What drives road rage? A systematic review on the psychological correlates of aggressive driving behavior

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.