the glue that
holds the nation together. Rage in public places like highways, streets, malls, and
beaches threatens the nation's stability and is a huge drain on the economy in terms of
the injuries and deaths it causes daily.
Now in terms of driving and rage, or road rage, the source of it is our desire to
injure or destroy when we feel insulted by another driver or official (law or construction
flagman). It's true that congestion is frustrating and being threatened or shown the
finger is enraging. But when we feel enraged--a normal feeling--we have a choice, to give
in to it or not. People fabricate the theory that it's the other driver who pushes my
button and it's their fault. But this is a myth--there is not button. We always retain the
choice. But my research has shown that we almost always choose to act out our rage, like
gesturing back, yelling back, or just enjoying fantasies of violence. But we can change if
we practice on a daily basis. I recommend our book for instructions on how to practice:
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)
People can also find a lot of information on our site:
www.DrDriving.org
Also, do elderly motorists trigger violent rage in folks? We also had a 70-year old
woman punched in face by a doctor angry that she cut him off on a highway, albeit
accidentally?
Yes, many drivers whose emotions are out of control act out their rage against all
drivers who are not up to par in their estimation, and elderly drivers are part of this
group. Rage against elderly drivers is the result of intolerance and a lack of compassion.
Also, a lack of emotional intelligence. Yes, it is true that an elderly driver in front of
you might drive in a way that is frustrating and challenging emotionally. But to rage
against them is not the answer, it doesn't do anything useful, and it's anti-democratic.
They have the right to be there even if they drive with less abilities. The way to change
this is through government laws and regulations. Again, we have a choice to exercise. But
it cannot be done just by making a New Year's resolution. You have to train yourself to
become a more tolerant drivers. Our book explains why this is difficult for most people
and how to overcome these difficulties.
It's possible to become a peaceful driver and to feel no stress in traffic. I have
accomplished this after years of self-training. This is how I became DrDriving. I started
like everyone else. We are trained for road rage from childhood on as we imbibe what our
parents do behind the wheel. So it's no surprise it takes months, even years, of
re-training oneself. But it's worth it. More safety, less stress, stronger feeling of
belonging, less alienation or disconnectedness form the highway community.
DrDriving says: Drive with Aloha, and enjoy it!
Leon James DrDriving Professor of Traffic Psychology University of Hawaii
------------------
Tue, 3 Jul 2001
Hey, thanks for the response. I guess quote of the day to the irate motorist is:
"Take a chill pill and call DrDriving in the morning.''
Thanks again. :)
Ryan
------------------
Mon, 2 Jul 2001
Dear DrDriving
My name is Courtenay Guy and I live in Tasmania, Australia. I am currently studying
year eleven at school and in my psychology and sociology class I have been asked to
compile a report on the differences between male and female aggression in driving. Part of
this report is the interviewing of an expert, can you help me?
------------------
Tue, 3 Jul 2001
Dr. James/Dr. Driving,
I'm a reporter for the Arizona Republic in Phoenix, and I'm working on a story about
road rage and hot weather -- trying to see if there's any correlation between hot summer
temperatures and increasing road rage. If you could call me back, I'd appreciate it. I'm
working on the story for the end of the week, so would like to talk before Friday if
possible.
Thanks,
Earl
------------------
Tue, 3 Jul 2001
Dear Sirs/Maam
I live in the United Kingdom. I have Driven to all the main land countries, I have not
driven in Ireland or been there, maybe one day. I have been here in the UK for 10 years
and what I see in this country are very nice and Intelligent people that seem to be angry
at on thing or another and take it out on the road. Not so much In Scotland or Wales, but
here in England there is a definite mood that we "Are Tough"...The hooliganism
says a lot in when England fans get restricted to games in other countries because of
their abusive attitudes, but what happens on the road , I feel is "Shear
Stupidity" form People I feel are highly intelligent..
Why do I say this. Well, the system has been advertising for drivers to slow down and
show that at 40 miles per Hour, 9 out of every 10 people hit, die! Where at 30 miles per
Hour, 9 out of 10 People Survive road accidents. Now the new one is to show that a driver
trying to stop the car at 35MPH takes another 21 feet then if they were going at
30MPH..This is enough to call the shots "Between Life and Death"!!!
