Relationship between Competitiveness and Aggressive Driving

Abstract

The very nature of road transport and its characteristics allow for informal competition on the road. Some vehicles are faster than others while some individuals are better drivers than others. Similarly, some people will be in a greater hurry than others and in some circumstances, some individuals do not understand road rules or simply elect to ignore them. This makes roads highly susceptible to aggressive behavior. A majority of this aggression develops from a form of competition. An informal challenge ensues between two strangers on the road and mostly ends quietly. In some circumstances, however, this competition will trigger extreme aggression leading to road rage. This may cause road traffic accidents, fighting and in some instances drivers killing one another. The understanding that this aggression stems from an informal competition leads to a need to investigate the connection between the kind of driver aggression that can cause road rage, and competitiveness as a character trait. This is the main focus in this research which entails a questionnaire inquiry on random drivers about their competitiveness as well as a propensity for road aggression. The results showed a close correlation between the competitiveness of the drive and the propensity for aggression that can lead to road rage. 

Introduction

Some character flaws can develop through the augmentation of a positive character trait by the adverse factors of life. This results in the processes of nurture, changing what was once a positive aspect of nature into a negative one. Road rage has become a very common phenomenon in America and indeed the world with serious incidences happening on a daily basis (Suhr & Nesbit, 2013). This has elicited the interest of psychologists in seeking to understand what could be causing it. Among the more complex factors kindred to the subject is that normal, sober, and erstwhile calm people have been involved in some of the most aggressive and brutal road rage incidences. From a practical perspective, road rage does not begin as a vice but mainly commences as a form of a competition, which along the way goes awry (Sharkin, 2004). This creates the hypothesis that there could be a correlation between the character trait of competitiveness and the character flaw of aggressive driving. This research paper, therefore, seeks to investigate the relationship between competitiveness as a character trait and aggressive driving, a precursor of road rage. 

Literature Review

For the proper evaluation of the two issues to wit road range and competitiveness, it is vital to have a careful understanding of both. By definition, road rage is the exhibition of extremely aggressive behavior while driving in traffic. This behavior can be exhibited during the process of driving or secondary to the process of driving (Suhr & Nesbit, 2013). When undertaken during the process of driving, it refers to extremely aggressive driving that is risky to both the driver and other road users, mainly as a direct reaction to the driving antics of the motorist. Secondary road rage activities include rude gestures and shouting at other motorists. Extreme road rage includes physical fights, and in recent times, knife attacks and shooting incidences. Both driving based road rage and secondary road rage have been known to cause serious injuries and even fatalities (Sharkin, 2004). On the other hand, competitiveness from a psychological perspective has been defined as positive character trait that mainly fosters achievement in life. However, this trait is not static in a human’s life, akin to traits such as novelty-seeking or introspection, which can be augmented or diminishes by external factors of life (Klyueva, 2016). It is the augmentation of competitiveness that is of interest to this research paper. A normal competitive person can if faced with some challenges in life develop extreme competitiveness, which is a vice, not a virtue. 

Many road rage perpetrators are openly known to be aggressive and extremely competitive and in many cases are repeated road rage offenders. This is evidence of road rage being the result of a character attribute of the individuals (Sharkin, 2004). Generally, this character attribute has been seen to include extreme and in some circumstances wanton competitiveness. However, a careful analysis of the news items about road rage will show that many of the active participants are normal and rational human beings. Many of them have families and careers and have never been known to exhibit aggressive behavior. Ronald Gasser, a 54-year old respectable member of his community shot and killed 28-year-old Joe McKnight in a road rage accident. However, Gasser was such a respected member of the community that the police department released him on his own personal recognizance. From the foregoing, competitiveness seems to be an integral factor in road rage. However, it seems that the level of competitiveness necessary to elicit the aggressive driving behavior in road rage can be developed through nature as well as nature (Klyueva, 2016). With this relationship, however, not being well understood, it creates an important avenue for further research.

