Dear Dr James, 

I am a founding member of CASAD, a citizen's lobbying group in Washington DC formed by concerned people dismayed by drivers who speed, run lights and stop signs, tailgate, and in several instances had 'duels' on the local highways which have killed several people. We are trying to raise public awareness of this problem and also to lobby local government officials to increase police details to the traffic division--difficult in a city with shrinking budgets and a high violent crime rate. Part of our public awareness campaign involves constructing a 'self assessment' checklist, since it is our contention that many people who complain about traffic are, in fact, 'aggressive drivers' themselves. In my web searches I have come across some of your self-assessment questions and wonder if we might have your permission to use some of them in our public service announcements--with appropriate credit, of course? Likewise if you can provide any other advice to our group, which formed in February, it would be most appreciated. It wasn't clear to me from looking at your website if your book has now been published or soon will be; what is the publisher? I would like to order a copy. Thanking you advance for any help you may provide. 

Philip B., MD 

Citizens Against Speeding and Aggressive Driving, Washington DC

Our book Road Rage and Aggressive Driving contains checklists and tests that drivers can use to assess their tendency to be aggressive, and includes sub-categories such as constant rushing, compulsive lane hopping, obsessive involvement with retaliation, speeding as a habit, etc. I'll be in touch with you about these.

In the meantime you might like to investigate one of our approaches described in our book, namely Quality Driving Circles to see how it might be of use to your group. You may see one report on it at this location.

DrDriving

You are right on the mark! Dumb driving is our biggest danger in life, ours and everyone else's. I am a counseling psychology masters program student at the University of Colorado, Denver, currently starting a group therapy class. We, each, must lead the 15 member class at least once this semester. On my way home from the first class I thought about using driving as a self improvement subject. My research on the internet found you. If you don't mind, I'll let you know how the group work works as an intrapsychic phenomenon.

Len

My name is Michael R, I work for the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the US House. The Chairman is very interested in the subject of aggressive driving and we are tentatively planning to hold a hearing on July 17. I have seen your name cited several times as a "Road Rage expert" and would love to speak with you so that I may better understand the subject matter. To let you know, our primary focus is on the relationship between congestion and aggressive driving. We may also want to look at how Section 402 monies may be best spent to combat this problem. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for your enlightening and worthwhile page! I visited last fall and Just in time!! Driving & life is much improved: more fun, calm, peaceful even joyful! Just wanted to tell you thanks! I appreciate your efforts and hope that many more people stop by your page. I think these techniques help other drivers.. It can be contagious. Sometimes in negative traffic situations, it only takes a few drivers practicing peaceful driving to calm the rest down..get them to relax. So once again, Thanks!!

Traffic Psychologist Confesses To Road Rage An Interview with Dr. Leon James (aka "DrDriving") by Mary Ford 

Lead-in: Dr. Leon James, professor of Psychology at the University of Hawaii, has taught courses in traffic psychology for over 15 years, and authored books on traffic psychology. He recently testified before the United States Congress on the subject of road rage. He also maintains a web site at where he is known as

  "Dr. Driving".

------begin main text ------- Imagine you are driving along and your spouse leans over and whispers in your ear, "Grandma thinks you're a bad driver."  A normal reaction might include denial and anger. But for Leon James, those words, heard over 15 years, mapped out his life's work. "My struggle ... to become the kind of driver [my wife] (Diane) and her Grandma can accept ... made me look at this driving problem as a social psychologist, which I was. "

At that fateful moment, Driving Psychology as a serious research topic  was born into Dr. Jame's mind. It would dominate his life for years to come.

Adapting a technique from social psychology, he started carrying a tape recorder in the car. He recorded himself talking out loud, saying whatever came into his mind. Behind the wheel, freely expressing myself, he was astounded when he listened to the tapes. "There was so much hostility, impatience, and irrationality. I didn't know myself as a driver." 

He then had hundreds of his university students carry tape recorders while driving. In listening to their tapes, he discovered that every driver has moments of rage  behind the wheel. Road rage had become a main-streamed behavior, not just one  exhibited by extreme people. "We all have road rage."

"Road rage is a habit acquired in childhood. Children are reared in a car culture  that condones irate [behavior] as part of the normal wear and tear of driving,"  James explained. James was not disillusioned with the human race. He soon devised a number of solutions. But he cautioned, "... it will take an entire generation.  The road rage habit can be unlearned, but it takes more than conventional Driver's Education."

Currently, Jame's students are investigating how American society transmits the  culture of aggressiveness behind the wheel. He's also devising a new rating for TV and movies:

  DBB which stands for Drivers Behaving Badly.   

He  found that many commercials, cartoons, and movies contain multiple portrayals of such driving behaviors that are dangerous, anti-social, and irrational. Yet, simultaneously, these habits are portrayed as attractive.   "Surely this has affected both children and adults," he surmised.

 "Changing our driving habits from aggressive/competitive to tolerant/supportive will tie us together more as a community."  

As if. In a perfect world, maybe.  

Undeterred by the universal sarcasm of an arrogant culture, James also predicted that safe  driving would lower the cost of automobiles (150 billion dollars a year in crashes and injuries). Not to mention lives saved. "We'll be a more moral, noble people," he exclaimed.

Fifteen years later, James still found himself struggling with his driving behavior. His wife was happier with his driving, but not by much. "She often has to tell me,  Come on, Leon, wave to that driver who let you in." However, James remained committed to a lifelong U-Turn in his psycho-driving behavior. 

"I'm convinced that this has improved our marriage and I recommend it to all couples, including unmarried ones. Let your passenger be your driving coach!" With that, James drove off into an Aloha sunset ...  (or did he?) (Alternate reality: as he turned the next corner, he stepped on the pedal  and cursed under his breath... at that stupid idiot who was blocking his way ...

BTW, Mr. Traffic was visiting Hawaii this week and made a guest lecture stop in my class on Thursday. He took a picture outside showing Mr. Traffic and DrDriving standing near a car. I haven't seen it but he might like to give you a copy--sort of fun since you have a piece on each of them.

Also: the place where you discuss DBB ratings--you might like to give a link to this index of reports
Thanks and Drive with Aloha spirit!

PS This week's issue (Nov.11) of the National Enquirer has an article on Dr. Driving (p.31). Now I know I've arrived.....

Leon

I am doing a research project on the correlation between road rage and language, and I would appreciate any information or opinions that you could offer me to help me to find more on this subject. I am trying to show how people express their anger through language, and what other forms of communication display their anger. I am also trying to show that a form of language is present in the actions drivers take in order to relay their feelings to others. Again, any help on this would be appreciated.

Sincerely,  Carlo

Speak your thoughts and feelings out loud and let this person react to you and tell you how to calm down. Read the materials on DrDriving's site--devote at least 15 hours to do it and study everything on it. Write out your thoughts or speak them into a tape recorder, then listen to it later, or with a friend or consultant.

This is the way to change yourself! It works, and you'll be a better person for it, ready to share your experience of recovery from road rage with others who need you and your perspective. Go for it!! And let me know in a few weeks how it's going.   CAN ROAD RAGE CAUSE SOMEONE TO ELUDE A POLICE OFFICER?

I think you're right here: eluding a police officer is a kind of road rage and is totally irrational. The main thing to remember here is this: To be human we need to rise above selfish attitudes. These selfish attitudes give us some pleasure and some safety, but these are nothing in comparison to the far greater and more satisfying pleasures and safety of being in community. This means striving to stay orderly, respecting the established democratic authority, and trying to support, not compete, with others.

When you think of these things, then it's obvious you would not want to elude a police officer. When you don't think these things, you have a big dilemma you can't control: should I or should I not elude the officer.  You control what's going on in your mind. You're the manager of it!! But like all managers, you need tools and in this case, they are "inner power tools." See the materials on DrDriving's site for many such tools.

DrDriving

 Sincerely, Nicola

Thanks,
Mark

Actually the whole article was about what "DrDriving" had to say!

Way to go Leon! Reach the masses with your good thoughts.

Thinking of you, Candace

One example: my emphasis on "self-witnessing" yourself as a driver so that we may become aware of our thoughts and feelings behind the wheel.  This is done by "speaking your thoughts out loud" as if you recorded yourself on a tape recorder (and sometimes this can be done as well), then later, listening to it and drawing your conclusions about what kind of person is driving inside you. But just the act of speaking your thoughts out loud shocks you into a deeper awareness. This deeper awareness is necessary for implementing a systematic and successful self-change program called "your driving personality makeover."

This whole idea is from the Writings, of course, where we are taught how to do this. Namely, that the mind can be viewed as having two stories or levels (three, if you want to get more specific). You can ascend to the second level, which is above and more interior, and from there look down on your thoughts on the first level. This kind of self-witnessing is essential for regeneration. DrDriving's approach and program has to do with "reformation" (or "regeneration") of the typical driver from aggressive/competitive/self-centered to tolerant/supportive/collective-centered. 

Take care, and Drive with Aloha spirit!

Leon (AKA "DrDriving" on the Internet)

in your area so you might have a chance to influence how others in your area drive. Let me know if it works.

DrDriving

I'm a boy of Sevilla (Spain) and I'm very interesting over the facts over car driving... Please, remember me when your books finish!! Thanks for all!!

I have a few comments regarding your web site. Although I believe it is a good one, I seriously have to question your stat that "On Canadian highways, 1 in 5 drivers has been drinking". Either you have information which is inaccurate, or worded poorly. I live in Canada -- Ottawa, to be exact, and although we have a problem in Ottawa with aggressive drivers (speeding, tailgating, running red lights and weaving in and out of traffic are the most common offences), it doesn't make sense that 20% of Canadian motorists would be drunk, or had even been drinking. Yeah, sure, we get plastered and go driving all the time! 