I started to listen and slow down, what do I find? The Road Rage and intimidating
remarks and harassment increase!. Just today, just before I came to work I had people on
my backside , incredibly close in a hurry to get "Nowhere”!. I am using due care
and attention and following the rules laid out in the Highway code and I am "Pissing
People Off"!!!..How does the system back people up that are trying to follow the
rules and following the traffic adverts that are costing all kinds of money?...I do notice
people in this country love to tailgate (Follow to Closely) and they give very little to
no consideration for the driver in front and the pedestrians that use the road. They just
take this indirect aggression, which turns to direct aggression as part of "everyday
Life"! They breathe in it"!!!..I think the Police have to take a tougher stance
and with the help of the system, need to give out more tickets to "Hit People in the
Wallet"...The United Sates has done this and it seems to help...What Drivers don't
realize is that they have at least a 2 ton vehicle and with the momentum, kinetic and
potential energy available, they can kill people in a moments notice. They can change
lives for the worse because of their immatureness and then have to live with the
guilt!...At least they can live, the person they kill, can't anymore!!!! I think the UK
has to take a deeper look at the traffic menace...While we are all watching these traffic
adverts which cost a lot and most people don't care about them, we could be building much
needed crosswalks for pedestrians to get across the road, especially the elderly...
Please get some kind of communication to people here. Just don't get them to slow down,
get them to have the right "Driving Attitude" so all can enjoy motoring. Lets
also give the Police more respect for they have to handle all the incidents. Maybe they
can use more respect and Money in their pockets..
Thank you very much for hearing me out
Yours Faithfully
Jan
I think the system needs to take" Another Look" before more people get
killed...I think we need to drop the "Day to Day" Hypocrisy and look at life
with more inspiration and kindness. We all need to "Change Our Attitudes" fast!!
before more damage is done.. And to the speeders and tailgaters, They are not only putting
lives at risk, they are also doing numbers on the environment by pumping more unused fuel
out the exhaust...
The system needs to take a better look, not just "stick its nose" up in the
air...
Thanks for hearing me out
Yours Faithfully
Jan
Tue, 3 Jul 2001
Hi Jan, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your sentiments and agree with them. But
we need to train ourselves to rise above it since we can't do something about it in a
direct way. I hope you have a chance to look at our book (see below) and benefit from the
arguments there and how you can disengage your negative feelings in traffic. Please write
back after you had a chance to read our 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
------------------
Tue, 3 Jul 2001
HI, I'M DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH FOR A BASIC PSYCHOLOGY CLASS. MY RESEARCH IS ON
SKYRAGE. I'M WONDERING IF YOU HAVE SOME EXTRA INFO THAT YOU HAVEN'T POSTED ON YOUR WEB
PAGE. I CERTAINLY WILL APPRECIATE ITShane
------------------
Wed, 4 Jul 2001
Hi, there,
Thank you for the interesting info. My friend and I are Honours students at the
University of South Africa, a distance learning institution. South Africa has about the
third highest road accident rate in the world. We are doing a small research project on
Road Rage. We bought your book, too.
Best wishes.
------------------
Wed, 4 Jul 2001
Dear Dr James,
My name is Danny and I am a 4th year student at Waikato University in New Zealand. I am
currently in the process of gathering resources for my directed study research project as
part of my degree. I am planning to look at redesigning the tool kits that are currently
in cars as well as improving the labeling in vehicles (such things as how to change a tire
and what to do if the car overheats etc). Part of this study will involve looking at how
the different genders and the elderly respond to break-downs etc. Once I have developed a
cognitive map on how different people deal with different situations I will be able to
design (hopefully) a labeling system and tool kit that will be more user-friendly. I came
across your web-page while searching the internet and I was wondering if you might have,
or know of any studies that have dealt with something similar. Our University does not
have a dedicated transport section so if they are available through the internet please
let me know. Thank you for your time.
Danny
Wed, 4 Jul 2001
Hi Danny,
I'm sorry but I don't know of research that deals with your particular issue, though
it's an interesting one and I wish you good luck. If I come across anything I'll email
you.
You might like to get in touch with Dr. Richard Kirby, founder and Director of YARR
(Youth Against Road Rage) who is active in designing better car systems for the future of
the automobile:
Dr. Richard S. Kirby University of Washington, Seattle Director, Stuart C. Dodd
Institute for Social Innovation 4427 Thackeray Place NE Seattle, WA, 98105-6124 USA
DrRSKirby@aol.com
------------------
Wed, 4 Jul 2001
Dear Dr James,
Thanks very much for your reply and the reference. It's difficult to get information on
this topic.
