Validation of the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale

Problem: This study examined the validity of the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale (PADS; DePasquale, J. P., Geller, E. S., Clarke, S. W., and Littleton, L. C. (2001). Measuring road rage: Development of the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale. Journal of Safety Research, 32, 1-16) in predicting aggressive driving. Method: The PADS and the Driving Anger Scale (DAS; Defferibacher, J. L., Oetting, E. R., and Lynch, R. S. (1994). Development of a driving anger scale. Psychological reports, 74, 83-91.) were administered to 232 college student volunteers with measures of aggressive and risky driving. Results: Convergent and discrimmant validity of the PADS were supported through relationships among measures of similar constructs. The PADS significantly (p<05) predicted moving tickets, minor accidents, aggressive driving, risky driving, and maladaptive driving anger expression, above and beyond gender, miles driven per week, and trait anger. Discussion: Findings suggest that the PADS is a useful predictor of aggressive driving and has some advantages over the DAS. Impact on Industry: The PADS is an effective predictor of aggressive driving that complements established measures like the DAS and provides researchers with another valuable tool for the assessment of aggressive driving. (C) 2004 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.