Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare

Rating:
Summary: Totally Impractical, Dripping with Psychological Goo
Review: (Wanted to drop to two stars down from four). I'm not always an angel in traffic, and for good reason. "Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare," is an unrealistic approach for drivers today. Over its 297 pages, relatively little has to do with offering solutions to a perceived problem that has been blown way out of proportion. I admire, however, the trouble the author went to in getting his book to print, along with Diane Nahl, but its advice is not practical. From an objective and realistic point of view, this text is repulsive to read, simply because it reminds the reader of something he is trying to so hard to forget-a tedious, difficult drive, for example--through obsequious, annoying repetitions of the flagrantly obvious. Some examples:

p. 105: "A notable feature of the culture of cynicism on the highways is the tendency we have to automatically disregard certain traffic laws, regulations, and signs."
That's because many (not all) "laws, regulations and signs" are either misplaced or patently out of place, or ridiculous to begin with. Drivers today have consistently proven themselves capable of driving at a speed that is "reasonable and prudent" and are likely to instinctively know when to reduce speed and when it is safe to speed up. For example, a wide open 4-lane arterial with a speed limit of 30. Absolutely absurd. Most drivers need to ride the brakes because the vehicles idle faster than that.

p. 143: "Mostly stay in the right lane rather than the left."
Why? That's where all the slow drivers are. Slow drivers are the main reason for unnecessarily prolonged commutes and why we miss traffic lights.

p.174, para. 2: "A key realization-`I was assuming they were tailgating me on purpose without knowing their full intention, which isn't right' freed him from the compulsion to pick fights with motorists who followed him too closely."
Sounds like someone who needs to find a better way to spend his time. In reality, most drivers never read that much into a tailgating situation. It's just another part of driving that has to be accepted.

Consider also on the Autobahn in Germany that they have speeds reserved for each lane, where in the left lane drivers routinely 'strech' and drive comfortably up to 120 miles per hour. The middle lane is for speeds 60 to 90 MPH. The right lane is strictly for the slow pokes, the way it should be. Any driver caught blocking the fast lanes are summarily reported and yanked from the roads, unless it was unintentional. They don't play childish 'road rage' games in Europe, and perhaps Americans can learn more from them.

I must disagree with the authors on a myriad of points, because outside of speeding in a residential zone, it has not conclusively been proven that faster speeds are more dangerous than others, especially on wide open roads. Ever done 50 MPH on a highway? Feels like crawling. Forget it. Page after page, from Chapter 1, "Driving in the Age of Rage" to Chapter 12, "Dream Cars and Driving Realities" the authors relish the chance to quote driving statistics to suit their own ends, relying more on empty generalities than specific tactical graphics, or perhaps pictures, which would have helped this book immensely. I suppose helpful diagrams are not present in "Road Rage" simply because the authors lacked the expertise and technical knowledge to create them. (Chapter 12, incidentally, was never really a depiction or an outline on reality.)

This book implies that we need QDC's, or Quality Driving Circles, as a "solution" to aggressive driving, much like alcoholics gather together to discuss their addiction. After a long day in the real world, there is no way that I'm going to take even more time out of my day to talk about something, as K.T. Berger puts it, should be "as natural as walking or running." Then we would have a collection of people characterized by something akin to obsessive-compulsive behavior. There are two elements missing from "Road Rage" that otherwise would have made it a more readable book, and they are tactical information and discussions between the diet, neurotransmitters and stress relief. It does no good to quote statistics, which this book does at every turn, including the authors' own website, thereby proving the authors' lack of knowledge for driving improvement, other than psychological blah-blah. Many "drivers behaving badly," as the authors' put it, have physiological root causes that are not discussed, woefully inexcuseable in a work of this magnitude. In reality, we need to be aggressive when we drive sometimes, simply because, for example, in arterial zones the traffic lights are timed so badly and other drivers are lollygagging while the rest of us just want to get to where we're going. Mistimed traffic lights, slow drivers and drivers not paying attention are all slowing down the rest of us who are purpose-driven in our commute. These are important topics ignored by our authors. I don't like waiting at traffic lights. I don't like driver's who drive at or near the speed limit, because, quite often, the lights are timed to turn green by going about 5 to 10 miles per hour faster than the limit. Show me one driver who says, "Gee, I'd like to slow down and enjoy this rush hour longer." In the real world, most drivers have the intelligence and maturity to realize that we need a bit of aggression just to get to where we're going without spending an eternity in traffic or to chase after `offenders' like we had nothing better to do.

