Road-related anger in motorcyclists versus car drivers

Abstract

Investigations of on-road anger have focused on car drivers, with an implicit assumption that findings generalise to other road users. However, research has highlighted differences in physical vulnerabilities and cognitive processing between drivers and other types of road users, such as motorcycle riders. Considering these differences, it is plausible that driving anger would differ as a function of modal type. The current study investigated driving anger in car drivers and motorcycle riders, specifically identifying differences in situational responses. Participants were 239 drivers and 170 riders who completed a set of online self-report surveys including the Driving Anger Scale and a newly-developed Riding Anger Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis found that existing models of driving anger adequately fit the driver sample, but not the rider sample. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis revealed that the most anger-provoking situations for riders involved perceived risk. The results suggest that careless or reckless behaviours from other drivers and poorly-designed road environments are significant sources of anger for riders, whereas rude behaviour by others is more anger-provoking for drivers. This study contributes to the growing body of on-road anger research by identifying specific driver and rider provocations, and creating a new measure of riding anger for future research.