Road rage and driver anger-an Indian perspective

Abstract

Background and Aim: Road rage is a term often used to describe driving usually extreme in nature. There seems to be a multifactorial relationship between the situational characteristics of an anger-provoking road situation and the consequent feelings of anger and road behavior. We focus on the dynamics of road rage and the current study pioneers to understand road rage and its correlates in Indian drivers. Materials and Methods: An internet based cross-sectional study was done involving 282 participants in India. The 33-item Driving Anger Scale was used to measure driving anger. Data were collected between January 2019 to April 2019. Anger assessment was done using the Deffenbacher Driver Anger Scale. Results: Significant driver anger exists among Indian drivers; with males reporting higher driver anger for situations involving police presence, while females reporting higher anger for hostile gestures and discourtesy situations, two-wheeler drivers displayed higher anger in illegal and slow driving situations. Conclusion: Our study reports high anger among Indian drivers and indicate that road rage is multifactorial. Stringent checks must be placed as a prerequisite for acquiring a driving license and the devils of road rage must be curbed through intensive awareness campaigns specific to vehicle type, car-pool incentivization, and public participation.

Keywords

• central india
• correlates
• driver anger
• indian drivers
• road rage