There are some deeper psychological reasons for aggressive driving that run through our society, says Leon James, a psychology professor at the University of Hawaii who has written a book on the subject, “Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare.”

James said Route 24 seems to have many of the problems Americans see on the highways in general, only compounded in a small space because of the highway’s design. “You’re got a mini-world on that little highway,” he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

People learn aggressive driving behavior at a young age, he said.

“The way we drive is a cultural habit we learn when we are in the back of the car,” he said, terming the effect a “Road Rage Nursery.”

“Kids pick all that up,” he said.

He also pointed out that many of the driving scenes depicted in popular culture, i.e. television shows and commercials, show aggressive behavior, so people become desensitized.

“You need to take drastic steps,” he said.

Much like other self-help programs, James said the first step is for people to admit they have bad driving behavior. He encourages his students to practice something he calls “The Costanza Technique,” named after the “Seinfeld” episode in which George Costanza changes people’s perception of him by doing the opposite of what comes naturally to him.

“We are all overly critical,” James said.

It’s important to get to the root of these problems, the professor said, because dangerous drivers don’t just pose a threat to themselves. “You should focus on the danger you are to others.”

Enterprise Staff writer Justin Graeber