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The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a new 11-item measure of aggressive driving, the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale, which focuses on behaviors, rather than cognitions, emotions, or motivational states. Based on a sample of 211 undergraduates (111 women and 89 men), the study examined the convergent validity of the new scale with measures of hostility, hypercompetitiveness, and aggressive thoughts and emotions experienced while driving. A principal component analysis of the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale (a = .80) yielded two factors that form reliable subscales labeled Speeding and Conflict Behavior. As expected, the total scale and its two subscales correlated with hostility, hypercompetitiveness, as well as aggressive driving-related thoughts and emotions. The results suggest that the scale can be used as a research tool and a self-assessment instrument.
Aggressive driving is a dysfunctional pattern of social behaviors that constitutes a serious threat to public safety. Aggressive driving can involve a variety of behaviors including tailgating, honking, rude gesturing, flashing high beams at slower traffic, and speeding. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2001) reports that aggressive driving is a major cause of traffic accidents and injury. In 2000, aggressive driving in the form of speeding alone contributed to 703,000 crash-related injuries and an additional 12,350 traffic fatalities. The NHTSA estimates that the economic cost of these crashes is over $27 billion per year.
Given the cost of aggressive driving in dollars and human lives, it is not surprising that this topic has developed a growing interest among the psychology community. Over the past decade researchers have developed a number of assessment instruments designed to measure different aspects of aggressive driving including driver stress (Glendon, Dorn, Matthews, Gulian, Davies, & Debney, 1993), situation specific anger (Deffenbacher, Oetting, & Lynch, 1994), deviant drivers' attitudes (Wiesenthal, Hennessy, & Gibson, 2000) and driving-related impatience, anger, and punishing and competing behavior (Larson, 1996). In general, these measures focus on clusters of variables associated with aggressive driving such as mood states, cognitions, and coping responses. However, little research has systematically investigated the pattern of unsafe driving practices that characterize aggressive driving. Since researchers operationally define aggressive driving in a variety of ways, comparing results across studies can be problematic.
The purpose of this study...