C'mon. I would like to know where you got that information. What we do have a problem with in Canada are drivers in the Toronto area (about 1 out of every 15 or 20 people there), who display such a reckless disregard for their fellow motorists that you'd really have to see it to believe it. Some of the drivers in Toronto regularly drive as fast as 160 km/h (100 mph) in heavy freeway traffic (I've seen people go as fast as 250 km/h -- but that was only once; they were two assholes just outside of Toronto on the 401), zip in and out of the lanes like Kamikazes, pass on the shoulder, tailgate at such a close distance you'd think they were in your backseat, run red lights (oftentimes with traffic already in the intersection), run stop signs, sometimes pass on the wrong side of the road on city streets, occasionally drive on the sidewalk, and almost always do such weird things with their cars you have to wonder if they found their licenses in Crackerjack boxes.

The only fortunate thing is that they don't have guns. Other than that, Canada doesn't really have too much of an aggressive driving problem.  As for the alcohol, as I said, I would like to find out what your source was.  

Sincerely, Dave

Well, I can't guarantee the accuracy of the facts--they are facts, but not necessarily accurate, true. This is a difficult problem because how does one know if facts are correct? Suppose I quote some survey in some newspaper or somebody's Web Page, how accurate is the survey? For this reason I think we need to take all "facts" as "claimed facts" or "reported facts." I agree that 20% seems high for drivers who drink and drive, but it may very well be accurate. Just think about our cultural habits and norms: it's acceptable for most people to go to a friend's house or party or restaurant, have a couple of drinks, then drive home. Remember, the fact above doesn't say 20% legally drunk--that would be a different thing altogether.

DrDriving

DrDriving

My name is Shalimar Madrigal and I am a college student from Texas. I have been given the assignment of writing a paper for my English Comp class and the subject is "Road Rage". My question for you, DrDriving, is how does population pressure affect peoples behavior, and particularly, the role it plays in "Road Rage"?

I greatly appreciate any information or assistance you provide me with.  Thank you for your time! Sincerely, Shalimar

My name is Peter Durantine. I am a free-lance writer working on a = magazine story about road rage. I have visited your web site and read = some of the information, which I intend to use in my story. But I have a = few questions I would like to ask you. Would you be available for an = interview via e-mail this week or by telephone? If so, what time in the = evening may I reach you? Thanks. Peter

Peter

My name is Julius, and I am a Journalism major at UHM. Currently, I am working on an article/paper for my Journalism 205 (News Writing) class dealing with problems (i.e., impatient motorists, traffic, etc.) UHM students encounter while commuting to school. These problems eventually affect the students once they arrive at school. For example, I interviewed a student who said dealing with the traffic and especially impatients motorists puts her in a bad mood once she arrives at school, and therefore, she loses her concentration on her first class.

Having read through your personal home page at aloha.net, I thought that your solutions for dealing with the impatient drivers were impressive, and I decided to use some of your ideas in my paper. However, I wanted to clarify an idea. You stated that, "You find ways of excusing the person's behavior and not taking it personally." Could you please offer some specific ways students can do this? Also, if this solution does not work for a particular student, what else can he/she do so that he/she will not be in a bad mood once he/she arrives at UHM?

I hope to hear from you soon, Dr. James. Thank you very much for your help and consideration.

The way to succeed at this is to take things one step at a time, to keep trying for a long time, and to enlist the help of a driving buddy or a quality driving circle (or group where you discuss driving problems).

I recommend the three-step program. Check it out. Take care and drive with Aloha!

DrDriving

I would like to thank you for your clarification. Indeed, it has helped me. Currently, I do not have a driver's license. But, once I have one, I will remember your safety tips. Thank you once again for your help.

I am a student doing a journalistic-type of paper on Road Rage in the
Washington, DC area. Is there anything specific you could tell me about
this phenomenon in the DC area?

Anything you could tell me would be greatly appreciated.

Edith

There is also a Newsgroup for the D.C. area which you can find in DejaNews
search engine by typing in "dc.driving". Good luck!

Here is one I fished out for you:

Subject: Re: Daily gripe: Won't pass, won't let you either
From: G@seas.gwu.edu
Date: 1997/11/06
Newsgroups: dc.driving

Genna wrote:

: It is a lot easier and safer to get out of the way of faster car than
: irritate it's driver for driving to "slow".

It is NOT safer to drive from the right lane.period. Try it.
Most experienced drivers tend to keep left lane (except where the
intersections
with left turns). This is my observation though. Any comments?

Speed limits actually reflect the truth. Your car may go fast and reliable
but not everyone's.
Mehmet

: I believe that even in this region, police and SHA agree that aggressive
: driving end driving errors are leading cause for accidents.

: Scott M.:  The Goobers wrote:
:    (snip)
:    What part of Keep Right Except To Pass do you not understand? It
*is*,
:    I believe, the Law in this part of the world... or doesn't that
matter
:    when weighed against 'minimum interference' to you?
: 
:  The speed limit is the law, too. Or do you feel that you have the
:  "right" to ignore that one, while griping about the guy in the left
lane
:  that won't get out of your way? I can see where you're coming from.

DrDriving

I am a member of a physical theatre group in coventry , england . and for my next performance, i will be working on the subect of road rage.

Your web page has been invaluable to my source research, please accept my thanks, this is my first venture on the www and has been a rewarding experience.

We have developed a Educational Drunk Driving Experience that includes a

Transportable 3D Theatre which can travel to Jr. High, Middle, High Schools and Colleges throughout the World in an effort to educate the adults of tomorrow about the ill effects of drinking and driving.

We are currently working in Hollywood as film producers. However, we have also developed similar touring attractions for such clients as 1-800-COLLECT/ MCI, FOX Sports and The NFL

We encourage you to browse our current web site to obtain further information on the project, and we hope that you contact us to discuss a

potential collaborative effort in bringing this project to life.

Our site is located at http://drivingreality.com

Regards, James E.
Executive Producer Producer

In the state of NY, the drivers test is given in at least 7 languages. Why?  If you can not speak english, you have no right to drive a car. It's that simple. These same people get behind the wheel of a car and then "die" on the highway. I hate to say this but it is usually the people of ethic backgrounds, women, and older people that can not drive. There is an unwritten law that states that the far left lane is for passing or as it is common know as "the speed lane". Many people go over to the far left and then slow down. Most people drive at least 10 miles over the speed limit.  If people are passing you on the right, then get out of the left lane. It is the far right that is the "slow lane". Also older people should have to take their licence exam at least every year once they are over 65, because their reaction is slower than the average person.

Mind you this is just my view, but please try to do more research on this
subject.

Akira

On Thu, 20 Nov 1997, Wilfred K wrote:

  Is it just me, or when I see a yellow light I step on the gas pedal? It's   my instant reaction to do that when I come across a   yellow-about-to-turn-red light. I was trained by my dad to do it. His   reasoning is that the driver behind me expects me to do it, and if I stop   the person behind me might rear-end me. From then on I just run all   yellow lights. It also makes me feel like I will get to the my   destination a bit faster. Though the reality of it might just be a minute   or so, I feel like if I'm moving, at least I'm making some progress.   Sometimes I feel if I didn't run the yellow I'm stalling everyone else   behind me as well. I may not be in a rush, but maybe the person behind me   is, and expected me to run the yellow. Who knows?     Wilfred

Mahalo Nui, Melissa

I am doing a debate on why teenagers should be able to drive.

Would you send my an opinion or opinions on this subject?

Thanks much, Pam

Let me know if this fits your debate!

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! ++DrDriving++

Ladies' Home Journal magazine is currently working on an article on dangerous driving and we are very interested in your quiz (which we saw in the July 17 Federal News Service report of your testimony to Congress). We would like to use the quiz adapted  slightly in our magazine, giving full credit for the quiz to you, of course. We are working on deadline so I'd like to talk with you about this right away (I tried to reach you by phone but was unsuccessful). You can reach me at 212-455-1055¯or you can just respond by e-mail, if you prefer. Thank you for your time and consideration Best Pam O'Brien Senior Editor

I just took a trip through various portions of your driving psychology section. I will spend much more time, but first wanted to briefly pass along the following:

I teach automobile judgment concepts by showing how drivers can learn to think like airline and military pilots flying multimillion dollar machines in a very high-performance environment (something quite attractive to many). I address audiences wearing full flight suit and surround the topics with aviation messages (some involving major aviation accidents or near accident "saves"). It is an attractive package and answers the most-often asked question by many drivers; "who uses this stuff. . .really!?"

  1.) I have found a good amount of information on the subject via the internet   . Do you know of any more ? 

Check out libraries and bookstores. Sociologist Peter J. Rothe has several interesting books out in the 1990s. Some journal article references on aggressive drivers can be 

found here

  2.) Do you think stronger laws would stop aggressive driving?

I have stated my position on this here.

  3.) Is this problem a passing phase , or will it become worse ?

It will become worse. See my rationale, back in 1987 in this article

  4.) Do you think enough is being done to solve this problem .

That depends. Many people are striving hard to in many areas such legislation, citizen activism, education, and the media. Check out these various organizations listed here.

  5 .) Do you think the solution to this problem lies with law enforcement ?

Partly yes, but mostly with re-educating drivers and developing driver ed K-12 and lifelong thereafter. Quality Driving Circles (QDCs) will be essential as well.

