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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
What drives road rage? A systematic review on the psychological correlates of aggressive driving behavior
Journal of Safety Research, Vol.94, pp.92-109
2025
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Introduction: Despite decades of research and intervention, aggressive driving behavior (ADB) remains a prevalent risk on our roads. This study aimed to systematically review how drivers’ personality traits, perceptual tendencies, self-regulatory capacity, and psychological functioning, have been linked to the engagement of ADBs. Method: Under guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, a literature search was performed in four databases, followed by a manual search in Google Scholar. Original research studies were eligible for the review if they used general driver samples, included self-reported variables relating to both an ADB and a relevant psychological factor, and implemented bivariate correlational analyses. Following an in-depth screening process on a total of 2,869 unique publications, 148 articles met the criteria for review. Results: The review identified a number of psychological correlates that exhibited consistent relationships with instrumental and hostile ADBs. Most notably, antisocial personality traits (e.g., the dark triad), problematic attitudes towards ADBs and others, self-regulatory deficits (e.g., emotion dysregulation), and psychological dysfunction (e.g., maladaptive cognitive-emotional processes) were conducive to engagement in ADBs. In contrast, adaptive personality traits (e.g., altruism), unfavorable attitudes towards ADBs, self-regulatory ability (e.g., emotional intelligence), and psychological functioning (e.g., wellbeing) were negatively associated with ADBs. However, a major limitation of the reviewed literature was the lack of standardization for the definition and measurement of specific ADBs. Practical Applications: It was suggested that future research could focus on developing a consensus for the conceptualization of ADB and adopt more comprehensive approaches to ADB that consider underlying interactions between the psychological correlates of the behaviors.
Details
- Title
- What drives road rage? A systematic review on the psychological correlates of aggressive driving behavior
- Authors
- Steven Love (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research CollaborationMichelle Nicolls (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Road Safety Research Collaboration
- Publication details
- Journal of Safety Research, Vol.94, pp.92-109
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jsr.2025.06.014
- ISSN
- 1879-1247; 0022-4375
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/)
- Grant note
- This research was funded by a grant between the Queensland Motor Accident Insurance Commission and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
- Organisation Unit
- Road Safety Research Collaboration; School of Law and Society
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991136606202621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Web Of Science research areas
- Ergonomics
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
- Transportation
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