lesson 6.1EMOTIONS AND DRIVING

How do your emotions, physical senses, and physical capabilities affect your ability to drive?

The copyright holder has not granted permission to display this photograph in a downloadable format. You may view the photograph in the Drive Right Presentation for this lesson on your Keys to Teaching Success disc.

OBJECTIVE Describe how emotions can affect your ability to drive.

How Emotions Affect Driving

An emotion is a strong feeling.

Emotions affect your decision-making skills and ability to assess risk in driving situations.

Strong emotions can also block your ability to judge and reason accurately.

You can reduce the negative effects of emotions and better manage risks by using courteous driving strategies.

When you do this, you empower yourself, as courtesy can influence others’ emotions.

Mental Effects of Emotions

Strong emotions interfere with your ability to think, reason, make wise decisions, and respond appropriately to situations.

They can increase your chances of making a mistake.

Emotions can also affect the way you make judgments and decisions in a driving situation.

In this traffic scene, a driver suddenly moves into your lane without warning.

If you overreact you could cause a conflict.

What emotion would this rearview mirror scene create if you were attempting to increase space for the car cutting into your lane?

Physical Effects of Emotions

Strong emotions can cause changes in your bodily functions.

•Your heartbeat speeds up.•Your breathing quickens.•Your digestion slows.•Your muscles tighten.

Emotions that affect you negatively prevent you from properly applying the IPDE Process.

The more tasks there are in a given driving situation, the more complex and stressful the situation.

Heavy traffic can cause stress and fatigue in drivers.

Sometimes stress helps people perform better.

However, continued emotional stress exhausts a person and can lead to adverse effects.

Anger While Driving

You usually rely upon a set of assumptions or expectations when driving.

You assume that others will drive and act in a safe, responsible manner.

You might be tempted to react angrily when you must change your expectations.

In normal driving situations, other drivers might interfere with your intended speed or path of travel.

They might slow or change lanes improperly.

They might fail to yield or to signal a turn or lane change.

•Anger is one of the hardest emotions to control.•When you are angry, your body and mind may

respond with an urge to fight, which can block your ability to think rationally.

•Anger can impair all of your driving skills.

Anger may cause aggressive driving or road rage.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA):

•aggressive driving is driving without regard for others’ safety

•road rage is driving with the intent to harm others

If the driver cannot gain control over his anger in this situation, he might react aggressively.

If you are angry while driving, you might

•take risks you would not take if you were calm

•miss important clues

•force other drivers to stop or swerve abruptly

Good drivers never surprise other drivers.

What could you do if you become angry while driving or encounter other drivers who are angry?

•Think positively. •Leave punishment

to police; your acts may only aggravate the situation.

•Model good behavior.

What Would You Say?

Staying Calm You are riding with a friend in the center lane of a three-lane highway.

•A driver behind you starts honking the horn, flashing high-beam lights, and tailgating.

•What are two things you could say to help your friend manage the situation and drive safely?

Other Emotions and Driving

Sorrow, depression, and anxiety are other emotions that can reduce mental alertness and adversely affect driving.

Anxiety differs from anger.

•You might have anxiety about driving in an unfamiliar, difficult situation.

•You might have trouble identifying hazards or risks when you are anxious.

•As a responsible driver, work to recognize situations that might cause you anxiety. It may mean delaying driving, but your driving risks will be reduced.

Excitement and happiness can also prevent you from fully concentrating on your driving task.

•A happy, excited driver can be just as impaired as an angry driver.

•After an emotionally intense event, try to control your excitement before you get behind the wheel.

•If unchecked, your emotions could impair your driving abilities.

Emotions and the IPDE Process

The successful use of the IPDE Process requires total concentration on the driving task.

In a high-stress situation, you need even more time to use the IPDE Process.

OBJECTIVE Explain how passengers can help a driver.

Passengers and Emotions

Peer pressure can be a very strong force.

In a vehicle, passengers can strongly influence the way you drive.

When you are the driver, you must be the leader and take control.

You are responsible for the safety of your passengers.

Spirits might run high after winning a game.

How can the driver deal with his or her emotions before driving?

Passengers can help the driver maintain control while driving.

Passengers can assist a driver by:

•talking about positive events•discouraging the driver from taking reckless

actions•complimenting the driver for doing a good job

of driving in a difficult situation

OBJECTIVE Describe the influence emotions have on your willingness to accept risk.

Effects on Risk Taking

Your emotions have a big influence on the amount of risk you are willing to take.

Mature, responsible drivers do not let their emotions cause them to take unnecessary risks.

Your emotions might also affect how you would drive on the same roadway at different times.

For example, if you were driving an injured friend to the hospital, your concern might cause you to drive fast, increasing the risks.

On the other hand, driving the same route over and over may cause you to pay less attention to the driving task.

You drive on this street every day.

If you were upset and angry, do you think you could identify the potential hazard on the right?

OBJECTIVE Explain how you can manage your emotions while driving.

Controlling Emotions

During some performances, like a concert or a play, you are asked to hold your applause until a certain point. You must manage your emotions until the appropriate time.

In driving, you must develop this same type of emotional discipline.

Coping with Emotions

High-stress driving situations can cause emotions to surface.

To help manage your emotions while driving:

1. Use the IPDE Process to drive in an organized manner.

2. Anticipate emotion-producing situations and adjust your expectations.

3. If you encounter an aggressive driver, do not challenge the driver.

4. Try to adjust your route to avoid irritating traffic situations.

5. Make a special effort to control your emotions if you are tired.

Keep courtesy as one of your personal rules of the road.

What effect might you have on the passengers in your car when you stay in control?

lesson 6.1 review1. How can a strong emotion like anger affect your

ability to drive?

2. What effect can emotions have on your willingness to take more risks?