Interpersonal antecedents of drivers' aggression

The theory of social information processing, which suggests that attributions affect aggressive reactions to another person's provocative behavior, was applied to the context of driving. Respondents were 150 male drivers, who were presented with three scenarios describing frustrating driving situations caused by another driver, male or female. Hostile and non-hostile attributions, and the preference for either aggressive or non-aggressive reactions were measured for each scenario. Aggregate image of drivers as well as driving-related emotions were also measured. A path analysis showed that irritability and competitiveness mediate the relationship between aggressive reactions, on the one hand, and hostility, anxiety, and drivers' image, on the other. Hostile attributions were found to be directed more toward male than toward female drivers and were related to a negative image of drivers. The results are discussed with regard to interpersonal aspects of driving behavior.