What makes drivers blow their top behind the wheel?
Hostile confrontations between drivers usually start with a relatively
minor incident that escalates into a major blow-out. Experts mention several
unique characteristics of driving that may contribute to this type of behaviour.
- Anonymity – the sense of anonymity we feel in our cars, especially
when driving in areas where no one knows our vehicle, may lower our
inhibition to behave aggressively.
- Power – cars offer protection,
great physical power and an easy getaway, all of which may make us feel
empowered to act out toward others. And with the ever-increasing horsepower
of new cars, there may be an added temptation to put that power to use.
- Traffic
congestion – longer commutes and more time spent on the
road mean more opportunities for interaction with other drivers. People
who are delayed by traffic jams may get frustrated and take their anger
out on others. Slower speed on congested highways also increases the
likelihood of coming face-to-face with other drivers and taking things
personally.
- Car culture – unlike Europeans, North Americans practically
live in their cars and we can feel defensive when we perceive a threat
to our vehicles.
Who is prone to road rage?
Several studies have painted a picture of the "average" road
rager. Road rage perpetrators are more likely to be:
- male,
- young (under
39 years of age),
- urban residents,
- educated,
- employed full-time,
- and never have been married.
Having said that, all types of
people have been involved in road rage; however, the most serious
offenses tend to be committed by people fitting this profile.
Researchers have found that there is a small group of what some call
"hard core" road rage offenders who have a chronic problem
reining in their aggression while behind the wheel. However, seemingly
"normal" people
who have no prior history of violence or traffic offenses sometimes lose
control of their anger while driving, leading to tragic results. Surveys
have shown that a large percentage of people report having engaged in some
form of aggressive behaviour on the road.
How common is it?
A
Canadian
study
found that 40% of men and 27% of women admitted perpetrating aggressive
behaviour while driving, such as yelling, gesturing, threatening to hurt
someone, attempting to damage another driver's car or hurt him or
her.
A Canadian survey found that up to 48% of people reported being at the
receiving end of someone else's anger on the road. Up to 6% were threatened,
up to 4% had someone try to damage their car and up to 3% had someone attempt
to hurt them.
the fifth estate pitted two drivers against each other. One was
told to avoid making lane changes, the other was told to make frequent
lane changes in order to travel more quickly.
The driver that changed lanes more often got to the destination faster
- but only by four minutes on a drive that took 80 minutes.
Roadway illusion fuels aggressive driving
Some of our aggressive driving habits may be a function of how we perceive,
or misperceive, our environment. A Canadian study by Donald Redelmeier and
Rob Tibshirani ("
Are Those Other Drivers Really
Going Faster?",
Chance 2000, 13(3), pg. 8-14) looked at the common complaint that no matter
which lane you choose, the other lane always seems to be moving faster,
tempting you to take additional risks by changing lanes frequently.
Researchers discovered that we are quite bad at judging how fast we're
moving compared to traffic in the next lane – a phenomenon known as
"roadway illusion" that tricks us into thinking we're always
in the slow lane. It happens because we direct more attention to the front
of the car than to the rear. Cars that have passed us stay in view much
longer than cars we have just passed, reminding us for a longer time that
someone else is moving faster than we are, while we forget about cars we
have passed very quickly.
Why does this matter? Frequent lane changing increases the risk of collision
and disrupts traffic flow. Relative driving risk increases about threefold
when drivers are changing lanes vs. staying in the same lane.
Read the surprising results
of this
study.
(.pdf file)
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