Aggressive Driving and Road Rage: A Driving Simulation Experiment.

Summary

Driving a car is the most dangerous behavior most people engage in every day. According to the World Health Organization, about 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes, and they are the leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 37,461 Americans were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 - about 103 per day. Although there are several causes of traffic crashes (e.g., texting, alcohol consumption, inclement weather), the leading cause is aggressive driving. In the United States, aggressive driving accounts for more than half of all traffic fatalities. Thus, aggressive driving is an important applied health topic, especially for young drivers.

Conditions

• Aggression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Bumper stickers

Bumper stickers hypothesized to increase or decrease aggressive driving.

BEHAVIORAL

Alcohol-related cues

Case of beer or water on passenger seat.

BEHAVIORAL

Music

Lyrics and tempo of music will be manipulated to increase or decrease aggressive driving.

BEHAVIORAL

Roadside vegetation

The roadside will contain trash to increase aggressive driving, or vegetation to decrease aggressive driving. There is also a control group.

BEHAVIORAL

Video game

Participants will play a racing or neutral video game before driving in the simulator.

BEHAVIORAL

Videos

Videos depicting various aggressive driving and road rage behaviors.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ohio State University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Brad Bushman, PhD · Ohio State University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-10-20

Primary Completion

2025-12-01

Completion

2025-12-01

Countries

• United States

Study Locations