  6 .) Have you been involved in an aggressive driving incident ?

Many, many, but not the epic kind where there is violence. The little kind where people yell at me for doing the wrong thing in their eyes, or possibly because I wasn't alert enough, or perhpas too impatient. Some of my drving thoughts can be found here.

Hope this helps. Send me a copy of your paper if possible.

DrDriving

thank you for responding to my inquiry.   in answer to your questions: i am an undergraduate student at a rapahoe college here in littleton,co. the research i am doing is in conjunction with a technical writing course.  however, the student newspaper has shown some interest in my work on this subject.  the emphasis of my paper is on the role traditional driver education in public high school has played in current driving behavior and the corrective role education might play in the future.
i can send you a copy of the finished paper.  it can be e-mailed as an attachment if yuu use a mac platform or by regular mail.  just provide me with a street address.
here are my questions:
1) in 1989, jefferson county school district here in colorado, dropped  driver education from  high school class schedules. is this part of a  nationwide trend? 2) do you think that previous driver education models used in public schools endorsed a kind of weary hyper vigilance behind the wheel? 3)what do you see happening at the public high school level in the future? should a new drivers education be established? what should the primary emphasis be? thank you for your interest, dr. James.  i look forward to your answers. please respond as soon as possible, and thanks, again.
david

DR Driving
I am a student at the University of Alaska Anchorage and I am doing two papers on the topic of aggressive driving.  I interviewed the
owner/instructor at one of our local driving schools who, after 10 minutes of getting the run-around, finally admitted to me that he had no
curriculum for the problem of aggressive driving. His reasoning was that the information wasn't readily available to the public.  I politely gave him a few statistics from the National DOT and AAA, and thanked him for his time.   I applaud your web site!!! Not only did it give me much of the information that I needed for my papers, it was good to know that there are people out there who are concerned with the increasing rage on today's highways.  I am only 20 years old, and have only been driving for two years, and I already noticed this disturbing trend getting worse. Good luck in future years!! I will visit this site even after my research is completed

Sincerely
Karyn 

Anything that you can offer to help "spark" a revolution in Indianapolis, IN would be appreciated!

Sincerely,
Kelly J.
Avon, District Sales Manager

  You are welcome to print out anything on DrDriving's
site, including  the Random Acts of Kindness Page for Drivers.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit!   ++DrDriving++

Hope this helps.

Take care and rive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Yours truly, Jason  

Thank you for the information you recently sent.

Yes! This information embodied fifty percent of my debate with great success.

I appreciate your time and effort in assisting me.

Cordially yours, Pamela

You might be interested in several new items on DrDriving's site. One is ratings on movies and commercials for

DBB (Drivers Behaving Badly)  

with lots of actual data (broadcast examples)--in case you want to write an article about THAT (I suspect it's too hot...).

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

DrDriving

I am forever in your debt. Your website is and will be a great aid in working on my debate speech. I am currently working on an Original Oratory speech which involves the subject, you guessed it, road rage. I have just printed out your whole website because everypart of it seems to contain startling information. I really enjoyed the personal accounts you placed on your website. I'm writing to you partly to thank you and partly to ask you a favor. If by any chance you have articles of personal accounts *accidents, casses, ect - besides the fetus one* can you email me the website asap. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Good luck with your hunt and if you come up with info let me know so I can post it. Thanks.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

I think the way we view and accept things have a lot to do with the way we were raised and our life's experience. People are funny, they are worst than the weather. We change change the way a person things, but we sure can give them a different point of view. When a person assumes or sees another's action as an attack, usually its because that's the way they, themselves, would react. I think it is safe to say that a lot of people including myself do things without thinking of the consequences or the effects it'll have on others. Sometimes it has a lot to do with our communication styles and the likes. People were created differently and uniquely, it is for this reason that we must learn to be opened minded, tolerant, and considerate. Sadly, we are more judgmental, negative and vengeful. If we are vengeful, than we will tend to view other's actions as such.

many of the advice and procedures you over on your web site can deal with the problem of dealing with impatient drivers and the likes. Your techniques for relaxing and counting to ten, or taking a deep breathe are just a few of the solution we can implement. My personal technique is confessing every morning that I am not going to let anyone steal my joy.

Here we go again another driver with an attitude. You know the only thing I have to say right now is: I remember growing up as a child hearing over and over again about the golden rule and today I repeat the say thing over and over again to my children. But sometimes we can teach and preach to a person until their faces turn blue. And all to no avail. Sometimes were are forced to learn by our actions. The sad thing is that often times people who know better or have already learned there lesson are relearning because of a rotten few. The only suggest I have is to pray for this and all other aggressive careless and carefree drivers. I am sure that this person came across your site. Your site is were I'd refer him too. I have shown your site to my husband because I was so impressed and continue to marvel at yours and your wife's works.

God bless.

I don't know if I should answer this question. I have seen such a drastic changes in this generation of children. They are not that responsible and many of them have a chip on their shoulders. Why they have these chips I'm not sure, perhaps they lack the necessary guidance that was once available to many of us. Perhaps its a simple defense mechanism, On simply they could care less. Until we are about to guide, correct, lead and love our children I don't think that they could be behind the wheel of a vehicle. I am not saying that all teenagers should not be driving, but i am saying that many of them should not. I have witness children racing each other on the public streets. I have seen many of them driving carelessly. I think that training and teaching responsibility and proper guidance is necessary or should be a requirement in order for a person, teenager as well as an adult is able to drive. The bottom line is it is necessary that training be done at an very early age if we are to control or wipe out the epidemic of road rage and aggressive driving.

*** Women no longer give way in battle for road Young women are the new hot-heads of the road, according to an Australian study which found they are almost as prone to road rage as young men. The study found that female drivers below age 30 are only slightly less likely to tail-gate, hurl abuse, shake their fists, blast their horns and cut in front of other drivers as any young man. An aggression index, compiled from a survey released at the weekend by the Australian Associated Motor Insurers Ltd, shows young women have hit 31.77 points on a road rage "Richter" scale, less than a point shy of men on 32.63. See
www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=6341967-b01.

  1. You have published any data on the relationship between your   self-reported measures of aggressive driving (e.g. the 9-item   questionnaire beginning with "Are you an impatient, irritable driver?"),   and objective measures of on-road behaviors and/or involvement in   traffic crashes.

I have not.

  2. You can direct me to empirical research that you have published in a   refereed journal that I may access here.

I have not. And sorry I can't be of any help. The fact is that I prefer to publish on the Web than in the old journals. I made several attempts to publish

this article on driving psychology methods 

but it was rejected. Perhaps you have a hypothesis regarding this seeming aversion??

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Thank You, Lawrence C.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Take, for example, the recent Chevy Suburban ad; crushing the rock and making another vehicle look like toy (in about the same position and size of the rock that was crushed only moments earlier).

We would appreciate knowing if you have any research on auto advertising and driving aggression and/or if there are any entities that are monitoring this potential problem area. Tobacco advertising has been restricted, how about car ads?

"We would appreciate knowing if you have any research on auto advertising and driving aggression and/or if there are any entities that are monitoring this potential problem area. Tobacco advertising has been restricted, how about car ads?" ++++++++++

Yes I have some data my students have collected this year. We were experimenting with DBB ratings (Drivers Behaving Badly) for car commercials, cartoons, and movies. Guess what: we found lots of evidence and have tabulated the data here--

  go look here

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Remember this: the quotation you are using really says: If you do the truth, the truth shall make you free. It won't make you free if you don't do it. Meaning: if you don't live and act according to the truth that you know.

Just thought I'd clarify this point as it applies to me too!

Dr. James

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Your site has been of tremendous help! What a wonderful opportunity for students to experience the web. I sense a lot of frustration among some students but they will appreciate it later.

Please check out our site at www.libertynet.org/~gvftma . We provide road construction updates for the Philadelphia Region and Carpool/Vanpool ridematching.

Thanks Again. Rena, Project Coordinator

I have a somewhat different theory about the evolution of road rage: I think that a significant contributing factor is the phenomenon of too many cars and not enough road. Twenty years ago, when the congestion on the local freeways was significantly less than it is today, the incidence of road rage was so rare as to be worthy of remark. Over the past decade or so, however, CalTrans has taken on the paternalistic attitude that we need to get out of our cars and into public transportation, and has decided to force the issue by refusing to increase the capacity of the roads to accommodate the increased traffic. The inside (fast) lane on many of our freeways was converted to carpool lanes (a carpool here is 2 or more persons per vehicle, and infants count!), thereby removing one lane from general usage (carpool lanes are generally empty).

Money that desperately needs to be spent on widening and repairing our major roadways is being spent on "light rail" (running at a horrendous---and taxpayer subsidized---loss and experiencing only 30% of projected ridership) and other public transportation options, ignoring the reality that commuting Californians don't WANT public transportation at the expense of the roadways. We vote with our wheels---despite longer, uglier, more congested, more dangerous commutes, we still drive. My husband's employee took public transportation only until she could afford to buy a car, then she joined the commute, too.

When the roads were less congested, they were less hostile. But what was once a 20 minute commute now takes me nearly an hour: for twenty minutes I could be calm and acquiescent, but doubling or tripling my commute time---solely because the State, in its infinite wisdom, had decided NOT to increase road capacity to accommodate increased traffic---makes it more and more difficult to remain calm in the face of idiotic and dangerous behavior perpetrated by other, equally exhausted and desperate-to-get-home drivers.

