The Road Rage Reducer Project:
Testing the Highway Courtesy Code to Stop Road Rage
by Jerry Beasley, Ed.D.
A Los Angeles paper reports seven shootings in California in one month. The location: the Southern California freeway. Other recent incidents involving highway road rage related shootings occurred in San Antonio TX, Portland OR, Reno NV, and Biloxi MS. Road rage is back! How do we stop it? From a danger prevention and socially responsible point of view the only lasting solution to highway violence is to replace aggression with courtesy.
The purpose of this study was to identify responses from drivers who agreed to test the highway Courtesy Code© via use of vehicle hazard lights as a communication system for enhancement of safety and courtesy and to avert the negative responses associated with road rage. The coded messages used for the study included: one blink for “Please”; two blinks for “Thank You”; and three blinks for “I am Sorry.” Four or more blinks are used in the code to communicate “Please send help!” Students were instructed to limit their use of the code to the signal for “Thank You.” Participants who successfully communicated with other drivers in a courteous manner were identified as “Road Rage Reducers.”
This study is significant in that it represents an initial effort to record responses from participants who have attempted to communicate a message of “thank you” via currently installed highway hazard lights. The data collected in the study are qualitative in content. In view of the fact that no previous studies have been published detailing this specific use of vehicle hazard lights, this study attempts to provide an initial look at the practice of vehicular signaling for the specific purpose of courteous communication. Responses pertaining to the use of coded messages for depreciating the propensity for road rage were observed and recorded in this study.
The “ Road Rage Reducer Project” was conducted with 104 Radford University (Radford, Va.) students enrolled in Exercise, Sport, and Health Education 362: Principles of Self Defense during the final six weeks of spring semester (Seventy-four students participated in the study in March/April 2003. The study was repeated in March/April 2005 with 30 students). Students had studied different aspects of self defense during the semester. A topic for the final section focused on self defense on the highway. Students had been taught that the first lesson in martial arts is courtesy. The professor hypothesized that planned and purposeful participation in acts of courtesy while driving would reduce the feelings of distress often resulting from and associated with highway aggression and road rage.
During interviewing and instruction students admitted to participation in aggressive driving as typical behavior for their age group. As participants took on their new role as “Road Rage Reducers” they were advised to visualize themselves as “certified courteous drivers” and to reject the potential label of aggressive driver.
Participants in this study were instructed to first practice using hazard lights to signal the Courtesy Code© for “Thank you” (two blinks using standard hazard lights) while in a parked vehicle. Six percent of the participants noted that they had limited access to vehicles that were adequately equipped to signal the assigned message. Eighty-nine percent of the participants reported no problems or minimal inconvenience when using hazard lights to communicate the code.
After practicing in parked vehicles, participants were instructed to “Say Two for Thank You” (meaning use the hazard lights to blink two times as the signal for thank you) while driving whenever they observed courteous behavior displayed by other drivers. Typically, a participant would give a signal to change lanes. If the other driver slowed or motioned approval to enter the lane, the participant would change lanes and then use the hazard light to blink twice. Some incidents occurred in parking lots where participants could signal to other drivers “thank you” when they were able to enter a space vacated by the other driver. No opportunities to communicate the coded messages for “I am sorry” ( three blinks) or “please send help” (four blinks) were recorded.
Of the 104 participants, four percent reported no communication with other drivers. Six percent of the participants reported anxiety about using the hazard lights or a lack of interest in doing so, or expressed the feeling that “other drivers would not get the message so why bother” inhibited their use of the Courtesy Code©. Eighty-nine percent of the participants expressed satisfaction with the process of communicating the message to other drivers. Participants were asked not to discuss the results of their findings with others in the study until all results were reported.