I also object to the authors' blaming the media and video games for the cause of aggressive driving, and there we have a straw-man fallacy. In reality, the vast majority of all game-playing, movie-loving citizens are smart enough to differentiate between fantasy and reality, between what is right and wrong. The authors are basically telling us that we have to stop watching any shows that depict violence, including "The Simpsons" and the movie "Clueless," for example, or else we're going to somehow morph what we see into road rage. Preposterous! Did the authors ever consider that video games and the media offer the cathartic release that we need in order to PREVENT aggressive driving and road rage? And so do we really need a long-winded text to tell us to wave a hand and say "I'm sorry" once in a while if we had just cut someone else off? Sometimes the slow poke needs to be cut off, since he'll make us miss a light that we otherside had timed to make just perfectly--without aggression, and without road rage. This does not mean that aggressive drivers are `criminals' or `animals' or any other derogatory term the author wants to label us with, such as `vigilante' or `scofflaw'.

This also means that I don't take it personally or need psychotherapy to deal with it. The more I read this book, the more I realized the authors were somehow trying to take credit for pidgeonholing a branch of psychology that really needs no new treatment. We need to be aggressive once in a while so we don't have the prolong the agony of the commute. And, in reality, most of us have the sense and maturity to realize that other drivers need to get somewhere, too, and that means understanding others' may have higher priorities at the moment. If someone wants to cut me off and blast past me at 50 miles per hour in a 35 MPH zone, fine, I'll let him be noticed by the police. It's his gas. He can burn it all up by driving faster if he wants to. I really don't have a say in it. I don't wear a uniform, so I have neither the right nor the authority to reprimand another driver. If someone tailgates me, that doesn't give me the right to slam on the brakes to prove that I don't like it-let alone be slapped with an `improper stop' charge or cause a serious accident. I've noticed in the last few years very few problems during commuting, practically no middle fingers anymore, and most of us just blow it off as we go. We don't need to read a book about it. Sure, there are a few immature drivers out there, but when I'm on my way to work I don't care. I simply want to get there. I'm not going to be offended because someone else breaks the law. This book doesn't really help in that respect, it only reminds me about what I really want to forget about it. I have made it safely to my destination thousands of times with neither a collision nor a ticket, way before this book came along. Driving handles itself, much like `walking or running' or just doing a job professionally. It's just another extension of our mobility. If we drove like the author wanted us to, we'd be spending so much time trying to make amends by waving hands and `mouthing' the words "I'm sorry" that we'd lose focus on the driving task and probably end up causing a collision ourselves.

In conclusion, you can summarily dismiss this book as a burden. Reading it felt like a huge weight that had been placed on my shoulders. By putting the book down, the weight was lifted. It was written some time ago, published in 2000, and perceptions about driving have radically changed for the better since then. It's totally unrealistic for a modern commute, teeming with psychological catch phrases and dripping with self-help goo. I've never seen a more haughty, full-of-itself book, referencing the author's previous work or website at every opportunity. "Road Rage" really has dated itself. Instead, I suggest "The Modern Driver: Practical Knowledge for Today's Motorists" because it has specific tables, diagrams and photographs of positioning and maneuvering, and not psychological haranguing, and also has a numbered set of rules and a driver's code of conduct full of specificities, not generalities and boring dissertations. In fact, I became a better driver just by knowing that I DIDN'T need "Road Rage." Interesting--either way you say it, it makes perfect sense.

Rating:
Summary: Book saved our family
Review: Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 From:[e-mail] To: [e-mail] Subject: Thank you for your Book Dear Dr. James-

I had to write and tell you how incredible your book is. After having written to you about a month ago and getting your supportive and helpful replies, I ordered your book through Amzon com. I found it extremely useful and chock full of practical suggestions. It has not only helped me as a spouse of rageful driving husband, but he agreed to read it!! His agreement followed your recommendation of asking all the family members to write him a letter of what his problem has cost us emotionally. My son of 26 choose to tell him directly rather than write, but the talk was also very effective.

