Main Psychological Factors Contributing to Aggressive Driving

Nowadays, aggressive driving is a common driving behavior and it is raised as a dangerous factor for both drivers and passengers. However, it is hard to find studies on aggressive driving in Korea, and even the definition of aggressive behavior is not clearly explained. In this study, the term "aggressive behavior" is defined based on previous studies, and the significance of several psycho-social factors which affect aggressive driving were verified with the 'habit' factor from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In the pilot study, domestic drivers reported that aggressive behaviors included speeding, traffic light signal violation, and improper passing (cutting drivers off when passing). In this study, controlling the demographic characteristics of these three aggressive behaviors, the authors explored the relationship of the behaviors with TPB factors such as the habit factor. Consequently, in the case of drivers' intentions for speeding and traffic light signal violations, subjective norm, perceived behavioral controllability, and habit were significant factors. In the case of intentions for improper passing, only perceived behavioral controllability and habit were significant. In speeding behavior and traffic light signal violations, only habit was significant besides intention; however, in improper passing, both perceived behavioral controllability and habit were significant besides intention. The authors also tested an alternative model including TPB and habit factors for three types of aggressive driving. Finally, there are several implications for a possible intervention program for aggressive driving, though there are some limitations of the study.