TCIT - TRI COACHING DRIVING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
Menu

Bad moods and how it affects your driving !

4/3/2016

Comments

 
Picture
The Impact of Bad Moods on Driver RiskPosted on April 10, 2013 by Dr Lisa DornMoods can change quickly in response to what is going on in your life and in response to traffic situations and other road users. You may not realize it, but the way you feel can affect how you drive and increase your risk of crash involvement. Research has shown that drivers in a bad mood may be more likely to crash, especially when driving angry or feeling frustrated (Deffenbacher et al, 2003; Hemenway & Solnick, 1993; Parry, 1968; Underwood et al, 1999).
There are two possible reasons why driving in a bad mood might impair driving performance and increase crash risk:-
  1.  Bad moods may change driving style and increase risk taking
  2.  Bad moods may directly impair a drivers’ ability to detect hazards.


Bad Mood and Risk Taking
Irritation is frequently expressed in aggressive and hostile behaviours towards other drivers, such as verbal rebukes, tail-gating and horn-blowing (Parry, 1968). Not surprisingly, such aggressive behaviours are dangerous, and associated with higher accident probabilities. Drivers in a bad mood may be more likely to evaluate the traffic situation harshly, spend less time assessing the situation and be quicker to allocate blame to others. In a recent study in which drivers were impeded by a slower lead vehicle, results showed that drivers are more angered and subsequently more aggressive when the driver of the lead vehicle is of lower status and most likely to belong to the out-group (Stephens & Groeger, under review).
Driving aggression as measured by the Fleet Driver Risk Index™ has been shown to be associated with negative appraisals of other drivers expressed through intimidation tactics such as tailgating. High scores on the Fleet Driver Risk Index™ Driving Aggression factor has also been associated with frequent overtaking, higher frequencies of driving errors and deliberate violations such as speeding (Matthews, 1993; Matthews et al, 1997; Matthews et al, 1998).
Bad Mood impairs Hazard Detection
A bad mood can also impair your ability to detect and respond to hazards. To be a safe driver, an efficient visual search strategy and the ability to detect emerging dangerous situations is essential. Feelings of frustration may lead to a failure to attend to peripheral cues and impair visual search and lead to longer fixating on hazards to the detriment of responding to other hazards (e.g. Chapman & Groeger, 2004; Crundall et al, 2002). In a recent study (Chapman and Walton, in press) frustration seemed to lead to more shallow processing of visual information suggesting that drivers disengage their attention too soon and attend to alternative distractions in the driving scene before they have fully processed all relevant information.
Self-evaluation and e-training
DriverMetrics® offers an e-learning module called ‘Frustrations’ for drivers reporting a significantly high level of driving aggression and frustration in traffic and towards other road users. The module asks drivers to reflect on the circumstances under which they may lose their temper and what they can do to reduce their levels of driver stress. Finding different strategies on how to tackle difficulties and frustrations in traffic often makes drivers feel more in control and less prone to angry outbursts. Understanding your own triggers to outbursts is the first step to controlling your feelings and increasing your tolerance of other road users and traffic situations.
Contact us for a demo of the Fleet Driver Risk Index™ and e-learning.
References
Chapman, P., & Groeger, J.A. (2004). Risk and the recognition of driving situations. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, 1-19.
Chapman, P., & Walton, J (In press). The Impact of Frustration on Visual Search and Hazard
Sensitivity in Filmed Driving Situations. In L. Dorn & M. Sullman  (Eds.), Driver Behaviour and Training Vol 6. Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
Crundall, D., Underwood, G., & Chapman, P. (2002). Attending to the peripheral world while driving. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 16, 459-475.
Deffenbacher, J., Deffenbacher, D., Richards, T., & Lynch, R. (2003). Anger, aggression and risky behavior: A comparison of high and low anger drivers. Behavior Research and Therapy, 41, 701-718.
Hemenway, D., & Solnick, S. (1993). Fuzzy dice, dream cars, and indecent gestures: Correlates of driver behavior? Accident Analysis and Prevention, 25, 161-170.
Lerner, J.S., & Keltner, D. (2001). Fear, anger and risk. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 81, 146 – 159.
Lerner, J.S., & Tiedens, L.Z., (2006). Portrait of the angry decision maker: how
appraisal tendencies shape anger’s influence on cognition. Journal of Behavioural Decision
Making, 19, 115-137.
Matthews, G., Dorn, L., Hoyes, T .W., Glendon, A. I., Davies, D. R., & Taylor, R. G. (1993). Driver stress and simulated driving performance: Studies of risk taking and attention. In Grayson G B (Ed.), Behavioural Research in Road Safety III  (pp 1-10), Crowthorne, Transport Research Laboratory.
Matthews, G., Desmond, P. A., Joyner, L. A. & Carcardy, B. (1997). A comprehensive questionnaire measure of driver stress and affect. In E. Carbonell Vaya and J. A. Rothengatter (Eds), Traffic and Transport Psychology: theory and Application (pp 317-326). Amsterdam: Pergamon Press.
Matthews, G., Dorn, L., Hoyes, T. W., Davies, D. R., Glendon, A. I., & Taylor, R. G. (1998). Driver stress and performance on a driving simulator. Human Factors, 40, 136-149.
Parry, M. (1968). Aggression on the road. London: Tavistock.
Stephens, A.N., & Groeger, J.A. (under review). Following slower lead drivers: Lead driver status moderates driver’s anger behavioural responses and exonerates culpability.
Underwood, G., Chapman, P., Wright, S., & Crundall, D. (1999). Anger while driving. Transportation Research Part F, 2, 55–68.




Comments

    Author

    Susan McCormack

    Archives

    October 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

GDPR Privacy Policy
Picture

MENU

Home
About us
The training courses
Your business
CPD
Website Terms and conditions
​Website Privacy policy


How to qualify
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Resources

COMPANY

Tri-Coaching Instructor Training
6 Pearmain Way,
Ashford, Kent,
TN23 5JL.
Part of Tri-Coaching Partnership Limited


CONTACT

Phone 0800 058 8009
Email info@tri-coachingpartnership.co.uk
Contact form

Picture
  • Home
  • How to qualify
    • Part 1
    • Part 2
    • Part 3
  • Continuing Professional Development
  • Free Brochure
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • TCIT Learning Pack
    • Driving Test Success Anytime
  • Home
  • How to qualify
    • Part 1
    • Part 2
    • Part 3
  • Continuing Professional Development
  • Free Brochure
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • TCIT Learning Pack
    • Driving Test Success Anytime