All the best,
Danny
------------------
Wed, 4 Jul 2001
I’ve herd of a poem and I’ve been looking for it .Its about someone who was
killed by a drunk driver. Its really good but also sad .its called something like
"Someone Should Have Thought Them. I’ve looked and looked but cant find it. I
thought you mite of herd of it. If you have can you please send it to me .THANK YOU HAPPY
4TH
------------------
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
WOW!!!!!!!!!!! I read thru your
www.drdriving.org articles and found it loaded with useful
information unlike the typical journal article. Also the graphics especially the
caricature of Leon at the very beginning of the article and the movie good-looks of the
two of you together and separately really helped to ease eye strain. (Diane, have you ever
given any thought to a TVseries?) Road rage can only increase as population and cars
increase; your book should be required reading for high school and college students.
Did you know that back in the late '60's the legislators were concerned about rising
population counts (and cars), but the policy which emerged was "second city."
The alternative was Neighbor Island dispersion, but jobs were lacking. I can witness that
second city folks are not about to confine themselves to their city, and like Honolulu
folks travel throughout Oahu. Part of the road rage variance is attributable to number of
cars on the roadways, and I've been thinking of resurrecting the population policy debate
in the state legislature to determine if we can shift the population increases to the
Neighbor Islands, especially Hawaii. But this alternative will eventually run into the
current population problems on Oahu; it merely delays the eventuality. Already, though,
some policy makers are deeply concerned about infrastructure, utilities especially water,
etc. on Oahu.
I see where you're branching out into passenger rage in airplanes. Are you planning to
write about the general case of rage? There are so many assaults and murders counted among
our citizens, and spouse and child abuse (I'm limiting myself only to physical types
because otherwise we can get into an unfathomable analysis of other kinds of abuse such as
psychological). Why wouldn't your prescription for road rage control have some
applicability to rage in general?
Mahalo nui loa for your comprehensive road rage article and the national coverage your
writings has been getting. BTW, Leon, anata nihongo mo benkyo shimashita ka?
aloha, bro
------------------
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
What a great site!
I am looking forward to reading your book. I am sure that you are aware of the site --
www.drivers.com but in case you are not, may I suggest that you visit. Some excellent
articles. Also, please visit my website, and if you do, I would appreciate any thoughts or
comments.
Best Regards,
Gary
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
Thanks for your note, Gary. In case you haven't seen i on our site, take a look at our
RoadRageous video course in case it's relevant for your teaching. AIPS licenses
instructors to use the materials for their schools. Description here:
http://DrDriving.org/video
Leon James DrDriving
------------------
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
I am pleased to provide an article from the June 2001 edition of Canadian Underwriter
Magazine
If the organization/company with which you are affiliated offers a newsletter, we would
appreciate if you would include an article about the I Promise Program. If this is
possible and you require content, please let me know.
Best,Gary
------------------
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
A comment. I work at Dublin Airport and came across your site. Your advice to airlines
is just as applicable to Airport Authorities.
Julie
Thu, 5 Jul 2001
Thanks for the thought. I agree that airport authorities also have their share to do in
helping people avoid rage. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it since you have experience
with this issue.
Aloha,
Leon James
------------------
Fri, 6 Jul 2001
I have read the book; it was quite informative. I look forward to purchasing the
videos.
Gary
------------------
Fri, 6 Jul 2001
Thanks for the attached. I will look at the info. Let's keep in touch. Have a good
weekend.
Cheers,
Gary
Thu, 05 Jul 2001
Thanks for your note, Gordon. In case you haven't seen I on our site, take a look at
our RoadRageous video course in case it's relevant for your teaching. AIPS licenses
instructors to use the materials for their schools. Description here:
http://DrDriving.org/video
Leon James
DrDriving
------------------
Sat, 7 Jul 2001
Dr. James:
In February, we discussed, via e-mail, a book you and Dr. Nahl were working on titled
"Rage In Public Places." I wanted to follow-up on the status of this book and
your discovery of the Type R personality for a future interview. I see you've added quite
a bit of information on your Internet site on the various forms of rage as well as a
rage/depression survey. Is the survey for the above-mentioned book or something new? I
look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for your time.
Sally
------------------
Mon, 9 Jul 2001
Hi there-
I'm the photo editor at Psychology Today magazine, and we're interested in running a
photo in our magazine that is located (the photo) on your website. It will run next to a
plug for the site. The shot is of a guy in traffic with a golf club. I was wondering where
the shot comes from? Who owns it? May we use it?
My deadline is looming-if you could get back to me as soon as possible that would be
fantastic!
Thank you-
Corrine
------------------
Mon, 9 Jul 2001
I just returned from a trip to England and wondered how and why it developed that they
drive on the left and we Americans drive on the right. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Stuart
Tue, 10 Jul 2001
Stuart, Here is an article I found that may give the answer:
http://www.travel-library.com/general/driving/drive_which_side.html
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
------------------
Wed, 11 Jul 2001
Dear Dr.Driving!!