Method

Participants

The participants consisted of 60 individuals with a valid driver’s license, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years old, with a mean age of 21.5 ( SD = 3.77). The mean amount of years driving was 7.3 years ( SD = 5.59). Additionally, the participants were equally distributed amongst both genders (50% male and 50% female). All participants were recruited by convenience and did not receive any compensation for taking part in the study.

Materials

Participants responded to two surveys, the Aggressive Driving Survey (ADS) and the Competitive-Cooperative Attitude Scale (CCAS). The ADS is a twenty-five item questionnaire that asks participants to respond to a series of statements on a 5-point Likert scale (with 5 being very much like me and 1 being very much unlike me). This measure was used to assess the degree of participants’ aggressive driving behaviors. Higher scores are congruent with higher levels of aggressive driving. The CCAS is a twenty-eight item questionnaire where participants are asked to rate how much a statement accurately reflects them on a 5-point Likert scale. Several items are reverse scored. 

Procedure

Participants signed an Informed Consent when they first arrived. Participants were asked to fill out two brief surveys to assess their driving behaviors and specific personality characteristics. A coin toss was used to determine the order of presentation of the surveys. Participants were fully debriefed and thanked for their assistance in the research.

Results

To investigate the relationship between aggressive driving and the personality characteristic of competitiveness, a Pearson’s correlation coefficient was computed. The result is shown to be statistically significant. The variables of aggressive driving and competitiveness were found to be moderately positively correlated, r (60) = .32, p = .041. As the personality trait of competitiveness increased, so did the occurrence/likelihood of aggressive driving behaviors. 

Discussion 

The research above was not based on the frequency of road rage but rather the presence of character attributes that could under the right circumstances lead to road rage. It is clear from the results above that the presence of competitiveness in a driver is a positive bearing factor to the possibility of road rage. Further, the higher the level of competitiveness, the higher the probability of road rage. Indeed, some of the participants have only been able to avoid road rage incidences because the opportunity and/or right circumstances have never arisen. Competitiveness is as aforesaid a positive character trait that enables an individual to achieve exponential success in life. Road rage has however, clearly proven that an excess of this positive character of competitiveness can cause it to get out of hand. When this happens, the erstwhile character asset becomes a liability that can be ruinous to the individual. This is because aggressiveness caused by extreme competitiveness can be fatal or have adverse legal consequences. 

A unique factor, however, lies in the fact that some of the individuals found to have a high culpability for road rage have been driving for over half a century. Cleary, they could not have avoided road rage for that long under their current character attributes. This leads to the conclusion that during most of their adult life as drivers, they did not have a competitive character that they have now. This secondary factor as reflected in the data confirms the secondary hypothesis that competitiveness is not a static character trait. Instead, these individuals initially had a healthy level of competitiveness until secondary factors life augmented it, making them extremely competitive to the point of aggression (Klyueva, 2016). This can explain why Gasser, an exemplary citizen and good driver for over thirty years could become a perpetrator in a fatal road rage incident. 

It is clear from the literature review, the practical research as well as the eventual discussion that competitiveness is a primary attribute of road rage. The drivers who eventually engage in road rage are by their very nature competitive. Normally, competitiveness is a positive attribute and an asset in life. However, it is extreme competitiveness that breeds aggression akin to the aggressive driving kindred to road rage. This level of extreme competitiveness can be based on the nature of the driver, or on how this nature has been affected by nurture factors. Once extreme competitiveness is achieved, an individual is transformed akin to a ticking time bomb with a high probability for road rage. 

References

Klyueva, O. A. (2016). Competitiveness of personality as a psychological phenomenon: The content of the construct and its typology.  Psychology in Russia: State of the art ,  9 (2), 151-166 

Sharkin, B. S. (2004). Road rage: Risk factors, assessment, and intervention strategies.  Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD ,  82 (2), 191 

Suhr, K. A., & Nesbit, S. M. (2013). Dwelling on ‘Road Rage’: The effects of trait rumination on aggressive driving.  Transportation research part F: Traffic psychology and behaviour ,  21 , 207-218