I am not, in any way, discounting your findings and assessments, but merely suggesting that there is an additional factor that perhaps you should consider. After all, studies have shown that animals become more aggressive when they are forced to live in very crowded conditions---why should the increased congestion on the roads have any less a deleterious effect?

Regards,

Dawn -Cerf Silicon Valley

"I could be calm and acquiescent, but doubling or tripling my commute time---solely because the State, in its infinite wisdom, had decided NOT to increase road capacity to accommodate increased traffic---makes it more and more difficult to remain calm in the face of idiotic and dangerous behavior perpetrated by other, equally exhausted and desperate-to-get-home drivers. (skip) studies have shown that animals become more aggressive when they are forced to live in very crowded conditions---why should the increased congestion on the roads have any less a deleterious effect? "

Let's assume you are politically right. Which means they are wrong. Even so: psychologically speaking, you can find relief before you can politically, because one is under your personal control while the other is not.

To give yourself relief from this unpleasant and stressful state: Practice separating the political and the psychological issues involved here, as I have done above. But you need to talk to yourself repeatedly and at length (or discuss it with your spouse) so that you become convinced that these two issues can and need to be separated in your mind.

You will come to realize that it is possible for you to feel less stressed, more in balance as a driver in heavy commute, if you simply saw your problem as psychological: you need to evolve skills that allow you to calm yourself in a slow, heavy, hostile, competitive, unfriendly highway environment. I've given many tips and methods on DrDriving's site. Please go back there and pick up tips on how to change yourself. You deserve to feel calm and happy, and it's possible with some practice.

An excellent method is to bring a tape recorder in the car and record your thoughts out loud. Then listen to the tape and diagnose yourself. Then try little exercises to stay calm, to talk yourself into positive thinking. The most effective way to do this, I found, is to identify more with the overall traffic community, vs. looking at things from the self perspective alone.

Good luck Dawn, and please let me know in a few weeks how you're doing!

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

I spent 15 years commuting in this traffic in a TR6 (tiny little sports car). Now I drive a 4x4 mini pickup (offers me more protection in a collision---my sports car was a magnet for bumper suckers). I tend to ignore the idiots---if they want to die for a 20 foot stretch of pavement, that's OK with me---but I don't want to, so I don't challenge them. I am not a particularly aggressive driver---I wait my turn, wave people in, and use the idling time to plan things like my dinner menu, what I want to do on the weekend, etc.

The idiots in the State and County government ARE a different issue. My point, which I may not have stated well, is that the increase in the traffic congestion and the increase in the road rage seem to related---and that at least a part of the burden of guilt for this phenomenon must be borne by those who decided NOT to increase the capacity of the roads to accommodate increased traffic, but actually DECREASE it by turning the fast lane into a little-used commuter lane and trying to divert us into public transportation. While the concept may have merit, unfortunately California cities sprawl (unlike their more compact and vertical Eastern counterparts) and, as long and arduous as my commute might be, taking public transportation adds an hour in each direction (I know, I tried it).

Some believe that the government is trying to force us out of our cars by making the commutes as nasty as possible, but if this is the case, like the originators of communism who forgot to factor human nature into the equation, the governmental entities responsible for this severely increased traffic congestion neglected to consider that there might be OTHER responses to an increasingly ugly commute---road rage being one of them. It would be interesting to see if expanding a major roadway so that it handled commute traffic at 50+mph on a regular basis would reduce the incidence of dangerously aggressive driving.

Myself, I just sit back and dream about moving back to Oregon (which I would do it a heartbeat if I could get a decent job there!). A twenty minute commute in the Salem area will take you twenty miles---around here, I'm lucky if I get six miles in that period of time. My most aggressive behavior consists of honking at the driver who ran the red light and is now blocking the intersection and who WON'T move into an empty lane because that lane doesn't take him to the on ramp he wants.

I have a great imagination and, thanks to the time I spend stuck in traffic, a rich fantasy life. What REALLY stresses me on the road is my husband's driving!!

Dawn

about trying this (though not with their spouses):

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

I've been looking for you or someone just like you. My name is Tom and I'm the commuting columnist for The Detroit News here in frosty Michigan. I write a column five days a week about commuting. Everything people see, hear, feel, do, see, smell and experience behind the wheel, and that certainly includes road rage and how to overcome it.

"Possibly also because women are basically more honest in their responses to this type of survey. I found in my work that men have a more positive reputation of themselves as drivers than actuality warrants, and that men respond with abuse when women passengers try to influence their driving style."

Yeah, that figgers. It makes my adrenaline flow, too! Haven't hit anybody, yet, though. :-)

In a situation like that, I think it is not so much that I am being called down as it is that she's RIGHT! And her being right and me being wrong is what is hard to take.

Peace, -- Bruce --

Oh, yes, Oh yes! I know this from personal experience. That is how driving psychology was born in my mind 15 years ago when my wife started telling me about my driving and I reacted very badly. That shocked me into taking it seriously, since I'm a trained psychologist! So I started my research on myself -- thoughts and feelings behind the wheel-- and my students followed with similar attempts.

From the perspective of the Writings of Swedenborg, aggressive driving (anger at other drivers) and being abusive to passengers (spouses and children) is a temptation and ought to be overcome for the sake of one's regeneration. Driving is a good medium for working out temptations!!

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Thank you for your quick response. I guess right now my colleagues and I just in the exploratory phase as far as therapeutic intervention with problem drivers. But you and your work definitely will be a great resource for this endeavor. With the metro Denver area growing and becoming a true melting pot (new Americans from Russia, SE Asia, as well as Texas and California) ,foreign and regional driving "cuisines" - cultural issues need to be considered. I will be back to you with the latest developments. Thank you again. Take care and have a "Rocky Mountain High" holiday season!

, eg.,
Random Act of Kindness for Drivers,
or the
Threestep Program for Driving Personality
Makeover attempts, or
Quality Driving Circles (QDCs), or
Children Against Road Rage (CARR), or
Drivers' Hostile Attitudes in Their Own Words, 

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Many thanks for your quick response. I would imagine this web site keeps you very, very busy. I've been amazed at just how much info is out there about driving, especially road rage. I would be very pleased to fax you copies of my column. Incidentally, our fax at the Detroit News is 313-222-2335 if you have anything you think l might be of special interest to our readers. Again, my thanks. Tom

2) drivers behaving badly: commercials, cartoons, movies they watch show this and that that's really bad (for a sample go see my students' reports here.

3) kids as passengers behaving badly (they're driving you crazy so the driver becomes emotionally upset and drives like a maniac). I have a bunch of driving vignettes describing cartoon-like situations here.

4) facts and stats for older kids, a collection of these are here 

Please notify me by e-mail when your book is available for order. I have been reading your on-line info and am glad that something like this is available. Thank you for your helpful tips and I'll let you know how things are going on the road. By the way, I just wanted to vent on some pet peeves I have while driving such as: trucks, buses or sport utility vehicles which have headlights which shine directly into my rear view mirror (since I have a Ford Probe which is low to the ground), cars who force their way into your lane and then give you the "f" finger when I toot the horn, cars that tailgate, cars that go too slow, cars that try to race me, cars that don't give you a chance to change lanes and motorcycles and taxis that always drive recklessly. I'm sure these are everyone's pet peeves, but I'm trying to not let these "road jerks" get me upset. Talk to you soon...

Again, thanks, and Merry Christmas!

A story from anthropology: (I don't remember the group of people but they were Africans.) A man and wife were having a serious disagreement and he got so angry that he dismantled the house (grass & thatch). Among this people it meant he wanted a divorce. But shortly after his anger passed and it became obvious to all that he didn't want the divorce. So his wife, instead of insisting he rebuild the house right where it was, said they ought to go down by the creek and build another one.

There is something really hard to being in the wrong, having been in that position many times. Helen

First, I acknowledge your frustration and I agree that road conditions are very bad from a psychological point of view. There are many drivers who feel like you and I believe change is going to occur.

Second, in the meantime while we're waiting for change, you need to ask yourself what you can do to reduce your frustration and stress. You need to observe your thoughts while driving as well as while discussing the topic in your mind and with others. You will notice that your philosophy of driving and highway conditions contains the tendency to blame others for what's going on. Blaming is a source of stress and frustration.

So I advise people to change philosophy and to start looking at traffic and drivers in a different light. Try identifying with the collectivity of traffic. Try being supportive of other drivers. Try thinking of positive reasons why certain things are done by drivers, police, lawmakers, etc. Enlarge your focus, be more tolerant, strive for emotional intelligence. Do the exercises I recommend on DrDriving's site and let me know if your mental state improves.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Today, it could get you killed, she said. Officer Carlos Valdez said road rage takes place when motorists zigzag through traffic, follow too closely and cut other motorists off at high speeds. ``It's people trying to antagonize other drivers,'' he said. In some instances angered motorists pull out weapons and use them. This month in Phoenix, a man was shot to death in the driveway of his home after a traffic altercation. The $20,000 unmarked car, a late-model two-door sedan, was bought with federal money and is the first in Tucson. Phoenix has 12 similar cars on the streets for the same purpose, said Alberto Gutier, director of the Governor's Office of Community Highway Safety. In two years, Phoenix police who use the unmarked cars have made 9,000 traffic stops and have written 16,000 citations for violations such as following too closely and illegal lane change. While therapists nationwide are making an argument that ``road rage'' should be a certifiable mental illness, Gutier said the only cure for such erratic driving is ``stiff penalties.'' He supports legislation that defines ``aggressive driving'' and allows the courts to hand down tougher penalties.

