Aggressive driving actions, expressions of road rage, and the threat of assault between drivers are widely seen as major problems on the roads of North America. In the 1960s, many of the same concerns were being expressed, and concern with aggressive driving probably goes back to the earliest days of motoring. Current concerns are due to the unacceptable nature of certain violent incidents and a popular perception of increasing frequency and/or severity. No consensus has yet appeared as to what should be included in the definition of aggressive driving, and a wide range of behaviours, from horn honking to murder, have been nominated for inclusion. There are major differences in behaviours, and how they are understood, in different cultures. Better understanding of aggressive driving requires a coherent theoretical perspective on the problem and empirical research data, both of which are scarce. A wide range of psychological and other social-science perspectives may ultimately help illuminate aggressive behaviours on the road. This paper presents a taxonomy of aggressive driving to aid understanding and categorize a wide range of aggressive driving behaviours. (Author/publisher)
Abstract