We live in a wonderful age, where I can sit in suburban New York and wonder over
cyberspace about driving on the left vs. the right, and I can access an expert on the
psychology of driving, sitting at your desk in Hawaii.
The part of the equation that eclipses this, however, is totally unrelated to
technology...it is simply your kindness in taking the time and trouble to research the
question and get back to me so quickly and so well.
Thanks so much for your reference to the article. It is PERFECT, answering questions I
hadn't even asked you!!!
Gratefully,
Stuart
------------------
Mon, 9 Jul 2001
Dr. James;
My name is Boyd. I am the producer of the Jay & Kevin morning radio show in
Spokane, Washington. We had a horrible action of road rage over the weekend in which a
17-year-old was shot and killed and we'd like to talk to you about such incidents and how
to prevent this. We would like to get you on today if at all possible. It is Monday July
9th. Our
show runs from 6am to 9am pacific time. Thank You.
Boyd
------------------
Tue, 10 Jul 2001
Dear Mr. James,
Could you kindly prompt me as to the reference (source) cited in your resource
"CREATING AN ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT FOSTERS INFORMATION LITERACY,
AUTONOMOUS LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP: THE HAWAII GENERATIONAL COMMUNITY-CLASSROOM". The
author of the quotation is Linn. Unfortunately the resource is not available now. So I
would appreciate your prompt to the source of the reference (Linn)
Thank you for your attention.
Yevette
Fri, 13 Jul 2001
The reference given is: Linn, Marcia C. (1996) Cognition and Distance Learning. Journal
of the American Society for Information Science, 47 (11), (November), 827-842. My article
is at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/instructor/kcc/kcc97.html
Aloha,
Leon James
Professor
The dispute between two members of a threesome at the Silverlakes Golf Club on Yonge
Street on July 2, erupted over a golf rule involving a penalty stroke tally and the
placement of a ball hit out of play, York Regional Police said yesterday.
The pair, who knew each other before the game, kept arguing as they approached the
green, until one man allegedly grabbed the pin and whacked his 34-year-old partner, Const.
Stephen Morrell said.
The Toronto victim, whose injuries were described as minor, called 911 around 5:30 p.m.
that day. An arrest was made July 3.
Hwasun Myung, 40, of Toronto, is charged with two counts of assault with a weapon.
------------------
Sun, 15 Jul 2001
I'm writing a safety article for Harley-Davidson magazine and I need some current
statistics: Cause of accident, age of motorcycle driver, day or night. Most of what I've
found through NHTSA are 1996-97 statistics. A lot has happened since then. If you have
statistics you can e-mail me I'd be much obliged. I'm not overly interested in motorcycle
training which I fully realize is very important. I'm eager to know that in spite of
experience and training, what were the root causes of motorcycle accidents: where they
happened, alcohol, speed, if motorcycle size was a factor, etc.
Thank you and Aloha,
Harry
Sun, 15 Jul 2001
Sorry, I don't have any other statistics. Normally I place all links I find that may be
useful on the Web site. It sounds like a good article. Chances are the data being kept may
not be specific. I searched www.google.comfor motorcyle accidents statistics and it gave
me over 100 hits, some of which looked like they might be useful.
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
------------------
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
In a message dated 7/15/01 5:09:07 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
leon@hawaii.edu writes:
Sorry, I don't have any other statistics
In 1999 Hawaii had 98 fatal traffic accidents (2472 for the nation). 17 of those,
17.3%, were motorcyclists. As 17.3% of your dead folk on highway are bikers they might
possibly deserve more of Dr. Driving's attention. There were 8.4 fatalities in Hawaii for
every 10,000 motor vehicles in the state. One of the state's problems is that helmets are
not required for those 19+. Is this important? Helmets saved the lives of 551
motorcyclists in 1999, and 326 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn
helmets. This should be of interest to Dr. Driving.
Harry
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Thanks for the info regarding Hawaii. I agree this topic should receive more attention.
If you send me any reports or essays you think should be on the site I will post them.
Thanks.
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
------------------
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Leon: I forgot to add that motorcycles should also pique your interest because of the
entire 50 states the second worst state by percentage of biker fatalities to total
vehicular fatalities is Hawaii with its 17.3%. The very worst is New Hampshire with 22.7%
and the very safest for bikers is Mississippi.
Harry
------------------
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
In a message dated 7/16/01 3:06:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
leon@hawaii.edu writes:
Thanks for the info regarding Hawaii. I agree this topic should receive more attention.
