Road Rage and Aggressive Driving ─ Steering Clear of Highway Warfare

James (University of Hawaii) and Nahl (information and computer sciences, University of Hawaii) locate the roots of aggressive driving in childhood exposure to parental attitudes about driving and media portrayals of driving. They also present the conclusions of recent studies, look at citizen activism, and summarize legislative and police initiatives. Also included are self-evaluations to measure one's own road rage, and activities to help drivers improve their self-control. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Leon James, Ph.D. (Honolulu, HI), the nation's foremost authority on road rage and aggressive driving, is frequently quoted in the nation's press and has raised the standard of discussion on this topic. His expert testimony at congressional hearings in July 1997 helped legislators to realize that aggressive driving is a cultural problem. Diane Nahl, Ph.D. (Honolulu, HI), is associate professor of Information and Computer Sciences in the Library and Information Science Program at the University of Hawaii and is the founder of the new field of Driving Informatics. Dr. Nahl and Dr. James have authored the RoadRageous aggressive-driving video course, which is used in driving schools and court-mandated traffic violator schools. They're also active in aggressive-driving prevention training for law enforcement, and their Web site at DrDriving.org provides services for older drivers, commercial drivers, and teen drivers.