[originaltext]W: What do you think is contributing to this problem, Neil? Are p

W: What do you think is contributing to this problem, Neil? Are people just becoming more aggressive and ruder in their everyday dealings with other people on the streets? When I knew you were coming on the show to speak to us about this problem, I asked my father if he could remember incidents similar to the modern phenomenon of road rage and he said you wouldn’t get much more than someone honking the horn loudly. We seem to have taken it all to another new, dangerous level.
M: I think there are a lot of socio-economic reasons behind this huge increase in aggressive driving behavior we are seeing. Here is one statistic you might find interesting. In the last twenty years or so, the number of miles of American highways has increased something like 1%, which is, of course, a tiny amount. However, in the same time period, there has been something like a whopping 40% increase in vehicle numbers.
W: And I suppose the result of that is ever greater competition for physical space on the roads and a consequent rise in stress levels among drivers.
M: Absolutely. Our roads are getting clogged up to an ever increasing extent, travel times are taking longer and people are sitting in near stationary vehicles getting very hot and bothered. This not only means people are more likely to react in a negative way when confronted by what is perceived to be inconsiderate to other drivers, but it also means that, given 50 yards of clear road, drivers are more likely to cut in front of others, run red lights and so on, in an effort to make up for lost time in a way. That doesn’t make it something we can condone but it does help us to try and understand some of the motives that lie behind this trend.
W: Yes. Well, we’ll be right back after a short break…
Questions 6 to 10 are based on what you have just heard.
6. According to Neil, what’s leading to huge increase in aggressive driving behavior?
7. What does Neil indicate might ease the problem of road rage?
8. What’s one result of the disproportionate growth of highways and vehicles?
9. What’s Neil’s feeling about people who cut in front of others or run red lights?
10. What’s the focus of this interview?