The Big Five factors, sensation seeking, and driving anger in the prediction of unsafe driving

Despite a wealth of literature supporting the utility of trait driving anger, sensation seeking, and the Big Five personality factors in predicting unsafe driving behavior and crash-related outcomes, these predictors have been studied in isolation. The present study investigated the utility of combining these variables in the prediction of self-reported driving anger expression and the frequency of aggressive and risky driving behaviors. Three hundred and fifteen college students completed measures of driving anger, sensation seeking, Big Five personality factors, unsafe driving behavior, and driving anger expression. Hierarchical regressions controlling respondent age, gender, and average weekly miles driven supported the predictive utility of driving anger, sensation seeking, emotional stability, agreeableness, and openness to experience. Results supported the use of multiple predictors in the study of unsafe driving and demonstrated that different combinations of predictors are needed to explain different aspects of driving behavior. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.