Road-ragers Who Blame Traffic Just Kid Themselves: Researchers Say Causes Are Mostly Psychological
Eastside Journal
Anonymous
December 11, 2000
KENT -- Road rage and aggressive driving are not simply byproducts of traffic congestion. Gridlock isn't the only affliction that turns good drivers into frustrated, vindictive, dangerous drivers.
Were it only that simple, say two leading researchers on the causes of road rage.
The growing national habit is directly and indirectly responsible for perhaps one-third of the 40,000 deaths and 3 million injuries each year on our nation's highways, say Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl.
The husband-and-wife psychologists from the University of Hawaii have been studying road rage for years. James, himself a reformed aggressive driver, has testified before a congressional subcommittee on the subject.
Their new book, ``Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare,'' is hot off the presses. Together, they also maintain DrDriving.org, a Web site devoted to understanding road rage and offering solutions to it.
James and Nahl see the real causes of road rage as rooted deep in our culture. They say it will take more than laws, enforcement and additional highways to deal with the problem.
``As a culture, we share certain experiences,'' James said in a recent interview. ``We observe other drivers. We watch and absorb television and video-game violence. Our parents show levels of emotions behind the wheel. As toddlers, we absorb this.
``By the time we are 16 or 17 and start driving, we are rigged for road rage.''
That rage, they say, simmers below the surface for most drivers, many of whom blame congestion for their aggressive driving habits.
``Congestion is a factor,'' Nahl acknowledged. ``It's not the only factor, and we don't know the degree of influence. People like to say congestion is the cause.''
But road rage and aggressive driving happen worldwide and on two-lane rural roads as well as on freeways.
Other factors have contributed to the dramatic increase in road rage: emotional impairment, higher stress and a greater diversity of drivers with different levels of skill.
The authors also contend there is a ``culture of disrespect'' in America that condones anger as a response to most any perceived threat or insult on the highway.
Speeding, tailgating, changing lanes without signaling, yelling or swearing at other drivers and trying to teach other drivers a lesson have become accepted behaviors.
``As a society, we need to change the symbolism of the car and symbolism of driving,'' James said. ``It is still focused on independence, superiority, freedom.
``These kinds of emotions continue this symbolism of aggressiveness. As a society, we need to change that symbolism to driving as teamwork, not as individuals.''
Most bad drivers, however, are in denial about their aggressive driving tendencies.
Even some of James' family and friends quit reading the new book when they encountered their own bad driving habits, he said.
In surveys conducted through DrDriving.org, only 30 percent of the respondents acknowledged that they were aggressive drivers, Nahl said. Those same drivers, however, said that 70 percent to 80 percent of other drivers are aggressive.
``We call this the awareness gap,'' James said.
Change on our highways will come one driver at a time, James and Nahl say. Like a problem drinker finally admitting to alcoholism, an aggressive driver must take the first and most difficult step by saying: ``I acknowledge that I need to retrain myself as a good driver.''
Sometimes a spouse, a child or another family member can provide the impetus for change. Those are the people who often endure the fear of riding with an aggressive driver.
James said he didn't change his bad driving habits until his wife and grandmother finally confronted him. Then he did change his driving personality, and along the way he decided to explore the problem as a social scientist.
In their book, James and Nahl offer a three-step driver improvement program that starts with admitting the problem.
Next comes self-observation -- recording out loud one's thoughts and feelings while driving. Writing them down in a driving diary allows a driver to review them later and discover his or her ``true driving personality.''
The final step is modifying that personality. Taking it step by step, by working on one specific habit at a time, is less daunting, James and Nahl said.
The book tells of one young man whose plan for changing his behavior included staying in the right lane most of the time, staying at least four car lengths behind the car ahead on a fast-paced highway, repeating that ``pedestrians always have the right of way'' whenever one was seen, and fighting his bad mood when congestion occured.
The ultimate goal, the researchers said, is to replace the culture of disrespect on the highways with a culture of support, where all drivers give up battling for position and try to help one another get where they want to go.
