Development of a nuanced approach to aggressive driving: An investigation into the self-regulatory and attitudinal profiles of aggressive drivers and their contextual role in negative road interactions

This study aimed to provide a novel perspective on aggressive driving behaviour (ADB) by developing a self-report measure of aggressive driving styles (the Aggressive Driving Styles Questionnaire; ADSQ) and comparing how different types of drivers (according to their attitudes and self-regulatory functioning) might differentially engage in such driving styles. An online survey was completed by a sample of Australian adult drivers (N = 527), who reported engaging in an ADB in the past month. An initial confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the proposed factor structure of instrumental, reactive, proactive and interpersonal driver aggression, was a good fit for the data, and reliability tests suggested that the ADSQ had good internal consistency (alpha = 0.73 - 0.91). Next, correlational analysis showed that the ADSQ had positive associations with (a) driver anger and rumination; (b) problematic attitudes towards instrumental and hostile aggressive driving; and (c) various domains (i.e., cognitive, attentional, emotional) of selfregulatory dysfunctioning. K-means cluster analysis was then used on the variables to determine potential profiles of 'self-regulated' drivers among the participants. The results suggested that three driver types significantly differed according to their attitudes and level of selfregulatory dysfunction: self-regulated drivers (high functioning; low attitudes), antisocial drivers (medium functioning; high attitudes), and dysregulated drivers (low functioning, high attitudes). These cluster groups were shown to significantly differ in their tendency to engage in aggressive driving styles and what behaviours they perceived as most triggering when driving on the road. The ADSQ and associated findings of this study provide a nuanced perspective on how ADBs can be approached, observed, and operationalised.