State Sen. Jerry Overton, R-Phoenix, is expected to introduce a bill this legislative session aimed at aggressive drivers, Gutier said. ``We need something that prevents this kind of craziness,'' he said. The National Traffic Safety Administration estimated that two-thirds of the 42,000 highway deaths last year were related to aggressive driving. A recent survey in Washington, D.C., by the American Automobile Association showed people fear aggressive drivers more than drunken drivers. In Tucson, a uniformed police officer will drive the unmarked car, Vogel said. The officer will patrol daily and work with motorcycle officers, who will be called in as backup if motorists fail to pull over, Vogel said. Her advice to motorists is stay away from aggressive drivers and call police. ``Time and distance is the best thing,'' she said. ``Don't shout; don't make gestures.''. What I'd like to do is bring to your attention some comments made by the police: Police are hoping the car's presence will ``induce paranoia,'' said Capt. Jill Vogel, who oversees the Tucson Police Department's traffic division.

Gutier said the only cure for such erratic driving is ``stiff penalties.'' For a moment let's pretend that there is a "mental illness" of "road rage", is this the proper way for the police to handle it, and is the proper mentality the police should be exhibiting? Seems to me, attempting to "induce paranoia" is only going to make it worst, and I'm REALLY unclear how beating a person w/a stick (ie, stiff penalties and more legislation) is going to resolve the perceived problem.

Thx,eric

But I agree that re-training and re-education is the only real answer.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

When you go to traffic court you will see all kinds of people. When you go to traffic school, it is the same picture. So why differentiate classes of drivers. We should concentrate on bad behavior.

Victor wrote that I seem to deny the crucial role of relationships in helping us recognize the truth in its true application to our lives. Well, it seems obvious to me that if a person is all alone on this world, he has nobody to act towards and react to him/her. The opportunity to regenerate would not exist.

Also, obviously reformation is not an intellectual process: it's a process of seeing conflicts among things and people we love, and making choices. I would add that it goes far beyond the people we love.

But I see a great difference between the relationship we have with our married partner and with others. With our married partner we strive towards mutual conjunction, and this conjunction has requirements that go far beyond the relationships we have with others.

I was once two space ships docking with each other. They moved towards each and came closer and closer. One space ship had a male connection and the other a female connection. With the help of computers they moved these two connections closer and closer, and finally the male connection went into the female connection. This must have been quite a job, this maneuvering in other space at tremendous speeds. Finally doors in both connections were opened, and the men in both space ships could meet and talk.

I see this docking as a very rough simile of the relationship between husband and wife. We have to be very careful when we try to connect. Most important is to respect the freedom of the other. Just as the Lord respects our freedom and does not try to correct us, but waits until we attempt to correct ourselves, so the one partner should not try to correct the other, but wait until the other desires such correction. When help is requested, we can give it, but not before that. Each partner regenerates on his/her own. Only the Lord can regenerate us, and even He is powerless unless we open the door.

As long as _lovers_ resist correction by their _beloveds_ then this is a sign for the beloved to stand at the door, knock on it yes, but refrain from entering. Perhaps the beloved will be exhausted by the reaction of the lover, but also that is part of regeneration. When the correction is clear and the need is clear to the beloved, it takes a great deal of patience to stay outside the door. We should always consider that it is quite possible that the beloved is also in need of correction and the lover has noticed it, but has remained quiet.

If a lover who claims to love and honor the beloved, but is horrid to the beloved under a condition of being corrected by the beloved, we should recognize that it is quite possible that the tables are often turned. Patience and a deep respect for the other's freedom is the only remedy.

The Lord is in the same position with us. He knows so much better what our needs are, and what correction we need. But even He stand outside the door and waits. He knocks, yes, but then He waits.

There is no need to flatter the ego that has just committed an error, and I agree this is not a sign of genuine affection. The Lord does not do that either.

I agree with Victor that anyone (male or female) who responds with abuse is in a "rage" condition and needs to take a serious look at their whole attitude. I agree that even simple speeding is often more than just impatience -- it's very often an act of pridefulness, defiance and stubbornness, and often expresses a kind of rage against the conditions that keep us from being where we want to be right now -- and against the people who dare to be in our way, or who dare to question our right to HAVE our way. But here we are talking, not about the marital relationship, but about a relationship with strangers.

Yes, I agree that if a driver thinks for a moment that someone else's discomfort with his driving is somehow their fault and not his, is in serious trouble. But I would not suggest that passengers begin to correct the driver of a car. My wife does this from time to time, and we have had very close calls, so close that she now refrains from doing it. And while she drives, I also refrain from doing it.

My scariest experience happened years ago when I was driving with a New Church couple, where the wife with her corrections got the husband so confused, that I found myself driving on the wrong side of the freeway. Best wishes,

Rev. Jan H. Weiss, New Church Outreach

  I agree. MUCH better than the superior, smug, in-your-face criticism.   The point is clearly made without being confrontational.   A true example of diplomacy.

But I think Sharon was being mildly sarcastic, and it was in _that_ spirit that I said "I love it!" In the heat of the moment, it's pretty tough to find the right diplomatic words. In fact, taking the time to compose a warning might be a bad idea!

If a real-bad-thing seems about to happen, a frantic outburst is sometimes the best we can manage. And if it draws the driver's attention to the situation, it's done its job. Hopefully the driver will accept it as a sincere expression of concern. ;-)

Jan wrote:   My scariest experience happened years ago when I was driving with a New   Church couple, where the wife with her corrections got the husband so   confused, that I found myself driving on the wrong side of the freeway.

I think this makes the point that each couple should be sensitive to what _works_ in terms of correction and advice, given their respective styles (of driving, of expressing concern, etc.), and this ties in with his statement about "standing at the door". But at the same time, husband and wife are partners in a very real ducking-the-bullets life, where they need to cover for each other and to be grateful for that coverage, and accept what is offered in the most constructive way possible.

This whole discussion is colored by each couple's experience. For example, we've had references to "abusiveness" on one hand, and to "superior, smug, in-your-face criticism" on the other. These don't relate to my wife's warning when I seem to be totally ignoring another car or a pedestrian, or my advice when she seems to be getting lost (her driving creates far less urgent situations than mine does!).

Vic

Would you please send me any information on aggressive driving to include testing for aggressive driving and how to prevent it.

Let me know how you did. Perhaps you can email me a copy of your report!

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

....  I think this makes the point that each couple should be sensitive to  what  _works_ in terms of correction and advice, given their respective  styles  (of driving, of expressing concern, etc.),.... But at the same time, husband  and  wife are partners in a very real ducking-the-bullets life, where they  need  to cover for each other and to be grateful for that coverage, and  accept  what is offered in the most constructive way possible. 

DBP : When I am unhappy with myself because of some driving lapse, or unhappy with someone else because of theirs, I will take almost any comment made about the situation -- unless very carefully worded -- as finding fault with me. That is, I will react defensively. I expect at least some but probably not all other people react similarly. My conclusion is that this is a period of time when many of us are not very receptive to even well-intentioned comments.

So, since the danger has already been avoided somehow, what real purpose is to be served by passenger comments? First in probability, I expect, is the desire to let the driver know that you are not satisfied with the current performance level if you believe *e was negligent. But, if the driver is not receptive at that time, might it be better to wait a little bit? Or is the message so urgent that one must risk increasing the anger level and possible irrational reaction?

When giving criticism, I have read that it is best to speak directly to the offending behavior and couch it in "I" terms. "When you follow other cars so closely, it makes me very uncomfortable." Now you are admitting that you own the problem and are asking for help to resolve it. To me his seems better than direct accusations, sarcasm, insults, etc.

Well, that all sounds so good, but it is not 100% effective. I remember a time when my son was driving down a 4-lane highway and gradually approached a pickup from the rear. He waited until he was less than 30 feet from the truck before hitting the brakes, checking his mirrors for traffic in the other lane, and then changing lanes. I had watched us approach the truck for several minutes. There had been PLENTY of time to slow, check ,mirrors, signal, and change lanes. There was no reason on earth do make a panic situation out of it since there was no traffic in the other lane at all.

I waited a couple of minutes and said something like, "I have found that constantly checking my mirrors while driving allows me to know at every instant exactly what traffic is doing all around me so I can react faster when something unexpected happens." Angry reaction. Lesson/concerns apparently dismissed out of hand. So, what can you do?

Peace, -- Bruce --

They also ENFORCE their mandatory turn signals whenever you change lanes. That same law applies in the U.S. but the cops rarely, if ever, ticket someone for not using their turn signals. If people would learn to yield the left lane to faster moving traffic, then this would DRASTICALLY reduce the number of "road rage" incidents!!!

I was hitch-hiking through Marysville Ohio in 1965, and I noticed the driver who picked me up was drifting along at 10 miles an hour. I asked if something was wrong, he said no, the lights are synchronized for 10 miles an hour! At this point a pickup truck zipped past us and screeched to a halt at the red light before us. As we approached at our leisurely pace, the light turned green and he peeled out noisily. Then waited for us at the next light. This was repeated through a half dozen lights, till we got to the end of this small town. We never stopped.

This has affected my attitude towards driving for the past 30 years. Aloha, Vic

I'm afraid this will not work. It's unfair and unrealistic and unhelpful to make the passenger a victim of the driver's callousness and lack of emotional intelligence!! I agree that insulting the driver is not the smart way to do it--but my research shows that drivers will take it as an insult no matter how you say it--as long as you're interfering with the way they want to drive.

