File
Bad driving practices often result in serious accidents and a lot of inconvenience to other road users.
Paul Messam, Gleaner Writer
How often have we heard the old adage 'prevention is better than cure'? Well, it is not only better but less expensive. It makes sense and saves cents when we prevent road accidents or collisions.
Human behaviour is governed by stated or unconscious motivations which are manifested through our actions. Like animals, we like our space and may respond aggressively to overcrowding, even on the road.
Psychologist Dr Leon James says that driving fosters a feeling of power on the roads. It's as if drivers are in a short race to win at all costs. There are some drivers who get feelings of superiority from driving aggressively.
But, aggressive driving is dangerous, disastrous and deadly, to say the least.
Refusal to give way
According to the book, Driving Instruction, one sign of an aggressive driver is his absolute refusal to give way to others, even when the other driver has the right of way.
Paula Davis, an experienced auto mechanic who was trained in California, is of the view that some Jamaican drivers are very erratic.
"First, they are always in a rush and, second, they are not paying enough attention to the roads while driving," says Davis.
According to her, drivers need to learn to make a distinction between careless, carefree drivers and those who exhibit rage on the road.
There are motorists who speed because they are in a hurry or simply impatient.
"These drivers make full use of bad judgement and, therefore, engage themselves in risky behaviour."
There are others who refuse to yield to others and so seek to dominate the space which they occupy.
Reckless drivers
Horace Edwards, audit supervisor of London, England, describes many of our drivers as reckless.
"They have a disregard for the lives of other drivers, there is a total lack of road etiquette, they break red lights to name a few."
He proposes a proper data base system to monitor tickets, backed up by the use of traffic light cameras to impound the vehicles of those persons who have a very bad police driving record.
Take special note of the following drivers.
The SpeederHe drives like a maniac - fast and reckless. This driver operates as if all others drivers are stupid and cannot drive.
The TailgaterHe is almost as dangerous as the speeder. He follows close to the motor vehicle ahead, often at high speeds. He generally wears an angry and indignant expression.
The Road HogHe disgustingly drives in the middle of the road to prevent anyone from passing.
The CreeperHe is the driver who firmly believes that driving very slowly, even on highways, is the only sane way to drive. The creeper usually obstructs traffic.
The Yakker This driver talks continually to passengers. This is bad enough, but he feels that what he is saying is so important that he must constantly witness his audience's reaction.
The WeaverOne who careens from lane to lane, passing other cars right and left in a frantic and disdainful effort to get ahead of everybody.
The Cutter-innerHe likes to pass at high speeds. He is always the one that whizzes by and then cuts in on you sharply.
Defensive DriverUnlike others, this driver reads the road, stresses consideration for others, thinks before he acts, has the ability to grasp the entire situation, has wisdom to judge accurately.
He has admirable traits of self control, follows the two-second rule, follows the rules of the road, and acts in a way that protects other road users.
This driver drives to prevent accidents in spite of the incorrect actions of other drivers or the presence of adverse driving conditions.
Dr Persaud points out that when a driver is under high stress, he is most likely to make errors.
"Pent up emotions often lead to road rage," he says.
Dr Persaud says that positive emotions such as love, laughter, peace of mind all contribute towards defensive and safer driving practices.