The following comments were given:
“I like the idea of using a courtesy light. I practiced in my driveway at home this past weekend. The idea helped me realize that I need to have more patience on the road. I felt as though practicing using my hazard lights helped me to look for nice things that happen on the road. I also began letting people in front of me and doing kinder things. I feel much happier when I am looking out for occasions to be nice to people.”—Marianne
“I was going to Christiansburg (Va.) and the lanes were merging together and I was in the wrong lane about to hit a big orange plastic barrier. One vehicle slowed down and let me in, so I gave him the courtesy signal. He threw up his hand in his car and gave me a wave. While I was in the Walmart parking lot I drove around until I found someone going to their vehicle. One woman put up her finger for me to wait one minute. She pulled out and I gave her two blinks as if to say thank you, and she actually tapped her brakes at me as if to say you’re welcome.”—Aaron
“The first time I tried it I was on my way to work in Christiansburg and a lady let me in at a light and I blinked the courtesy signal for thank you. She responded with a wave out the window that she knew what I was doing. I’m glad I learned this system.”—Bryan
“My girlfriend, a Christiansburg native, did my first introduction to this thank you signal. We just had finished eating dinner with her mom and we were heading home. Just before her mom turned off to another road my girlfriend said thank you one more time by blinking her hazards twice. Me being amazed at this she told me that it is a normal occurrence in Christiansburg. My first incident was Friday night on Interstate 81. I was merging on the highway and a big truck saw me coming and slowed down. I sped up and merged. Then I blinked my hazard lights twice and thanked him. He returned the favor just by flashing his head lights. It was nice to know there is a way to communicate on the highway.”—Andre
“I think that using the hazard lights as a tool for communicating thank you is a great idea. Last Monday I was coming back from the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg. There is this intersection where, after you cross over it, the right lane merges into the left lane. I was in the right lane and needed to get over. This kind man in a red Suburban let me get over in front of him. I proceeded to say thank you by using my hazard lights to say thank you. After I did that I looked in my rear view mirror and he gave me a wave. I felt like there was good communication between us and that we both seemed like courteous drivers.”—Ryan
“I was coming out of a gas station at the Walmart near the bridge. A blue Honda let me out in front of him. Since I was in front of him I signaled thank you. He flashed his head lights back. I like making friends on the road. I think that this communication will definitely make people look for good things to do and appreciate the good things people do for them.”—Kelly
“After our class discussion on using your hazard lights to communicate thank you, I couldn’t wait to try it. While I was driving home to Northern Virginia someone blinked their hazard lights twice at me to say thank you for letting them over into the lane I was in. The driver was driving a pickup truck and pulling a trailer, so if he had done a hand gesture, I couldn’t have seen him. I was very excited to see someone else do the same thing that I would have done if I were in the same situation. I was also glad that I knew what he meant because before, I would not have known what he was doing. It felt good to do something for someone and have them react in a very positive, identifiable way.”—Sarah
“Yesterday while driving to soccer practice I was able to say thank you to another driver. They actually turned their head and waved to me to let me know they understood what I was saying when I blinked my hazard lights to say thank you. It was an older man. We were both trying to get out at the same time but at a different place, and he let me go first which I thought was very nice of him, especially since he had the right of way to go first. He did this nice thing during the busiest time of the day, around 4 p.m. Eventually, I think the courtesy code and use of the hazard light to say thank you will work and people will begin using it every day.”—Lindsay
“This assignment has changed my driving. I have definitely become more aware of the things that I do when I am driving. I always try to say thank you now when someone does something nice on the road. This will stop road rage.”—Ashley
“I was fearful that many people had not seen the signs in Christiansburg and around town regarding the hazard lights and would not know what I was trying to say when I turned them on. Later that day I went to the mall and used my lights again as someone let me into their lane. The lady immediately understood what I said and flashed her headlights back at me. That was even more rewarding because of her immediate response.”—Amanda
“The last time I used my hazard lights to say thank you was the most special except it wasn’t me who used the system. It was the car trying to get over. I was leaving Radford to go to Kentucky and this car was trying to get over in front of me. He looked like he was going to miss his exit so I slowed down and waved him on. I looked at the car in front of me to see if he would wave to say thank you since no one ever says thank you for letting them over. He did something I wasn’t expecting at all. He blinked his hazard lights twice. I was so excited that someone else knew the courtesy code language that I started waving at the person and got all giddy inside. I wanted to pull up next to him to wave because we had just communicated, but he drove off. That was just a nice treat to start off my long trip to Kentucky.”—Kimberly
“In driving around the Radford area I was able to use my hazards to say thank you. One time I was pulling out of the road going down to Bissett Park. There was a lot of traffic on the road because it was around 5 p.m. I sat there for a minute and noticed a Jeep slowing down and waving to me. I pulled out on the road and used my hazards to thank him. I looked into my rear view mirror and saw the person wave back and smile really big. The driver knew what I was doing because of his reaction.”—Jennifer
“A few cars passed but a red car stopped and motioned me to get in front of them. I pulled in and initiated my hazard lights for two blinks. The man flashed his headlights once and waved. I am glad and appreciated the fact that the man let me in and knew I was thanking him. I realized that this form of saying thank you is a great way to express positive attitudes on the road. I think courtesy on the road is an essential part of driving.”—Hunter