So the problem should not be placed on how you say it as a passenger--after all the passenger is half dead with fear and is in an emotionally needy state: the driver has to take charge and be a competent captain who feels responsible for the passenger. If the driver acts on the feeling of being insulted, there is no responsibility being taken for being the captain, etc. You see the line of reasoning here...

Your story about your son driving while you're his passenger, corroborates what I'm saying:

"I waited a couple of minutes and said something like, "I have found that constantly checking my mirrors while driving allows me to know at every instant exactly what traffic is doing all around me so I can react faster when something unexpected happens." Angry reaction. Lesson/concerns apparently dismissed out of hand. So, what can you do?"

What you can do is what I'm advising my traffic psychology students: to get into a semi-formal type of contract or written agreement whereby the driver agrees not to abuse the passenger who now assumes the title of Driving Coach. I call it Partnership Driving--go see a description here.

  Well, that all sounds so good, but it is not 100% effective. I remember   a time when my sone was driving down a 4-lane hiway and gradually   approached a pickup from the rear. He waited until he was less than 30   feet from the truck before hitting the brakes, checking his mirrors for   traffic in the other lane, and then changing lanes. I had watched us   approach the truck for several minutes.   There had been PLENTY of time to slow, check ,irrors, signal, and change   lanes. There was no reason on earth do make a panic situation out of it   since ther was no traffic in the other lane at all.     I waited a couple of minutes and said something like, "I have found that   constantly checking my mirrors while driving allows me to know at every   instant exactly what traffic is doing all around me so I can react faster   when something unexpected happens." Angry reaction. Lesson/concerns   apparently dismissed out of hand. So, what can you do?

I've found that if I speak up when I first begin to be worried works best for me: it's especially tricky with kids - they want acknowledgement of being all grown up and competent. Several times I've said to my son "I'm getting nervous about how close we're getting to the guy in front of us". He usually said something like "Mom, I'm a good driver, so don't worry about it", and then I would say "I know you are, but I'm getting nervous: I don't drive this close to someone, and it just makes me nervous". Since there is no immediate danger (by not waiting until a panic-situation has developed), so I don't have to shout "Watch out!", he has been more receptive and sensitive to my feelings. I mean no offense, but your statement after the fact could be perceived by a driver as sort of preachy. I'm sure it seemed like an "I" statement, but it is very easy to make "You" statements that start out with "I".

I suspect that your son "heard" you saying "You should constantly be checking your mirrors", etc, especially since there had been plenty of time when you could have said "I'm getting really nervous about how close you are getting to that truck: you're clear in the next lane if you are planning to switch lanes". And let's face it: no matter how diplomatic, sensitive, gentle, affirming and caring a parent is, there will be some times when a child reacts with upset to some remark made by his/her parent! (S/he is usually reacting to some hidden emotional stuff that is not directly related to the situation). Parenting is one of the jobs where one cannot seem to predict all outcomes!

And so it goes.

Deborah

Leon James responded similarly to that paragraph. My point was not the driver did not DESERVE to have criticism directed at h* but that, for emotional reasons, it would do little apparent good since the driver would not be receptive. I was playing on realities rather than should's and ought's.

I agree wholeheartedly that the driver SHOULD be humble and mature enough to accept the criticism gracefully even if not couched in "kid gloves." But, we are talking negligence and road-rage here. In the partial examples given, the driver does not appear to be solidly in charge of mature emotions. I think we all have periods like that occasionally and we all do something stupid occasionally.

I think the partial illustrations have gotten progressively more serious over the various messages, starting out with a moderate oversight (changing lanes with a car in the blind spot?) to presumably overtly reckless endangerment. I think the comments and responses would be different in the different scenarios.

For example, if a person is intentionally driving recklessly (passing on a curve against oncoming traffic?), that is very different than a person making a relatively minor mistake (see above). Both could have unfortunate consequences, but the latter is more likely to involve maiming and killing.

Would one, as a passenger, have the same response to both? I sure wouldn't!

Deborah, your pre-emptive strike against creeping up on the truck was probably better than my watchful waiting approach. As a parent of a teenager, I was never quite sure what the best approach was. Much easier when it's somebody else's kid!

I do think, however, that even if the driver reacts defensively to comments about his performance, the criticism has still been registered and will be remembered. He will, presumably, be more careful -- with that particular passenger at least -- in the future.

The woman who killed my daughter was never charged but we did win a civil suit against her, forcing her to remember my daughter every month.

Thank you for caring!

Let me know what your plans develop! Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Keep up the good work. --Sam

I am writing a story for a local weekly on Road Rage. I am sending this e-mail in hopes that maybe we can do a cyber-interview, ain't technology amazing.

Recently, a kid killed one person and injured two others over a traffic dispute. And I am from California where the roads have been raging for years. I have been doing some research via internet about road rage. And much to my surprise, the topic seems to be completely laid out - as far as causes for it, and good statistical data on the recent increase of road rage and how it correlates to societal stressors as well as the fact that there really are just too damn many of us on the roads.

But as a driver, and as someone who has at times suffered from road rage as well as been victim to road rage, there are a few questions that have not been answered. I am contacting you in hopes that you can help me out.

When someone locks themselves into their car, they become the most anti-social being on earth. No one is there to witness the horrible things they are saying to other people on the road. So it seems to me that a campaign to promote carpooling would be a good first step to take in reducing road rage. But the steps that I have read about so far have been to increase the number of highway safety officiating on the road ?

Another question, this is pretty hypothetical- seeing that I've never pulled a gun on anyone over having someone give me the finger on the road. But to me, learning happens by definition. All the things people inherently know, we never really think about until someone comes along and gives it a word and a context- in which to understand it. But sometimes, I feel that as American's we have a tendency to take definitions and create excuses out of them. Road rage seems to be a bit in danger of becoming that kind of situation to me. First thing someone does to justify their actions these days seems to be to cite road rage. Do you have any thoughts on this ?

Also as a black female, I must correlate road rage with some other factors. I am not going to bore you with the amount of times, I ve been called nigger or bitch over the fact that someone has not liked my driving and I have to admit- I have also been guilty of making a few socio-ethnic blunders myself. Yet again, of the research I have read no one seems to be talking about that either. Instead the police are saying that drugs and drinking are factors in road rage. What drug dealer is going to get pissed at someone for cutting them off then chase them down and bash in their window with a baseball bat ? And most drunk driving incidents happen after working hours- yet most of the road rage at least the publicized incidents have been during peak rush hours ?

I think I get their point, they are speaking to a wider lack of responsibility. But the point of my article is that road rage is at least a metaphor to current social stressors and I guess my fear is that like with the social stressors that road rage epitomizes- I think maybe we are missing the point. Avoid eye contact with drivers. Report road rage to the authorities. That's all well and good for advice to driver's to protect themselves. Protect yourself with Car alarms. New and advanced anti-theft devices for our homes. Expensive cameras to spot people that run red lights. More police, giving more traffic tickets. In some ways, I guess it seems that our ways of dealing with this problem will only serve as fuel to increase the source of the problem. Stress. And alienation- from factors of our society that we "think" are out to harm us.

I am not really asking you that many questions I know. But I often write the way I speak. And I am trying to have a conversation with you, over the internet, how's that for irony, while I am talking about the alienation of American society.

But here are a few to the point questions that would be helpful. And any extra info., you think of would also be greatly appreciated.

The incr. of motorists on today's road ways correlates with increased traffic in other places as well. Such as banks, supermarkets, etc,. Why is there road rage and not supermarket rage ?

In a recent article in the Washington Post, a Police officer stated that people on the roadways have no respect for their fellow drivers, why is that ?

I recently interviewed a driving instructor- who told me that road rage was most maddening to his profession because it is impossible to install good driving behavior to his students- because we all learn behavior based upon example. And the examples that his students are getting, are from discourteous drivers. How can we as a community take steps to decrease road rage in our areas as well as encourage - good driving etiquette when we are constantly victims of aggressive behavior ?

How effective do you think recent measures to decrease road rage have been ?

And ultimately, what about the bad driver ? (I know that sounds immature, first thing someone says to a domestic violence victim - is what did you do. As if anyone deserves verbal or physical harassment.) But what about the bad driver's who keep doing things to piss other driver's off. And almost make it seem logical that people are bashing their windows in ? The Police can educate us on how to report aggressive driver's but honestly what can we do about the scared, freaked out driver's who are already too afraid to even concentrate on their driving ? Or the people on the telephone's who are too consumed with conducting their business on the road ways to even begin to be considerate drivers ? How can we educate them, without sending a message to socially impaired driver's that it is okay to unleash their unwarranted anger on America's roadways ?

Even if you think I am just some crank and never respond, it has still been quite cathartic. Thanks a lot. Devona

"The increase of motorists on today's road ways correlates with increased traffic in other places as well. Such as banks, supermarkets, etc,. Why is there road rage and not supermarket rage?" +++

What a good question--I haven't been asked this one before, but my wife Diane and I have been talking about it for quite awhile: the answer is Yes, there is supermarket rage, and other forms we've observed in public places, as well as private, such as "relationship rage" and "husband rage" etc. The fact is that rage or anger is with every one of us, by birth. Which is why we need character reformation as part of continuing education for all. My proposal for CARR (Children Against Road Rage) and YARR (Youth Against Road Rage), recognize the idea that we need to train people from childhood onward how to handle rage, and road rage.