If you send me any reports or essays you think should be on the site I will post them.
Thanks.
I have an MS and an MA but no PhD. I researched these on the web
Mahalo
Harry
------------------
Fri, 13 Jul 2001
I have to agree with everything that I have read so far about older aged drivers. I was
a victim of an older aged driver on April 25th, 2000. I had a 70 year old man pull out in
from of me coming out from a restaurant drive and proceeded to tell the officer that he
did not see my 1998 GOLD Dodge Grand Caravan coming towards him. I T-Boned in the upper
drivers side and we spun almost out of control. He not only totaled my van but left me
disabled for the rest of my life. The accident broke my ankle and dislocated my heel,
several months later I was diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis (dead bone) in the ankle.
Because of his negligence, I will never walk right again, or walk without a cane or a leg
brace that is to try and help bring some of the circulation back to my ankle.
We definitely need stricter laws forcing our elderly citizens to do a step down method
of giving up the privilege to drive, in turn making it safer for everyone around them.
Dara
-----------------
Sun, 15 Jul 2001
I am getting my endorsement to teach driver's ed and am to write 2 more papers - one on
coming trends in car technology, simulators, automated hwy, what in the driver in the 21st
century needing to cope with, and the other on Use of off-street driving areas (ranges),
advanced programs, and community programs directed at reducing the unnecessary death and
injury from motor vehicles. This is for the state of Indiana. any info or web sites would
be appreciated. I need 7 sources for each paper.
PS - I found your site by accident and thought it was very good and informational. I
teach in a high school and even for my health classes I would be able to use some of your
info. Thanks
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Sorry but I don't have specific information on these topics--but you might like to type
them in a search engine, I'm sure you'll get stuff to look at. Good luck.
Also, I'd like to let you know that our new book has been published--suitable for high
school students!
Leon James, Ph.D. and Diane Nahl, Ph.D.
------------------
Tue, 10 Jul 2001
Having been on the receiving end of road rage today, I thought I would do some research
and found your website(s) to be an excellent resource. In today's incident, I was driving
when I noticed a blue car tailgating me in the left lane. I switched to the right lane and
as the car pulled next to me, I glanced at the driver. He screamed at me and shook his
fist. Unwisely, I flipped him off. He instantly tried to ram me with his car, but I
accelerated out of the way and made a right turn onto another street. The driver then
almost got into an accident with another car in an attempt to follow me. He cut off a bus
and made the turn after me. He began tailgating me with probably no more than 1' between
our vehicles. I accelerated to 45mph (from 30) and changed into the left lane. When he
came alongside me, I hit the brakes and he went flying past me. He slammed on his brakes
and almost got rear-ended by the guy behind him. I moved forward at 10mph and he got
pissed off and sped up. When I turned down a side street to get away, I thought everything
was over. But a minute later, I found that he had doubled-back and was right on my tail
again. There was no traffic on the street I was on (a long one), so
I accelerated to 60mph and he followed. At this point, I decided to drive to the local
police station. At the end of the street was a stop sign. I slowed down and looked for
traffic; there was none. I ran the stop sign and made a hard right turn. The other guy
didn't even try to slow down and his car fishtailed, spun in a circle and ended up
pointing the wrong way in the middle of the intersection. Yet, he jumped out of the car
and ran after me brandishing a tire-iron and screaming at me. I accelerated, leaving him
behind. When I was three blocks away, I could still see him in the rear-view mirror, still
running after me and screaming. I made a turn and left the area.
Obviously, I could've handled the situation much better. If I hadn't responded by
flipping him off, none of that probably would've happened. I can certainly tell you that I
will NOT do that again should a similar situation arise! On the other hand, what a
psychopath! Sheesh!
In any case, I read nearly all of your site and took the surveys. I am guilty of making
derogatory remarks of other drivers to passengers in my car; in fact, among my friends,
I'm famous (or would that be 'infamous'?) for it.
The conclusion that I've come to regard the entire 'Rage' cause-and-effect system is
this:
A great deal of people (I estimate 70-80%) are simply self-centered and don't really
give a damn about anyone else. I work as a customer-service rep in the software industry
and have come to see that this situation exists in nearly every level of American society.
I've seen it in the corporate workplace, on the street, in stores, parking lots, from
customers, in malls, in restaurants, etc. The idea that "My needs are superior"
that many people have seems to be the root of the problem.
Just about everywhere one looks, one can see someone who is demanding that they get
what they want at the expense of others. Here are a few examples:
* Driving related: talking on cell phones and not paying attention to traffic, NEVER
using turn-signals, pulling out into traffic and then not accelerating, sitting at a light
for 10-20 seconds after its already turned green, deliberately taking up two parking
spaces (especially annoying if the car is a Mercedes, Jaguar, Lexus, or Porsche),
repeatedly turning one's car-alarm on and off "for fun", etc.
