“Road rage now results in more high; ths than drunk drivin, ems Ig. TUNING IN TO READING Widespread public; jnasizing slogans such as "Steer clear of aggressive driving" emer Saying 10 ate good time, ty to make time good” have failed to prevent see econo rmng, Whe kinds of things do you think will help law enforcement tid recente and high A of the menace of aggressive driving? Do you think it re aie rr eople We, encouraged to have and use “I'm Sorry” placard: pula Delay I oe rae to > enforcement to “get tough” on those who willfully enday Sa en of othe”dO. W. Mueller are both distinguished pro- at Rutgers University. William S. Laufer is associate profes- he Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. All les on criminal justice. Drs. Adler and justice to the United Nations. Freda Adler and Gerhar fossors of criminal justice sor of legal studies at tl three authors have written books and artic Mueller have also been advisors in criminal NOTES N \ LARY boil over erupt in anger. The phrase alludes to the fact that when something is vigor- ously boiling, it is apt to spill over unless it is watched carefully or the heat is reduced. foaiatos wn no name either known or acknowledged. Anonymous is derived peal penne an meaning “without” and onoma meaning “name.” In ancient mous was used whenever an author was unknown. aggressive drivin, 9 the operation of a motor vehicle in an unsafe and hosti! without regard for cchers in an unsafe and hostile manner, Note: For i i r additional practice with transitions, read the following selection and then answer the questions that f stions that foll y it Gates low. You may need to refer to the transition words ROAD PARE Freda Adler, Gerhard O. W. Mueller, and William S. Laufer t has been known for years as aggressive driving. It is a factor in 28,000 highway deaths per year. It is a disorder that is said to affect over half of all drivers. Symptoms include speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of busy traffic, passing on the right, making unsafe or improper lane changes, running stop signs and red lights, flashing lights or high beams at other drivers, using obscene gestures, swearing and yelling insults, honking or screaming at other rivers, throwing items at other vehicles, and shooting other drivers or pas- sengers. “The symptoms are incredibly commonplace and sometimes boil over r t 7224 PART 2. Discovering Meaning through str ctu re into actual assault reateni a It and life-threate it $ John Hagerty of ; fal ng situations,” explains John Hagerty of Road rage now results in more highway deaths than drunk drivi aa pee ‘AAA Foundation for Trafic Sefety found that the majoriy ae 2 cen ee aged eighteen to twenty-six, but that dangerous dive’ in women also, and across age levels and economic clay, The same study concluded that from 1990 to 1996, “violent aggressive drives increased by 7 percent per year. The reasons for this growth depend on whys you ask. m Psychiatrists look to deep-seated personal causes such as stress disorders which result in impaired judgment. Sociologists see a connection betweer, problems in society and aggressive driving. Others say that the car shields dri, ers, in effect making them anonymous. This anonymity allows those who become frustrated while driving to ignore society's rules for proper behavior and to behave recklessly. Some claim that drivers see the car as an extension of themselves, and they react angrily when cut off, passed on the highway, or forced to slow down. As a consequence of young men “dueling” with their cars, two eerily. similar accidents happened. The first occurred on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in the nation’s capital region. As the two cars raced each other along the parkway, one car crossed the median and hit an oncoming car. Three people were killed. Two of them were drivers not involved in the duel. The second happened as two cars on the New Jersey Turnpike chased each other at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. The cars wove in and out of lanes of traffic, until the occupant of one of the vehicles allegedly threw an object at the other car. This caused the car to slam into a tree and resulted in the death of two men. Ricardo Martinez is head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administa-s tion, He blames aggressive driving on a combination of an increase in a “me first” philosophy and reduced levels of traffic enforcement arising from budget cuts, as well as increased congestion and traffic in urban areas. Since 1987, traf fic has increased by 35 percent, but new road construction has only increased 1 percent. Pam Fischer, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Automobile Club, also sees congestion on the roadways as a contributing factor. “Any time there is an accident or construction that slows down traffic, people tend to get more aggr- vated, and normal and rational people do some dumb things because they are running late or just don’t want to sit there.” What can be done to prevent this carnage on our highways? In New Jersey state troopers and municipal police first use plainclothes officers in unmarked cas to cruise dangerous highways during rush hours and spot aggressive drivers. Then they relay the information to police in marked cars who stop the deviant motor ists and give them tickets. In the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virgins police have a program called Smooth Operator. In two one-week periods, they issued 28,958 summonses and warnings, including nearly 12,000 for speeds 3,300 for failing to obey traffic signals, 2,000 for failing to wear a seat belt. # 1,800 for failing to obey a traffic sign. ‘oa eel approach calls for making roads bigger. The reasoning is t reduce traffic congestion and the resulting frustration. But, as not rat widetion Words and Patterns of Organization 225 Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, building more roads is “the equivalent of giving a wife beater more room to swing.” Instead, he advocates building bicycle lanes and planting trees. These are “features that soften the streets and let drivers know they have to share the road.” It’s important to remember that America has faced a deadly threat on its 6 roadways before—drunk driving. Emphasis was placed on changing the laws and making it socially unacceptable to drink and drive. The experts say aggressive driving should be treated the same way. “We have to enforce the law, take bad drivers off the road, and make them pay for their mistakes,” urged Colonel Peter |. O'Hagan, director of the New Jersey Division of High- way Safety. The time has come to address aggressive driving through better education, better enforcement, and a get-tough policy. Dr. Mae eae that “aggressive drivers must get the message that their behavior w! tolerated, and that they will be prosecuted.’ 7 Criminal Justice, 6/e, 2011) (Freda Adler, Gerhard ©. W. Mueller, and William S. Laufer, “Road Rage,” Criminal! Just