You also wrote: +++

"In a recent article in the Washington Post, a Police officer stated that people on the roadways have no respect for their fellow drivers, why is that?" +++

There are several reasons, and each must be dealt with, if we're going to improve the situation. First, we have a cultural norm of disrespect on highways, encouraged by car talk, car symbolism, car commercials, and cartoons and movies portraying drivers behaving badly (see my proposal for movie and commercial rating scheme on my Web site.) Second, we have much greater density of vehicles per road so we need to teach people how to be nice and supportive to one another, especially how to identify with the highway community as a collective instead of self-focus as a competitive driver. This requires social-group forces such as belonging to a Quality Driving Circle (QDC) as explained on my Web site. This would accomplish what you are striving for:

+++ "How can we as a community take steps to decrease road rage in our areas as well as encourage - good driving etiquette when we are constantly victims of aggressive behavior?" +++

And so you ask: "How effective do you think recent measures to decrease road rage have been?" +++

I have argued that law enforcement and increased surveillance will not work and will have potentially bad side effects (some of which you point out). Hence, grass roots citizen activism against aggressive driving such as QDCs, Lifelong Driver's Ed, CARR/YARR, and CASAD (Washington based: Citizens Against Speeding and Aggressive Driving--see my Web site).

You also ask: +++ "And ultimately, what about the bad driver?" +++

First, we need to focus on training and re-training all drivers. This will reduce the frequency of bad drivers you encounter on the road. Second, we need to train drivers for tolerating greater diversity on the road: older people, sick people, and yes, drivers who are obstructionist and block the left lane as a vigilante tactic of rage.

Finally, you ask: +++

"The Police can educate us on how to report aggressive driver's but honestly what can we do about the scared, freaked out driver's who are already too afraid to even concentrate on their driving? Or the people on the telephone's who are too consumed with conducting their business on the road ways to even begin to be considerate drivers? How can we educate them, without sending a message to socially impaired driver's that it is okay to unleash their unwarranted anger on America's roadways?" +++

The scared driver who is stressed out: I recommend all sorts of possible exercises that drivers can practice to overcome their fears, their stress, their anger, their dismay, their impatience. More equipment for communication is being placed in cars such as mobile telephones, GPS computers for maps and monitoring car location, CB radios, and other stuff that allow drivers to eat, receive e-mail, even watch TV (for passengers). All of this will require that drivers train themselves for multi-tasking in the car. Without training it will be another disaster.

In summary, your questions all relate to the very issues that DrDriving orients to: education and training. The fact is that as we are entering our second century of car society, with 180 million drivers in the U.S., we are realizing more and more that driving is a very complex activity for which we need to train drivers, and keep re-training them throughout their careers as drivers. It's the only way, in my considered opinion.

I hope you have a chance to explore my answers in more detail by looking at DrDriving's materials, which are quite extensive. I also hope you get a chance to revisit the issue as a reporter when my book is published (no dates yet, but soon) on _Road Rage: Emotional Intelligence for Drivers_ (forthcoming). Let me know if there is anything further I can answer. Please send me a copy of your article!!

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

I work for AAA Washington State for a new member magazine called Journey; its first issue appeared in November, and it goes out to 400,000 AAA members. We're doing a feature story on "lawless roads," or road rage, and I was hoping I could get some information from you for two sidebars I'm doing. The first is called "Don't Become a Victim" (how to avoid becoming entangled in a road rage incident). The second is called "When Your Anger Rises" (tips for managing your own road rage, assuming our readers have a moderate amount). Would it be possible for you to e-mail or call me with some tips for both pieces, in addition to suggesting any other experts I should talk with? Sincerely,

Sarah, Copy Editor, Journey Magazine, AAA Washington Assistant Editor, Avenues Magazine, Auto Club of Southern California

DrDriving's Advice for AAA Members on Managing Your Own Road Rage
by Dr. Leon James
1999

"Don't Become a Victim"
(how to avoid becoming entangled in a road rage incident).
 

"When Your Anger Rises"
(tips for managing your own road rage, assuming our readers have a moderate amount).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Advice Number 1: When entering the car, as you turn the ignition on, remind yourself that you can't change other drivers, but you can change yourself.

Prepare yourself for Conscious Driving, hassle-free driving, as an emotionally intelligent driver. As you pull into traffic, try to identify with the collective highway community as a neighborhood that deserves your support rather than hostility and competition.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Advice Number 2: Ask yourself the question: How am I contributing to the problem of competition and stress on highways?

Remind yourself that driving is a highly social affair! Don't be fooled by the appearance of isolation inside your little castle with tinted windows. What you do immediately affects other drivers, and vice versa. For example, when you decide to quickly accelerate, the drivers next to you feel the surge and your image in their eyes or mirrors approaches them quickly or recedes from them quickly. Your action evokes emotions in them. When you move your toes an inch or two and apply the brakes, the driver behind you has to move his or her toes, and the driver behind, and behind...Your little toes movement affects the toes movement of many drivers, like a coordinated highway dance. And when you blow your horn in impatience or self-righteus indignation, the sound of it enters the ears of several drivers within ear shot, arousing emotions in each of them--Is it me they're honking at? What did I do? Who's doing this? What's going on? etc. This is what it means to think about driving as a social affair--to be conscious and alert and compassionate.

By reminding yourself to think of driving as a collective social affair, you accomplish three things:

First, you are being more rational by showing an objective understanding of driving--how it actually is a coordinated social group event.

Second, you are being more emotionally intelligent by considering the consequences of your actions on others instead of ignoring them and considering your own emotions only.

Third, you are being safer and protected by being able to avoid risky acts such as provoking other drivers or taking foolish risks in response to your feelings of impatience or bravado.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Advice Number 3: When you are behind the wheel, try to get in touch with your higher feelings and use them to fight your lower feelings.

For example, reaffirm to yourself the value of cooperation, community, altruism, support, tolerance, and rationality. The highway really enlarges our community membership. It is like a 'moving neighborhood' or even a 'virtual neighborhood' in which the membership may last only a few seconds, or a couple of minutes. The drivers around us are not enemies and competitors, they are neighbors and citizens representing great diversity--to which we need to accommodate willingly, as in a neighborhood. Each little exchange with another driver constitutes a 'mini-encounter' and for a few seconds we form a 'mini-relationship' -- just like we do at the post office or bank line, though not the same way.

Think with compassion not rejection, about drivers who are sick--yet MUST drive themselves; drivers who are in emotional turmoil due to life circumstances; drivers who are new to the area and don't know exactly where they're going; drivers who have children in the car who are making a distracting racket; drivers who are old and less alert and reactive, thus needing more leeway; think of inexperienced drivers, and those are anxious and scared to make a left turn and attempt parking in a small space.

Above all think of this: what kind of a person are you really, really, when behind the wheel you act like you don't care about these human needs that are really, really there on the highway, and when you act like someone who cares only about self, feeling no concern for the legitimate needs of other drivers all around.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Advice Number 4: Strive to acquire greater emotional intelligence as a driver.

As you drive be a witness to your own thoughts and emotions. Observe WHEN you criticize other drivers in your mind, and WHAT you are thinking about it. Give yourself more flexibility in thinking. Try thinking of positive reasons why some driver does some thing.

For example, when another driver comes into your lane, after your initial reaction of surprise and disapproval, follow it up with listing positive aspects of the exchange. Like: That driver needed to come into my lane. No point my taking it negatively. Or: That driver failed to signal. It was a mistake but we need to give others more slack by accommodating to mistakes. We all make mistakes, so it's smart to drive with built-in leeway for mistakes. It makes me a better driver. Etc.

When you have a chance, meet with others in an informal group or QDC (Quality Driving Circle) and discuss your driving philosophy and personality. Report to the group on your 'driving personality makeover' program. This represents your 'lifelong driver's ed' and consists of your step by step self-modification attempts in becoming an 'excellent driver.'

It takes lifelong driver's ed because driving is so complex a behavior, both socially and physically, and its roots go deep into the driver's temperament, personality and life philosophy. At the same time, this depth of driving behavior makes it worthwhile for an individual to use it as an arena for personal growth and development. By teaching yourself to become an excellent driver, a conscious driver, a supportive driver, you are becoming a safer and less costly driver, a more rational and responsible individual, a better highway citizen, a more compassionate human being.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Advice Number 5: Distinguish more accurately between insult or negligence on the one hand, and mistake or incapacity on the other.

First, remind yourself that we start our careers as drivers with a culturally inspired norm of negative attitude and hostile competition on highways, as clearly portrayed by drivers behaving badly (DBB ratings) in car commercials, cartoons, and movies, as well as repeatedly enacted by our parents who drive us to school or soccer and ballet practice. With this aggressive driving socialization background, we find it normal to cuss, be impatient, take risks, rush, tailgate, lane hop, flip the bird, fight for a space, cut someone off, close ranks to prevent entry by another, speed, drive through stop signs and red lights, yell at passengers who are terrified by the way we drive, and bad mouth pedestrians, police officers, transportation engineers, city councilmen, and safety experts.

To break through this negative driving culture, start with your own anger behind the wheel. Remind yourself that getting angry behind the wheel is an automatic, natural response to one's territoriality feelings. Observe how your anger quickly dissipates within 5 to 7 seconds, UNLESS you rekindle the fire of emotion by venting your anger through self-righteous indignation (e.g., How dare they do this? That's really stupid. What gives them the right to... I can't let them get away with that! etc.). During the critical 5 to 7 initial seconds after the "offending" event, use breathing tricks to control the emotion (breath slowly and deeply, count to 10, sing, make funny animal sounds). The breath controls the thought, and thought supports the emotion. Then, when the surge of adrenalin is over, and your breathing returns to normal, give yourself a pep talk about how it's better to stay calm, how you would prefer it, how you want to be more tolerant and supportive, how you don't want any hassles, etc.