* Service related: going into a crowded restaurant and yelling at employees for the
service not being "faster", going to a fast-food restaurant and asking for
ultra-specific ingredient directions (i.e. "cut all pickles in half", etc)
during the busy lunch hour, cutting in line anywhere, demanding that employees ignore
policies for them, refusing to acknowledge mistakes of any kind, stopping in the 'No
Parking' zone at a mall right in front of traffic so passengers can disembark, etc.
* Corporate related: refusing to flush the toilet after using it, stealing other
people's food, not holding elevator's for people who are running to catch them, cutting in
front of people to steal a parking space, consistently being late to meetings, spilling
liquids on chairs and not wiping them up, etc.
And the list goes on and on (as you well know).
I feel that most people are rude and self-centered, so I generally try to be nice to
people every way I can. For example, pausing in a parking lot to allow people to walk in
front of my car when they exit a store, saying "Thank you" to people (that one
works wonders), smiling a people, opening doors for people, cleaning up a mess that I've
made, etc. --It's the little things that matter and help others feel appreciated.
On the other hand, it's hard *not* to retaliate when someone deliberately does
something rude. For example:
* I was washing laundry in my apartment building. I put my wet clothes in the dryer and
came back about five minutes later to make sure everything was out of the washer. I found
that someone had pulled all my clothes out of the dryer, dumped them on the floor, and put
their own clothes in (presumably to avoid paying for the coin-operated dryer). I scooped
up my clothes, took them home, then came back and dumped an entire bottle of KC
Masterpiece Barbecue sauce into the dryer with their clothes. I didn't stick around to see
the result, but I'm sure their clothes were all ruined. Mind you, this is at a upscale
community where most people drive expensive luxury cars and SUV's. Not playing $0.75 for
using a dryer is pretty pathetic.
* A friend of mine used to carry a marine spotlight in his car. If someone behind him
turned their brights on (because they felt he was driving too slow), he would switch on
his spotlight and direct it out the back window into their eyes to blind them. Eventually,
they would have to back off and switch to normal lights. He claimed it was very effective.
* When going into K-Mart recently, I opened the door for myself and two women tried to
cut in front of me to get in the door (as if opening the door for themselves was such a
chore). I simply let go of the door and it slammed on the second one. She turned and
commanded me to hold the door open for her. I ignored her and went in another door at
which point she screamed profanities at me for "being rude".
* At a apartment complex I used to live at, there was assigned parking. About four
times a week, a woman would park in my space. I asked her not to do so and pointed to
'guest parking' nearby (which was almost always empty). She said, "I'll park wherever
the hell I want to." Ok, fine by me. I had her car towed the next time it happened.
Then, later, she tried to *sue* me in small-claims court to pay for her towing bill. The
judge threw the case out.
The simple fact is: a lot of people just don't care about anyone else. Though the
statement is cynical, I found that it's better to simply accept this and try to adjust
myself to it. I don't think that there is any solution to the problem other than trying to
modify one's own behavior to be 'nicer' to others while trying to avoid reacting instantly
when someone is rude. The first impulse to lash out is usually where the problem starts.
Thanks for your time.
Albert
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Thanks for your observations Albert! It's a frustrating environment that demands we
train ourselves to rise above it. I hope you get a chance to read our 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
------------------
Sat, 14 Jul 2001
Dear DrDriving, I am a flight attendant for Lacsa airlines (Costa Rica, Central America
). We have experience some difficulties with our passengers over the years. We don't have
a wide experience with regulations about this issue. We require "tips”, to
convince the Company to take action about this situation. In fact, because we are from a
poor country, our resources to minimize this problem, are very limited. The company is
about to reduce the meal quantity, our airports don't have smoking areas(considering that
many pax from south America spend 12 or more hours in our hands),small "leg
room", etc. This is becoming our pax very upset. I am taking this action "on my
own". Please guide me, to find the most convenient information, to have proof of the
importance of this situation. Thank you very much for your help. Sincerely, Mark,(senior
flight attendant). PS: Your page it's been very helpful, Thank you.
Sun, 15 Jul 2001
I wonder how much road rage is precipitated by people who drive in a manner that
frustrates others. Here's an example of what my rules of the road would be:
1. If you are driving in the passing lane you must yield to faster traffic. Faster
traffic will signal with a high beam flash, at which time the slower driver must allow the
faster vehicle to pass.