“I went home for Easter this weekend and tried the courtesy code to see what happened. On the way back to school there was major construction on Interstate 95. At one point a five lane highway converged into two because of the construction going on. This caused much traffic. I was in a lane that had to move over into one of the other lanes. I blinked my hazard one time, meaning please, asking the other car if I could get in front of them. The lady motioned to me with her hands that I could. Once I was in the lane I blinked my hazard lights twice, saying thank you, and she flashed her high beams back to say you’re welcome. I thought it was great. The courtesy code worked very well every time I used it. It’s a good thing to remember while driving and a good tip in avoiding road rage.”—Annie
“I used my hazards while I was still in congested traffic (on Highway 158 coming back from Nags Head, N.C.). We were moving at about 10 m.p.h. I was trying to make an attempt to get over by using my right turn signal. A man in his 50s with his wife provided enough space for me to turn in the lane. After I made the turn I blinked my hazard lights twice to say thank you. I looked back to see if they acknowledged me and the man had stuck his hand out to wave. This was successful communication. This made me feel better.”—Chris
“A car flashed his headlights to let me go ahead of him so I blinked my hazard lights at him to say thank you. I love using my hazard lights and I have gotten into a routine of doing this.”—Heather
“I was using my hazard lights to communicate the courtesy code on a trip to Charlotte, N.C. The passengers in the car were looking at me funny as if they were thinking, ‘What is he doing?’ I explained it and they thought it was a very creative way to communicate on the highway. They told me they were going to start trying it.”—Justin
“When I began to practice using my hazard lights to say thank you it really surprised me. Most of the time people seemed to know what I was saying and would wave their hand or flash their headlights to let me know they saw it. It kind of made me feel like I had a friend riding behind me now and I wasn’t alone.”—Troy
“Using this technique was kind of fun. The first time I did it the other driver smiled and waved at me. It felt real nice because nowadays common courtesy is almost dead. There are nice people out there and when you do something nice for someone who helps you, you feel good about yourself. Whenever someone lets me in or helps me out on the road, I will always use my hazard lights to say thank you. It just makes me smile when someone is nice to me, and when I blink my hazards at them it makes me happy and they realize I appreciate what they did. I had fun making people smile.”—Tiffany
“Most of the time when I showed my appreciation by using my hazard lights to say thank you the other drivers would raise their hands in the air as if to say you’re welcome. Every time this happened I got very excited because I felt like I had made a special bond with that particular driver.”—Jason
Other students noted similar responses in using the communication system. However, a few students recorded less supportive comments. Excerpts are provided below:
“I can say that I have tried to blink my blinkers on two different occasions but just could not bring myself to do it. I am not saying that I will not do it. I just feel like I need more time to think about it in a situation. You have to pay attention to how many times you let the blinkers flash, then you turn it off, look in your rear view mirror to see if there was a reaction from the person. I really should try getting in my car in the parking lot without it moving and practice so it will be safer for me to do. I look forward to hearing how everyone else did so it will boost my confidence to use my blinkers to say thank you.”—Kristen
“When practicing using my hazard lights I found it hard at first, but like anything else the more I practiced the easier it became. I am always using my bright lights to tell truckers they can get over and now I am going to use my hazards to thank them for allowing me to get over in front of them.”—Lacy
“In all honesty, I didn’t think much of the two hazard blinks at first. I didn’t think that I would have an opportunity to use it or chances of someone knowing what it meant because there are a lot of aggressive drivers out there.”—Jessica
“The say two for thank you technique could be effective but I don’t think enough people know it right now. If this method is taught in driver’s education courses around America it would really work.”—Allison
Conclusions
Before 1950, most (if not all) applicants for a driver’s permit were required to demonstrate that they could communicate to other drivers their intent to turn left or right, slow down, or stop by using hand signals. This system might have been adequate under ideal conditions (warm sunny days, for example), but proved unsatisfactory in many cases. The invention of the left/right signal provided a functional alternative to hand signals.
Today, we need a second set of signals. Presently, there exists no accepted means of effectively communicating courtesy. Our highways are crowded. Often, we encounter aggressive drivers. The stress resulting from the need or desire to travel quickly often is cited as an unfortunate consequence of modern driving. We are able to effectively communicate aggressive, even violent, behavior by flashing headlights, honking horns, tailgating, and using obscene hand gestures. Presently, the method most often mentioned for communicating thank you is a hand gesture.
Using hazard lights as a method to communicate the Courtesy Code© (for thank you) participants in this study were asked to record their attempts to employ the system. It can be concluded that communicating a Courtesy Code© has great potential. Drivers using this method noted a sense of being “happy,” “appreciative of others,” “more aware of tasks as drivers,” and in some cases, “bonded with other drivers.” Several participants mentioned that they felt that effective use of courteous signaling might deter incidents of road rage.
Today drivers need a lesson in self defense on the highway. The lesson is about courtesy. When I am courteous to you, then I expect you to act appropriately. The pre-1950s drivers discovered using hand signals to communicate a message has severe limitations. Hand signals are not sufficient for today’s drivers. The technology or means to communicate a courtesy code already exists in the form of our common vehicle hazard lights. This study demonstrated that in common driving conditions use of the Courtesy Code can result in positive communications and reduce the propensity for road rage.
For more information, please contact Dr. Jerry Beasley at ceo@aikia.net.
all images courtesy flickr.com
About the Author
Dr. Jerry Beasley is a professor of Exercise, Sport and Health Education at Radford University (Radford Va.), where he heads the nation’s most publicized martial arts program. He created the vehicle signaling system and Courtesy Code in 1988 after experiencing a courteous act while driving on a crowded highway in a heavy rainstorm. Recently he has developed the www.citizensagainstroadrage.org whose motto is: “Somehow all the kind drivers of the world will find us, and together we’ll make our highways a kinder, more courteous place to drive.”
