Driving anger and its relationships with type A behavior patterns and trait anger: Differences between professional and non-professional drivers.

Zhongxiang Feng,Jingjing Zhan,Changxi Ma,Miaomiao Yang,Muxiong Zhou,Wenjuan Huang,Yewei Lei,Kang Jiang,Zhipeng Huang,Xiaolei Ma

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0189793

Abstract

The present study examined the types of situations that caused Chinese professional and non-professional drivers to become angry and investigated the differences in driving-elicited anger, considering the influences of type A behavior pattern and trait anger between the two groups. The 20-item revised Driving Anger Scale (DAS) was used to assess a sample of 232 drivers (57% professional, 43% non-professional). The non-professional drivers reported significantly higher levels of anger than the professional drivers on the overall Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the traffic obstructions and discourtesy subscales. In both groups, the preferred driving speeds were positively related to driving anger. Furthermore, drivers with a type A personality exhibited higher overall driving anger scores and higher anger scores in response to traffic obstructions and slow driving than drivers with a type B personality. Trait anger was significantly related to driving anger in both groups. In the non-professional group, type A behavior patterns (TABPs) and time hurry (TH) were positively correlated with anger evoked by slow driving. In the professional group, TABPs, TH and competitive hostility (CH) were positively related to driving anger, and the TABPs exerted an indirect effect on driving anger by mediating the influence of trait anger. Overall, these findings provide a theoretical basis for implementing targeted interventions for driving anger in both professional and non-professional drivers.

Highlights

Due to the rapid development of the economy and the increasing number of cars, travelling has become more convenient
Professional drivers reported a higher average age, more driving experience and more mileage driven in the past year than the non-professional drivers, indicating that the professional drivers had a higher exposure to road traffic vehicles than the non-professional drivers, which is consistent with the results presented by Nordfjærn et al [27]
Drivers with a type A personality exhibited the typical characteristics of aggressiveness and time urgency, which increased their propensity toward anger while driving

Summary

Introduction

Due to the rapid development of the economy and the increasing number of cars, travelling has become more convenient. Human factors play an important role in 92–94% of road traffic accidents [1]. Some studies have shown that the drivers’ psychological and physiological conditions contribute to their driving behaviors [2,3]. Psychological conditions, such as the drivers’ characteristics, personalities, personal habits, and temporary emotions, and pressure and fatigue induced by the external.

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