Driving Anger, Sensation Seeking, Narcissism, and Driver's Angry Thoughts in the Prediction of

121 Pages·2017·1.55 MB·English

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Dissertations
Spring 5-2009
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Roy Preston White
University of Southern Mississippi
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White, Roy Preston, "Driving Anger, Sensation Seeking, Narcissism, and Driver's Angry Thoughts in the
Prediction of Unsafe Driving" (2009). Dissertations. 1047.
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The University of Southern Mississippi
DRIVING ANGER, SENSATION SEEKING, NARCISSISM, AND DRIVER'S
ANGRY THOUGHTS IN THE PREDICTION OF UNSAFE DRIVING
by
Roy Preston White
Abstract of a Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office
of The University of Southern Mississippi
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
May 2009
COPYRIGHT BY
ROY PRESTON WHITE
2009
The University of Southern Mississippi
DRIVING ANGER, SENSATION SEEKING, NARCISSISM, AND DRIVER'S
ANGRY THOUGHTS IN THE PREDICTION OF UNSAFE DRIVING
• •' '..by'-:' :.;..:;.
Roy Preston White
A Dissertation
Submitted to the Graduate Studies Office
of The University of Southern Mississippi
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
May 2009
ABSTRACT
DRIVING ANGER, SENSATION SEEKING, AND NARCISSISM INTHE
PREDICTION OF UNSAFE DRIVING
by Roy Preston White
May 2009
The present study expanded the previous research on multivariate prediction of unsafe
driving behaviors. Specifically, the utility of combining driving anger, sensation seeking,
narcissism, and driver's angry thoughts variables in the prediction of various unsafe
driving behaviors and driving anger expression were assessed. In addition the present
study sought to explore the predictive utility of driving anger and sensation seeking in a
non-college sample. Three hundred and forty-nine college students completed measures
of driving anger, sensation seeking, narcissism, driver's angry thoughts, unsafe driving
behavior, and driving anger expression. Ninety eight non-college participants completed
a subset of the previously mentioned measures. Hierarchical multiple regressions
controlling for age, gender, and average miles driven per week supported the predictive
utility of driving anger, sensation seeking, and driver's angry thoughts. Results
demonstrated significant improvements in the prediction of various unsafe driving
behaviors through the use of combining driving anger, sensation seeking, and driver's
angry thoughts. Exploratory analyses also found differences with regard to retrospective
and prospective data collection and between college and non-college participants on
many variables.
n
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to give special thanks Dr. Dahlen for his immense patience,
guidance, and support throughout the duration of this project. In addition, thanks are
given to other committee members, Dr. Nicholson, Dr. Arnau, and Dr. Madson for their
patience and support.
111
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT 11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
LIST OF TABLES vi
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION . 1
Demographic Factors
Personality Factors
Multivariate Prediction
The Present Study
II. METHODS 32
Participants
Instruments
Procedure
Statistical Analyses
III. RESULTS 46
Preliminary Analyses
Primary Analyses
Exploratory Analyses
IV. DISCUSSION : 68
Multivariate Prediction
Role of Driving Anger in Unsafe Driving
Sensation Seeking and Unsafe Driving
Narcissistic Personality Traits and Unsafe Driving
Cognitive Contributions to Aggressive Driving: A Role For Angry
Thoughts
Exploratory Analyses
Limitations
Implications and Directions for Future Research
APPENDIXES 82
IV
REFERENCES 103
v
LIST OF TABLES
Table
1. Alphas, Means, and Standard Deviations for all Variables in the College Sample
(N=349) : 47
2. Alphas, Means, and Standard Deviations for all Variables in the non college
sample (N=175) 48
3. Intercorrelations Among all Variables in the college sample (N=349)... .....51
4. Intercorrelations Among all Variables In the Non-college Sample (N=175) 53
5. Summary of Hierarchical Multiple Regressions for Driving Anger, Sensation
Seeking, Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Moving Violations, Minor Accidents,
Major Accidents, Crash Related Conditions, Aggressive Driving, Risky Driving,
and Driving Anger Within a College Population (N = 349) 56
6. Summary of Hierarchical Multiple Regressions for Driving Anger, Sensation
Seeking, Moving Violations, Minor Accidents, Major Accidents, Crash Related
Conditions, Aggressive Driving, and Risky Driving Within the Non-College
sample (N=175) , 64
7. Comparison of Survey of Driving and Driving Log (N=98) 67
8. Comparison of Survey of College and Non-college 68
VI
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Traffic accidents and roadway fatalities pose a significant social and public health
problem in the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, over 5.9 million motor vehicle accidents were reported in the United
States during 2006 (NHTSA, 2007). Consequently, almost 1.8 million people were
injured as a direct result of vehicular accidents. Furthermore, in 2005 an individual died
every 12 minutes in an automobile accident, resulting in 39,189 deaths. Finally, for
individuals between the ages of 2 and 34 years motor vehicle accidents were the leading
cause of death (NHTSA, 2007).
In addition to the appalling number of injuries and deaths related to motor vehicle
accidents, these incidents also have a high financial cost for the United States. Based on
a number of factors (i.e., travel delay, productivity losses, cost to employers, legal and
court costs, property damage, emergency services, medical costs, rehabilitation costs, and
insurance administration), the total economic cost of motor vehicle accidents in 2000 was
calculated as $230.6 billion for the United States (NHTSA, 2002). This estimate equates
to a cost of over $800 per person living in the United States. In addition, public revenues
paid for approximately 9% of all expenses due to motor vehicle crashes in 2000, which
cost taxpayers $21 billion as a whole. This translated into a real world cost of over $200
in added taxes for each household in the United States in 2000 (NHTSA, 2002).
Researchers have began the process of identifying the many factors that are
involved in motor vehicle accidents and an assortment of risky driving behaviors which
have been linked to accident outcomes (e.g., speeding, tailgating, running red lights).