Investigating Responsibility in the Driving Context: Associations with Driving Anger Expressions and Driver Behaviors

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the predicting role of responsibility (behavioral responsibility and feeling of responsibility) on driving anger expressions (verbal, personal physical, use of vehicle, and adaptive/constructive) and driver behaviors (ordinary and aggressive violations, errors, and lapses). A sample of 279 drivers (188 female and 91 male) completed an online survey which included Driver Behavior Questionnaire, Driving Anger Expression Inventory, and Feelings of Responsibility and Behavioral Responsibility Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses partially supported the expectations. Accordingly, behavioral responsibility, but not feelings of responsibility, was found as a predictor for driver behaviors. In detail, behavioral responsibility was a significant predictor for ordinary violations, errors and lapses, but not for aggressive violations. Additionally, behavioral responsibility negatively predicted verbal anger expression, feeling of responsibility negatively predicted use of the vehicle to express anger and lastly, behavioral responsibility positively predicted adaptive/constructive anger expression. Lastly, mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the indirect relationships between variables. The difference between patterns of results of the analyses with behavioral responsibility and feelings of responsibility highlights the difference between feeling and behavior, that is two concepts based on different psychological backgrounds do not necessarily lead to one another. The results were discussed in the framework of the related literature.