Risky, aggressive, or emotional driving: Addressing the need for consistent communication in research

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Abstract

Problem. Researchers agree that a consistent definition for aggressive driving is lacking. Such definitional ambiguity in the literature impedes the accumulation of accurate and precise information, and prevents researchers from communicating clearly about findings and implications for future research directions. This dramatically slows progress in understanding the causes and maintenance factors of aggressive driving. Summary. This article critiques prevailing definitions of driver aggression and generates a definition that, if used consistently, can improve the utility of future research. Pertinent driving behaviors have been variably labeled in the literature as risky, aggressive, or road rage. The authors suggest that the term “road rage” be eliminated from research because it has been used inconsistently and has little probability of being clarified and applied consistently. Instead, driving behaviors that endanger or have the potential to endanger others should be considered as lying on a behavioral spectrum of dangerous driving. Three dimensions of dangerous driving are delineated: (a) intentional acts of aggression toward others, (b) negative emotions experienced while driving, and (c) risk-taking. Impact on Industry. The adoption of a standardized definition for aggressive driving should spark researchers to use more explicit operational definitions that are consistent with theoretical foundations. The use of consistent and unambiguous operational definitions will increase the precision of measurement in research and enhance authors' ability to communicate clearly about findings and conclusions. As this occurs over time, industry will reap benefits from more carefully conducted research. Such benefits may include the development of more valid and reliable means of selecting safe professional drivers, conducting accurate risk assessments, and creating preventative and remedial dangerous driving safety programs.

Section snippets

Definitional inconsistencies in the research literature

In congressional testimony, Martinez (1997), then director of the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) defined aggressive driving as that which “endangers or is likely to endanger people or property.” Martinez further explained that this includes a wide variety of driving behaviors, ranging from risky driving (e.g., running red lights, weaving in traffic, speeding) to violence (e.g., intentionally running a vehicle off the road, confronting a driver with a weapon). This

Toward a pragmatic, operational oriented definition

Geen and O'Neil (1976) observed some time ago that inconsistent usage by investigators and the many possible meanings of the word “aggression,” explained why scientific explorations of aggression have been historically confounded. But while researchers in the general field of human aggression have settled on reasonably comparable definitions, there is continued disregard for exactitude in the aggressive driving literature. The call for definitional precision and increased consistency in the

Chris S. Dula, Ph.D., received his doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 2003. He received his M.A. from Appalachian State University in the Spring of 2000 and has been a research associate at the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech since the Fall of 2000. In the Fall of 2003, he will begin a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Memphis. His area of specialty involves the study of driving behaviors and variables,

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    Chris S. Dula, Ph.D., received his doctorate from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 2003. He received his M.A. from Appalachian State University in the Spring of 2000 and has been a research associate at the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech since the Fall of 2000. In the Fall of 2003, he will begin a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Memphis. His area of specialty involves the study of driving behaviors and variables, which impact the safety of driving performance.

    E. Scott Geller, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, is Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems at Virginia Tech. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the World Academy of Productivity and Quality. He is past editor of Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (1989-1992), and current associate editor (since 1983) of Environment and Behavior.

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