Problem: Recent reports indicate incidents of aggressive driving have risen 51% since 1990 (Vest, Cohen, & Tharp, 1997), and they continue to rise about 7% per year (Pepper, 1977). Current estimates attribute more than 218 deaths and 12,610 injuries to aggressive driving since 1990 (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 1997). Method: College students as well as safety professionals were used in a four phase investigation to develop a Propensity for Angry Driving Scale (PADS). The PADS was designed to identify individuals with the greatest propensity to become angry while driving and subsequently engage in hostile driving behaviors or acts of "road rage." Results: Results of the investigation reveal the PADS to be a unidimensional measure with acceptable alpha levels (.88-.89) and adequate test-retest reliability (.91). In addition, the PADS demonstrated significant and positive correlations with the Buss-Uurkee Hostility index (BDHI; r =.40) and the trait subscale of the State-Trait Anger Scale (STAS; r=.40). The PADS had a modest but significant correlation with Eysenck's impulsivity scale (r=.28) and was uncorrelated with Eysenck's venturesomeness scale, (r=.00). Summary: With the ability to identify anger prone drivers, research can begin addressing the underlying emotional mechanisms or thought processes that trigger angry and hostile reactions while driving. Given the win/lose hostile climate present on our highways, the PADS is a timely instrument that could be used to identify, study, and intervene on angry drivers prone to experience road rage. (C) 2001 National Safety Council and Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