2. If you are driving under the speed limit you should confine yourself to the extreme
right hand lane.
3. All commercial vehicles (eighteen wheelers, cement trucks, dump trucks, buses,
school buses, etc.) must drive in the extreme right hand lane.
4. There should be no passing on the right.
5. Traffic in the extreme right hand lane must yield to traffic entering the freeway.
I just got off a two-lane interstate where two semis driving abreast at 50 miles per
hour had backed traffic up for at least a mile. It was VERY frustrating and there were
MANY angry people in that line of traffic.
It seems that the focus is solely on aggression - but I think the triggers to the
aggression must also be considered.
Any comments?
Thanks
Mark
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Hi Mark,
Yes I agree with the points you have listed. The problem is how to get people to go
along with it by training themselves. This is what we have described in our book--hope you
have a chance to see it:
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
------------------
Fri, 13 Jul 2001
I am looking for a correlation between drug users and road rage. My theory is that
people who use illegal drugs exhibit road rage - What are your latest findings?
------------------
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Dr James and Nahl,
I am in the process of setting up a journal/community for folks to share their
frustrating or annoying road-related experiences. In the search for an icon to represent
the community among the rest on the site, I ran across your site, and would like to
request permission to use one of your images.
Specifically, I like the road warning sign which reads "Prepare to be
Annoyed" (http://DrDriving.org/icons8/annoyed.jpg ). Would you mind if I use this
image for our community?
By the way, if you're interested in visiting/joining the community, you can find it
here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/exhaust/
Thanks,
Chad
Mon, 16 Jul 2001
Hi Chad,
the photograph is not mine. I lifted it from Yahoo, I believe. Frankly, I believe you
can use it, it's just that you have to do it without permission of the original, unless
Yahoo has kept track of it (I doubt it). The sign is related to the influence I had on
Penn DOT through
Missouri DOT for whom I consulted on a construction project and how to prevent drivers
from getting angry at the construction crew. I'm pasting the story below.
Aloha,
Leon James
DrDriving
Tue, 17 Jul 2001
Dr James,
Thanks for the info, as well as the article and reference to your book. I'm quite
interested to read it. I live in the Delaware Valley area (I live in New Jersey and make
frequent trips on Rt 1 both in NJ and PA), so I'm intimately familiar with the roads and
people referred to in that article. I'll post a reference to the article and to your
website on the community I spoke of.
Thanks again
Chad
-----------------
Wed, 18 Jul 2001
Hi,
My name is Perry. I'm a reporter for the Sacramento Bee working on a story about the
"speed monitored by aircraft" signs on highways here
The angle is, about half the folks I've asked in the newsroom have never seen one. It's
sort of one of those little mysteries of life, like why you see one shoe laying on the
side of the road.
Of course, they do exist, but there's only two planes for 13 counties in Northern
California.
I'm hoping you might be able to speak to the effect of road signs warning about
something a lot of people aren't sure exists. What's the psychology? Does it make some
people more lassez-faire about other signs? Or do some people slow down when they see the
sign, despite never having seen a plane?
If you aren't the right person to talk to about this, could you suggest someone else?
It's pretty obscure, I admit.
Best,
Perry
-----------------
Wed, 18 Jul 2001
Comments from sender: Dear Dr. James,
I ran across your web site regarding this subject. I have 3 children 1 daughter 23, a
son 22, and a young daughter 19. I have found myself in the position of the mother who
came home to the party and told the kids to leave hoping one of them was sober enough to
drive. In my case, I have been concerned about something like this happening and instead
let the kids spend the night and the next day when they were sober, demanded again and
again, not to have parties. My youngest loves to have parties. I have learned not to go
away on the weekends. It's better for me to stay home. The story I'm emailing you is the
worst fatal single car accident in Washington's history. I wanted to share this with you.
I'm lucky my daughter will be starting college soon.
A Concerned Mother
Sherry
Accident fueled by alcohol ends lives of six young people
By Ian Ith, Peyton Whitely, Gina Kim and Lisa Pemberton-Butler
Seattle Times staff reporters
Karen Bice came home from playing bingo Monday night to find a party raging in her
Auburn condominium. Her 28-year-old daughter, Teresa Hedlund, and the daughter's
22-year-old fiance, Timothy Stewart, lived there, too, and were playing host. Bice put her
foot down, police and family friends say. She'd told them before not to party there.
Believing at least one of the revelers had not been drinking and could drive, she told
them to get out. The party broke up. Some people left in their own cars. But Hedlund and
Stewart, Stewart's twin brother and four other young friends piled into a compact car
built for four. And they sped off - toward the worst single-car accident in state history.
