Highway Violence Has Numerous Triggers

The apparent upsurge in highway violence has grabbed nearly everyone’s attention. Explaining why it is happening is difficult because the events are dissimilar and have many causes. Some themes, such as “traffic stress” and “copycat” behavior, have been offered as explanations, but these are overplayed.

Adding to the difficulty is the lack of research to guide the analysis. No studies have actually been done on road warrior behavior--it is relatively infrequent and not readily observable; one would not want to induce it experimentally; and law-enforcement data on assaults does not identify those that are related to driving. We are then left to draw inferences from research on anger, aggression and stress.

Some years ago, my colleague Dr. Daniel Stokols and I did several studies that today remain the only naturalistic field research on the effects of automobile commuting. As psychologists, we were concerned with the effects on health and behavior of long-term exposure to traffic congestion; identifying the individuals most at risk for chronic ill effects, and how conditions of the home and job environment influence the experience of commuting.

It is indeed true that continued exposure to traffic congestion elevates resting blood pressure, increases negative mood states, lowers tolerance for frustration and can lead to even more impatient driving habits. However, physiological arousal, irritability and impatience are qualitatively different from assaultive behavior. Yes, these internal states can activate aggression, but aggression is a significantly different matter, requiring an override of inhibitions about harm-doing.

The road assaults are not being done by commuters, which makes a stress explanation less plausible. Particular occasions of roadway frustration may be a proximate cause or a personal justification for some assaults, but outside of daily commuting, such events are better seen as matters of personal perception and behavioral proclivities. Many of the incidents appear to be either impulsive or premeditated actions of marginal personalities whose inhibitions toward aggression were out on break.

We know that some things can short-circuit inhibitions toward aggression. The car can be a private bubble of sensitized space that allows the Mr. Hyde in us to emerge when we are crossed. Since the automobile affords anonymity and opportunity for escape, inhibitions of aggression can lessen.

Another possibility is that exposure to films that suggest or legitimize violent actions have reduced inhibitions and programmed the mind with mental images. The modeling effects of media portrayals of violence are not irrelevant. But I am not saying that someone tails and blasts at other motorists simply or mostly because of watching too many movies with hyped-up chase scenes or avenging-angel story lines. Of course, it’s more complicated; it involves our social fabric, the breakdown of community values, the desensitization to violence, and the relative improbability of punishment for violent behavior. The availability of guns--though carrying a loaded gun in a car is illegal--will make matters worse if drivers begin to pack their pistols.

Of course, some sensation-seeking persons may be inspired to follow the example of other road warriors. But these aren’t all “copycat” occurrences, as when someone duplicates a cinematic action. Many road assaults, like other forms of aggressive acts, involve an escalating sequence of antagonism in which each party further ensnares itself in a destructive cycle.

Provocation is in the eye of the perceiver. Anger results from what we pay attention to and what we choose to make of it. Often it is a product of giving exaggerated importance to events and the loss of perspective, humor and civility. While we can easily learn to control our own anger, the anger of others is not easily controlled. We can, however, keep from stoking their fire by steering away from conflict and antagonism. Getting drawn into battle with anyone competing for our road space is an ego-oriented script with a bad ending. Instead, awareness of traffic conditions, alertness to potential danger and coolness of thought will add mileage to our lifetimes.