What are road rage and aggression?

Introduction

A global problem, road rage became a concern for social psychologists in the
late 1980s, when the term first began to be used. Although incidents of driver
violence occurred in previous decades, they were considered isolated events based
on factors unrelated to driving. By the 1980s, cases became more frequent and were
directly tied to stimuli surrounding motorists. Violence intensified because more
people carried weapons and used them impulsively in traffic incidents. As
aggressive drivers compromised public transportation safety, researchers sought to
understand why some drivers become enraged, lose control, and commit hostile
actions against strangers over disputed traffic behavior.

The American Psychiatric Association’s
Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-5, 2013) does not
include a specific diagnosis for road rage. However, some psychologists describe
road rage as a pathological condition related to intermittent explosive disorder.
Intermittent explosive definition is characterized by repeated episodes of
impulsive, aggressive, angry, or violent behavior that is disproportional to the
situation that triggered the reaction; in addition to road rage, domestic abuse
and temper tantrums may be signs of an intermittent explosive disorder. Some
authorities have argued that the media exaggerates road casualty statistics to
sensationalize coverage of driving behavior and that politicians, the
US Department
of Transportation, and other groups rely on scientifically
unsound studies, particularly an American Automobile Association (AAA) report
cited as evidence of an overwhelming threat, to seek funding and publicity.

Nevertheless, surveys report that up to one-third of drivers admit to being
perpetrators of road rage, indicating that experiencing road rage is not uncommon.
However, less than 2 percent of road-rage incidents result in damage to
individuals or vehicles. The majority of road-rage perpetrators report shouting or
gesturing at other drivers and speeding, while only a small number of incidents
involve direct contact, such as verbal threats or acts of violence.

Psychologists note that road rage is not confined to individuals suffering
mental illnesses such as intermittent explosive disorder, antisocial personality
disorder, or narcissistic personality disorder, but
road rage may also be triggered by substance use, exhaustion, and physiological
ailments.

Diagnosing Road Rage

Degrees of road rage range from name-calling and obscene gesturing to threats,
physical confrontations, and murder. Feeling empowered by the strength, anonymity,
and speed of their cars, angry drivers committing road rage challenge other
drivers for such perceived slights as driving too slowly, cutting them off, or
taking a parking space. Drivers often feel compelled to punish other motorists.
Many drivers consider their cars as personal territory and can become
temperamental and vengeful if they believe that their space has been violated.

Some out-of-control drivers cut others off in traffic, stare menacingly, throw
things, honk, flash headlights, brake unexpectedly, or bump from behind to express
anger. Other furious drivers chase their victims, forcing them to stop or crash,
and then engage in screaming, punching, breaking windows, and even assaulting
other drivers. Road rage assailants mostly become angry with people they do not
know.

Road Rage Profiles

E. Scott Gellar, a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
psychology professor, examined why drivers succumb to road rage. Gellar
differentiated between aggressive driving, which constitutes risky behavior such
as speeding, tailgating, and passing dangerously, and road rage, which is the lack
of emotional control while driving and the development of aggression that can
escalate into violence.

Arnold Nerenberg, a Los Angeles traffic psychologist, explained that the human
psyche seeks to release its aggression on anonymous people that it feels have
purposefully interfered with it. While people may become equally frustrated when
someone cuts them in line at the grocery store, it is more easy to ignore the
humanity of the other person when in a car. Yale University psychiatrist John
Larson ranked degrees of road rage, emphasizing that vigilante driving is the most
extreme. He attributed some road rage cases to assumptions based on automobile
types that drivers often associate with certain personalities.

Specific conditions often exacerbate road rage because of physiological or
psychological arousal. Rush-hour traffic and construction zones frustrate people
already prone to emotional outbursts, who misdirect their anger at others.
Societal pressures for speed push hurried drivers to reach destinations quickly
and to become overwhelmed by delays. Some impatient drivers consider sitting in
traffic because of road repairs or holiday congestion as a personal threat to
their time and plans. Personal stress related to work and family
security can cause feelings of powerlessness and intensify drivers’ sense of
entitlement to roads.

Drivers of all ages commit road rage, and women and men can be equally
aggressive behind the wheel. Various studies identify a gender, ethnicity, or age
group as being more likely to participate in road rage, but a specific profile
cannot be compiled. Some people commit a single act of road rage, while others are
perpetually hostile motorists. Some personality traits that enraged drivers might
share include being emotionally immature, intolerant, impulsive, self-righteous,
and competitive.

Treatment Options

Few drivers feel regret after initiating acts of road rage. Most assert they were correct and rationalize their actions. They do not view road rage as problematic and blame other drivers for enraging them. Hostile drivers perceive themselves as more competent drivers than those who offend them and consider their anger to be an inborn personality trait that cannot be changed. Personalizing driving situations, they seek apologies from drivers who they believe have wronged them and become argumentative when denied such submissive responses.

To defend against road rage, psychologists advise drivers confronted by angry
motorists to remain calm and ignore gestures to avoid being drawn into a
confrontation. Most psychologists suggest that enraged drivers should admit they
have a problem, assume responsibility, and try to alter their behavior and control
their anger to avoid being provoked into road rage patterns. Psychotherapist Barry
Markell recommends that drivers who are prone to road rage give themselves plenty
of time to arrive at their destinations, to play soothing music, to get sufficient
sleep, to limit their alcohol intake, and to remind themselves of the potential
consequences of succumbing to road rage, including traffic tickets, damage to
vehicles, and rising insurance rates.

University of Hawaii psychologist Leon James promotes supportive driving by
acting courteously, yielding as necessary, and forgiving other drivers’ mistakes.
Nerenberg counsels his patients by riding in cars and mimicking their aggressive
behavior. His therapy also involves visualization and relaxation techniques to
overcome self-defeating and potentially dangerous behavioral patterns.

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