"Next thing we know, Karen sees the thing on TV," said Kris Stewart, the
twins' sister-in-law. "She just had this mother's instinct. There was just too much
of a coincidence."
Six of the young people died instantly when the Ford ZX2 smashed into a bridge pillar,
leaving bodies scattered across an Auburn road, the smell of alcohol still wafting from
the car. Only Hedlund was still clinging to life.
Yesterday, families and friends were mourning the deaths of the
inseparable-but-rebellious twin brothers, their feisty-but-troubled buddy who was trying
to straighten up, two teenage girls who were neighbors and lifelong pals, and a
21-year-old college student from Federal Way. They held onto the hope that Hedlund, a
love-struck single mother looking toward her wedding day, could recover from the massive
injuries that left her unconscious at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, unable to
breathe on her own. "It's senseless," Kris Stewart said. "We just don't
understand why."
The King County Medical Examiner's Office yesterday identified the dead as Stewart, his
twin brother Thomas A. Stewart; Brandon Dupea, 21, of Algona; and April Byrd, 17, of
Auburn. Also dead is Jayme Vomenici, 18, of Auburn, though medical examiners said they
have yet to positively identify her remains, and Marcus Cooper, 21, of Federal Way. This
morning, Hedlund remained in intensive care at Harborview, in critical condition with head
and internal injuries and a broken pelvis.
Auburn police yesterday blamed alcohol and excessive speed for the crash about 10:30
p.m. on 15th Street Southwest just east of Highway 167, near the SuperMall of the Great
Northwest in Auburn. Police said the car, a 2001 ZX2, was traveling at least 60 mph in a
35-mph zone when it hit a curb. Part of the front brakes and wheel assembly broke off. It
kept moving, flying over the curb, through some ivy and into a concrete overpass pillar.
It was Vomenici's car, family members said yesterday, though Tom Stewart was behind the
wheel. Hedlund was in the passenger seat. The five others were crammed in the back seat.
No one was wearing a seat belt
Memorial fund established
The family of Timothy and Thomas Stewart has established a fund to help pay funeral
expenses. Donations may be made at any Washington Mutual Bank branch. The account number
is 0387-0000385366-4.
The impact with the pillar caved in the driver's-side door and tore the roof off the
car. For reasons unclear to police yesterday, the rear window glass had already been
removed. The car spun 360 degrees. The back-seat passengers were catapulted from the car.
Tom Stewart remained in the driver's seat. Hedlund was still in the passenger seat, likely
saved by the air bag, police said yesterday. Autopsies showed the victims all died of
severe impact trauma to their heads and bodies. The victims' families yesterday were
pusize="3led that Tom Stewart was driving. As the party broke up, the group promised Bice that
Vomenici would be driving. Bice, 55, was sequestered at her mother's Seattle home
yesterday and declined to comment. "They told her that Jayme wasn't drinking and that
since it was her car, she'd be doing the driving," Kris Stewart said. "And so
she let them all go."
Police yesterday said they think most if not all of the victims had been drinking. The
medical examiner won't receive the blood-test results for weeks. But regardless, Tom
Stewart shouldn't have been driving. He had an extensive record of traffic violations and
a suspended license. He also had a felony conviction for malicious mischief and a record
of other misdemeanor crimes, from liquor violations to trespassing and stolen-property
possession. He recently spent time in jail. His brother, too, had a history of driving
offenses and had been arrested several times for driving with a suspended license and
alcohol offenses. They were born rebels, their family said. But they prefer to remember
the inseparable and beloved duo who were too busy having fun, singing and dancing,
charming friends and getting into mischief to finish high school and live life too
seriously. "The boys came into this world together; the boys went out of this world
together," said their brother Duane Stewart, 32. "So God must have something
special planned for them."
They were fraternal twins, the youngest of five kids born
to a family that loved adventure. Their father used to race homemade cars at Seattle
International Raceway and runs an Auburn detailing shop, relatives said. "Tim was the
leader; Tom was the follower," their brother said. "Whatever Tim did, Tom did.
At 14, they played sniper with a BB gun and shot out car windows. At 18, they swiped a
drag-racing car from their dad's shop and went for a joy ride. They worked odd jobs. Tom
really liked fast-food gigs. Three years ago, Tom briefly dated Hedlund. But Hedlund had
her eye on his twin. "She started dating Tom just to get Tim's attention," Kris
Stewart said. "It worked." Tim Stewart and Hedlund were engaged a year ago.
Together, they were living with Bice and raising Hedlund's 4-year-old d |