Driving anger in China: Psychometric properties of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and its relationship with aggressive driving

Abstract

In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS; Deffenbacher, Oetting, & Lynch, 1994) and its relationship with aggressive driving in Chinese context. A total of 411 drivers from five cities in China completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the fit of the original six-dimension solution was good. Chinese drivers reported lower level of anger than their American counterparts on all six subscales, as well as New Zealand and Spanish drivers on discourtesy and illegal driving. No gender effects were revealed on driving anger. Those drivers reporting a higher level of anger on some subscales tended to be younger, from a more congested city, reporting a lower weekly mileage, and more experienced. The overall driving anger was significantly related to aggressive driving. Further relative importance analysis showed that anger from slow driving, police presence and hostile gestures contributed to most of variances in aggressive driving.