Colorado State Psychology Professor Begins Road Rage Study; Computer Simulator Tracks Driving Behavior In The Laboratory
Friday, March 20, 1998
FORT COLLINS--A Colorado State University psychology
professor will replicate snarled metro Denver traffic and other
scenarios to determine whether certain road conditions are likely
to provoke road rage more than others.
In a study beginning this month, Professor Jerry
Deffenbacher will use animated computer graphics and a mock car
equipped with brakes, gas pedal and steering wheel to simulate
traffic conditions that spawn road rage in some individuals.
The aim of the study is to gauge which traffic scenarios
anger drivers to the point they drive aggressively, yell at other
drivers or take risks that expose others to unsafe driving
conditions. By knowing what factors are most likely to provoke
road rage and what personality types are most conducive to
expressing driving anger, Deffenbacher hopes to develop better
coping strategies for the road.
"A lot of common sense goes out the window when people have
car keys in hand," Deffenbacher said. "We hope this study points
out the tendencies of driving anger in some of the most common
day-to-day driving conditions. We're doing in the laboratory what
we couldn't do safely on the road."
The estimated 90 men and women involved in the study will
use the computer simulator to "drive" in three scenarios, each
about 12 minutes long. The first scenario involves driving on a
country road with no traffic and pleasant driving conditions. A
second scenario simulates rush-hour traffic on the freeway with
heavy congestion and slow speeds--similar to rush-hour traffic in
downtown Denver. In the third setting, drivers will have to
negotiate a narrow country road behind a slow moving vehicle and
oncoming traffic that prevents passing.
Researchers also plan to develop a fourth scenario in which
another vehicle cuts off the driver and a fifth that involves
stop-and-go downtown traffic and includes other factors such as
pedestrians, bicyclists and traffic lights.
The drivers will report on their feelings as they proceed
through each scenario. Meanwhile, the computer will record the
speed, number of collisions with other cars and other performance
measures.
The data will be used to validate some of Deffenbacher's
other studies on personality types most likely to express anger
behind the wheel. Past studies showed that high-anger individuals
became angry three times more often behind the wheel and were
more than twice as likely to display risky and aggressive
behavior on the road than low-anger individuals. People were
categorized as high- or low-anger individuals after completing a
short driving anger questionnaire.
Deffenbacher's past studies also revealed that high-anger
individuals express anger on the road with more intensity than
low-anger drivers, and that women express driving anger as
frequently as men.
"When driving conditions aren't stressful, there is no
difference between high-anger and low-anger individuals on the
road," Deffenbacher said. "However, when high-anger people are
provoked, it's a whole different story. They have a much shorter
fuse."
Deffenbacher has several suggestions for drivers who either
frequently get angry on the road or who are on the receiving end
of road rage. The most fundamental advice is to accept that
inappropriate, discourteous and unsafe events can happen to
anyone on the road. That acceptance makes drivers more patient
when driving conditions are difficult. Drivers also should avoid
making eye contact, gestures, faces or yelling at another angry
driver, since further provocation can spark intense, sometimes
lethal anger in certain individuals. Instead, drivers should
disengage from the situation by slowing down or allowing the
problem driver to pass.
High-anger individuals also can avoid bouts of road rage by
learning a few relaxation techniques. Deffenbacher suggests
playing favorite music or audio book tapes as a way to lower
anger and prevent negative interactions with other drivers.
Drivers also can lower their anger by choosing not to use
profanity--which adds fuel to the fire--and concentrating on
positive thoughts.
Commuters who frequently get angry about road conditions
should also look at their lifestyle for possible reasons--such as
always being late. Starting out earlier may prevent an angry
episode.
"How we think about other drivers and events on the road can
make things go from bad to worse," Deffenbacher said. "A good
deal of anger is in one's head, and that kind of behavior can be
changed."
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