We are also utilizing your idea in contracting before riding together, and he is using the more of "the supportive" driver techniques (rather than being oppositional and so arrogant).( Progress not perfection!!) We both have a long road ahead of us- no pun intended- but your help was a phenonmenal series of tools to aide in ameliorating this life threatening problem. I have to add that I myself am a licensed psychologist in private practice in Ohio and I am now recommending your book in recurrent cases where wives (usually) complain of this concern.

Again, my massive thanks for a fantastic and much needed book.-

Marilyn - Ohio

Rating:
Summary: SAVE YOUR SANITY, AND MAYBE YOUR LIFE
Review: Hooray! Both Drs. James and Nahl have been providing loads of road rage information online at their DrDriving.org Web site for a number of years, and it's great to finally see the information in a single, comprehensive book. This book is somewhat personal in nature; the research began when Dr. James finally realized that his family members were concerned about his aggressive driving behavior. Are you the type to get hot-headed behind the wheel? Know a loved one who is? Consider reading the book yourself to understand the whys and how-tos, then share the book with the person. As psychology professionals, the authors provide a sound understanding as to WHY we drive aggressively. Combined with tips and extensive exercises, it makes for a very practical guide. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A great supplement to driver's education
Review: I've been reading this book over and over during the last few months, and there's more information than one can expect about automobile driving. Authors James and Nahl clearly permeate their psychological knowledge throughout the pages, which unfortunately, is a mild setback in the audience they would hope to reach. Clearly, however, they have identified nearly every aggressive thought that some drivers are exhibiting as daily behaviors. There are charts and worksheets galore, way more than I believe the average driver is willing to commit time to study and fill in. That's the problem.

After driving, whether or stressful or not, few of us want to be reminded of it, simply because the mind rejects negative events. We say, "I really don't want to talk about it right now" (about a drive to or from work, for example). What we're not saying is parenthetical ("...because talking about it makes me angry, and I don't want to be angry, both of which serve no useful purpose.) In other words, the authors have crammed so much psychological information into "Road Rage" I feel it would now push them away, meaning that the only drivers left who would be attracted to it are those, now or formerly, are actually addicted to an aggressive driving style (yes, I was). Believe it or not, this is precisely what aggressive drivers and road ragers need. What would have really reinforced the authors' ideas is a section on the implication and interaction of physiological factors, such as too much caffeine too quickly, low blood sugar, insufficient dietary protein (all of which affect neurotransmitter production and neurological receptor sites) that are directly responsible for the aggressive thoughts and behaviors they write about.

I would still recommend this book, however, as a "prescription" or as required remedial reading if I were a police officer or a judge who just imposed a fine on a ticketed driver. Denial is thick. It will take some time for the ideas to sink in, but they will sink in. I am impressed at the detail given to self-evaluation of driver behaviors. So you really don't need to be a member of a QDC (Quality Driving Circle) to implement the suggestions in this book. To sit and talk with others in a group setting about driving is strangely reminiscent of an AA meeting, thereby implying that one does not want to be labeled an aggressive driving addict. But being obsessed with driving, whether we like it or not, is the only way to prevent needless accidents, injuries and property damage. "Road rage" is highly recommended for drivers of all ages (might be difficult for readers under 18: reading level). So far, this is one of the best books available on the psychological aspects of automobile driving.

Rating:
Summary: Driving You Crazy
Review: Road Rage is a winner! It will resonate with readers who have been threatened on the road, trapped in a car with an irrational driver, or who want to shake off learned habits of driver aggression. It gives us a peek at the distorted reasoning behind driver aggression, as well as larger implications for our auto-centered culture. It is a fascinating, accessible, and well-documented look at the rapid and sometimes bizarre evolution of our experience on the road.

Rating:
Summary: Driving You Crazy
Review: Road Rage is a winner! It will resonate with readers who have been threatened on the road, trapped in a car with an irrational driver, or who want to shake off learned habits of driver aggression. It gives us a peek at the distorted reasoning behind driver aggression, as well as larger implications for our auto-centered culture. It is a fascinating, accessible, and well-documented look at the rapid and sometimes bizarre evolution of our experience on the road.

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable reading for anger management studies.
Review: What are the symptoms of road rage and how can aggressive driving patterns and encounters be halted? In Road Rage and Aggressive Driving, the authors trace these problems to childhood roots and attitudes toward the law: they argue that road rage is experienced by most drivers, and tell how to use self-tests to estimate personal road rage tendencies. A three-step program to transform drivers from aggressive to supportive drivers is included.