Predictive Validity of the Aggressive Driver Behavior Questionnaire (ADBQ) in a Simulated Environment

Abstract

Aggressive driving behavior or “road rage” is often viewed as a dysfunctional pattern of social behavior that poses a serious risk to public safety. In a previous study, we conducted a factor analytic study of 79 items derived from five different driving behavior scales to produce a new scale, which can be correlated to driver anger. The goal of the present research was to empirically test this scale in a controlled laboratory environment. It was hypothesized that the newly developed Aggressive Driving Behavior Questionnaire (ADBQ) would predict driving performance of aggressive drivers. The results showed a significant effect of traffic condition on lane deviations and that the composite scores co-varied significantly with lane deviations and collisions. In addition, several dependent measures were significantly correlated with the composite scores. These variables included lane deviations and collisions. This suggests that the ADBQ is a valid predictor of aggressive driving behavior in a simulated environment.