Make yourself distinguish between mistake and insult, between incapacity and negligence. This increases your emotional intelligence as a driver and allows you to control your emotions in an adequate way, given that you are being constantly challenged on the road. Aggressive driving is a response to biased interpretations. Drivers get mad when they interpret another driver's act as an insult or negligence. The negative emotion cannot occur UNLESS we interpret the other's act as an intended insult or a negligent lack of concern for our safety.

By deciding in our mind that the driver's act is insult or negligence, we are automatically setting ourselves up for the fall--the emotional explosion of anger through which we lose it and then act dangerously and mindlessly. If you let it go that far, you need to back up, reverse yourself, by using the other techniques I mentioned. But it's far easier and more effective if you prevent the anger from occurring in the first place. And you accomplish this by maintaining the distinction between insult vs. mistake, negligence vs. incapacity.

My research with drivers has convinced me that 99.9% of the time you can correctly assume that the other driver's act was not an insult but a mistake, or else, that it was not some heartless negligence but some incapacity or impairment due to life circumstances. This positive interpretation may not be our first preference, since getting angry is so natural and satisfying! However, getting angry is shortsighted, and we are left with danger, insecurity, emptiness, and guilt; or else, with selfish domination and anti-democratic sentiments.

Positive interpretations of the behavior of other drivers is the hallmark of supportive, hassle free, smart driving, conscious driving. It is driving with excellence, safety, and cost effectiveness. It protects you from driving stress and from the insanity of other drivers. You are contributing to the general welfare of the highway community and you are affirming the dignity of human beings.

See also Definition of road rage here
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

-Greer (Maryland)

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

I believe I came away a better driver, even if only temporarily . ;-

Best wishes, you are doing much-needed and important work. (I'm sure you didn't need me to tell you that, though.)

-- Bruce --

My name is Len P, Arnold P. Nerenberg's business manager. I am VERY impressed with your website. Hopefully with the efforts of yourself and Dr. Nerenberg, we can make a difference.

Just thought I would say hello and let you know I was here...

Keep up the good work, I am impressed with the level of integrity and sincerity of you and Dr. Nerenberg.

Hope your holidays were good to you. Sincerely, Len

Sounds like winter driving in Arizona. If you want to study Road Rage look to the South West!

The winter in Tucson is when the Snow Birds come. Folks with cash and no regard for anything in Arizona. Like any group there are angelic Snow Birds, people who help others, try to blend in and enjoy life. Then there are the others...

Highway 79 has a long 15+ mile run where you can see it disappear at the horizon. Typical of the "others" is the "BIG" motor home lit up like some kind of UFO running all kinds of lights mostly kinda pointing to the front. Flash him to let him know he's causing trouble for oncoming traffic and you find out- that's the first set, he has more lights in reserve. Pusher motor homes must have a 600 amp alternator to run that kind of load!

Or how about the trucker who got so fed up he drove down the center line at 85 mph scattering traffic.

Or the dumb - Stupid fool who pulled out across traffic because he was tired of waiting. Never heard if the passenger made it, they were not locals never made it to the paper.

Even on I-10 there are problems:

Old folks getting on at Picacho Peak forced a semi over into the fast lane- On top of a little brown Van who was passing. Rolled the van into a bloody ball. Old folks continued on their way.

Subaru sedan with six adults pulls on Westbound I-10 at Casagrande decides to pass immediately into the 75MPH traffic in the fast lane while doing 45 MPH. I found out my Ranger has really excellent brakes! Driver then Flips me off. My, My, Now I'm Pissed. About 60 seconds later we crested an overpass and the driver saw the 75MPH speed limit signs.. I could see the red glow coming from the driver, I guess he thought it was 55 and I was speeding. Still Stupid, but...

But the most important revelation is that we are all the "Others". Having nothing to live for is a common complaint here. Commuting about 150 miles a day I see a lot of fun stuff. Hell I even get the Rage, but I haven't succumbed to the urge to shoot, maim or kill the other person.. Like Sci-Fi? Read the story Why Jonny can't Speed in the book "With Friends Like These" by Alan Dean Foster.

If I remember right He wrote these stories when he was in LA.

What you have not explained to me is why me; a 43 year old ,single, male, gun owning, failure who drives too damn fast, to damn far every day doesn't succumb to his thoughts of "Punishing" the object of his rage? Juxtapose me with the folks you interviewed; some of who are apparently very well to do, loved, Caring and all the other words we like to be described as who crossed the line. What's the difference?? If road rage is a cultural thing, a social thing or a genetic thing Which thing controls it? It's obvious to me that Laws aren't going to control peoples rage. They have to do that for themselves. I feel his pain- Circles don't cut it for drugs or Booze.

Damn, Sorry for the flame- But read the Foster story from the 70's. Then explain how to keep that world from happening without expecting people to give up their emotional baggage and prejudices, just because it makes sense and you asked them to. I think if you can do that you aught to get a Nobel.

Thanks , Stephen
Tucson, AZ

First, I think you're correct that law enforcement by itself isn't going to solve road rage or aggressive driving patterns. As you say, this is an inner thing, and each individual is in control of their emotions through their thoughts.

Perhaps this is what makes the difference. Yes, road rage is cultural but any one can get over it, as you have, by invoking your principles.

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Found your site whilst surfing the net, researching transportation safety, linked via Mr. Traffic's page- lot's of good info on both sites!

I am a transportation safety specialist for a large insurance company, and since you sound like you're interested, I'll pass along my Number One driving safety tip- please get as much mileage from it as you can on your site: Ready? Here it is....::::::

Daytime Running Lights!!

This is the best defensive measure a driver can take, and we routinely require all our customers to adopt this practice as Company Policy! And it works! Hope you agree!

Thanks for the great site, and give a holler if I can offer any assistance-

Sincerely, John, CSP, ARM Richmond, VA

My organization is creating a brochure about road rage and tips to combat the negative feelings associated with congestion and construction.

May we use the two illustrations for our publication and possibly a future web site regarding this topic?

My name is Rob , and I am currently writing a book for Busize Books at St. Martin's Press, provisionally entitled "Plato's Garage," about automobiles and the way we relate to them, both as a society and as individuals. Each chapter is an examination of one person's connection to the automobile, be it personal or professional, adding up to a wide, layman's overview of the automobile's impact on our daily lives.

I have been searching for a psychologist who deals with car/driving issues as a subject for one of my chapters, and happened across your extensive and fascinating internet publications. Would you be willing to allow me to write a chapter about you and your work, based solely on interviews and discussions between us and not on any of your copious existing materials? We could arrange a phone interview, or simply do the whole thing by e-mail if you prefer. I would be most interested in what led you to your course of study, why you feel it is important, what techniques you use, and what your goals are.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience if this is something you would be interested in doing. Sincerely, Rob

I once e-mailed you questioning the stat about the intoxication rate of Canadian drivers...I also mentioned my personal experiences on the Canadian roads. Well, here's something rather disturbing that I discovered while reading through the Globe and Mail (a national newspaper). You may want to post this on your web site as just a little piece of information. Aggressive drivers have become such a problem in the Toronto area that the Ontario Provincial Police and police in Toronto have hired psychologists to help officers deal with the large number of people who suffer from road rage.

And another thing, that you may or may not want to include, was a little independent study I took while riding as a passenger in a car on the 401 en route to Toronto. (I was bored, had nothing better to do, so I just got out a pen and started writing down the estimated speed of the other drivers on the road.) Of 416 vehicles encountered, the average speed was about 127 km/h with several vehicles traveling in excess of 170 km/h, one traveling at an estimated 190 km/h! (Call him the abominable road monster.) The speed limit is 100 km/h. People are becoming (pardon the expression) raging a**holes everywhere, unfortunately. Anyway, keep up the good work...hopefully people will come to the realization that roads are for driving, not battling other people.

Sincerely, Dave

Take care and drive with Aloha spirit! **DrDriving**

Thanks for the reply. I was referring to the use of Daytime Running Lights as a highly effective defensive driving measure.

My job as a fleet accident prevention specialist involves research into a lot of safety techniques - this one ( DRL's) is by far the most effective. There's a ton of factual and statistical data on the Net supporting DRL's.

My reference to customers means our esteemed policyholders. I instruct them as a matter of practice to use their headlights and upgrade their fleet hardware to include this feature.

Right now I devote a large % of time to teaching safe driving practice- not only because it's costing my company a bundle in losses, but also because about 2 1/2 people per day are getting killed on Virginia highways. It's a tough problem, so we're all trying to do out part. Thanks for your information, the Web page looks great and I'll be sure to visit often. If I can offer any information to help you cause, please send an e-mail!

Best Regards, John
 CSP, ARM Richmond, VA

In the case of DRL, I noticed in Newsgroups discussions--

a) people who reject it as ineffective, unproven, just another hassle b) those who can live with it but think it's a waste c) those who accept it because it makes you more visible, but argue it shouldn't be on all cars for then you dilute its noticeability d) those who accept it because it makes them more visible and believe everyone will be too if made universal

Interesting! I noticed that drivers don't seem to be aware of the existence of any statistics. I saw some of them on a Web search--as you suggested.

You mentioned teaching traffic safety--I wonder if DrDriving's threestep program is of relevance. See here.

Sincerely, Misti