Checklist: Your road rage tendencies
For each statement, circle ``yes'' if it applies to you reasonably well, ``no'' if it doesn't.
1. I swear a lot more in traffic than I do elsewhere. Yes No
2. I normally have critical thoughts about other drivers. Yes No
3. When a driver in a parking lot tries to steal the space I've been waiting for, I get furious. Yes No
4. I fantasize about doing violence to other drivers (e.g., using guns, blowing them up or sweeping them aside), but it is just fantasy. Yes No
5. When drivers do something really ``stupid'' that endangers me or my car, I get really furious, even aggressive. Yes No
6. I think it's good to get your anger out because we all have aggressive feelings inside that naturally come out under stressful situations. Yes No
7. When I'm very upset about something, it's a relief to step on the gas and give my feelings an outlet. Yes No
8. I feel that it's important to force certain drivers to behave appropriately on the highway. Yes No
9. Pedestrians shouldn't have the right to walk slowly in crosswalks when cars are waiting. Yes No
10. Pushy drivers really annoy me, so I bad-mouth them to feel better. Yes No
11. I tailgate when someone drives too slow for conditions or in the passing lane. Yes No
12. I try to get to my destination in the shortest time possible or else it doesn't feel right. Yes No
13. If I stopped driving aggressively, others would take advantage of my passivity. Yes No
14. I feel unpleasant emotions when someone beats me to the light or when someone gets through and I'm stuck on red. Yes No
15. I feel energized by the sense of power and competition I experience while driving aggressively. Yes No
16. I hate speed bumps and speed limits that are set too low. Yes No
17. Once in a while I get so frustrated in traffic that I begin to drive somewhat recklessly. Yes No
18. I hate large trucks and I refuse to drive differently around them. Yes No
19. Sometimes I feel that I am holding up traffic, so I start driving faster than feels comfortable. Yes No
20. I would feel embarrassed to get ``stuck'' behind a large vehicle on a steep road. Yes No
Give yourself one road rage point for every ``Yes'' answer.
Score:
1-4: You are not an aggressive driver; your road rage is manageable.
5-10: You have moderate road rage habits.
11 and up: Your road rage tendency is out of control, enough to compromise your ability to remain calm and fair in certain routine but challenging driving situations.
Source: ``Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare'' by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl, published by Prometheus Books.
ASSESSING YOUR RANGE OF ROAD RAGE HOSTILITY
How far down the road rage path do you go?
Unfriendly Zone
1. Mentally condemning another driver.
2. Verbally denigrating another driver to passengers in your vehicle.
3. Closing ranks to deny someone entry into your lane because you're frustrated or upset.
Hostile Zone
4. Giving another driver the ``evil eye'' to show your disapproval.
5. Speeding past another car or revving the engine as a sign of disapproval.
6. Preventing another driver from passing because you're mad.
7. Tailgating to pressure a driver to go faster or get out of the way.
Violent Zone
8. Fantasizing physical violence against another driver.
9. Honking or yelling at someone through the window to indicate your displeasure.
10. Making a visible obscene gesture at another driver.
11. Using your car to retaliate by making sudden threatening maneuvers.
Lesser Mayhem Zone
12. Pursuing another car because of a provocation or insult.
13. Getting out of the car and engaging in a verbal dispute on a street or parking lot.
14. Carrying a weapon in the car in case of a driving incident.
15. Deliberately bumping or ramming another car in anger.
16. Trying to run another car off the road to punish the driver.
Major Mayhem Zone
17. Getting out of the car and beating or battering someone as a result of a road exchange.
18. Trying to run down someone whose actions angered you.
19. Shooting at another car.
20. Killing someone.
NOTE: The majority of drivers tested said they have gone as far as number 13.
Source: ``Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare'' by Dr. Leon James and Dr. Diane Nahl, published by Prometheus Books.
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This news story is not produced by the American Psychological Association and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the association.