Aggressive Driving Style Questionnaire

Category	Details
Description	The Aggressive Driving Style Questionnaire (ADSQ; Love, Indrawan, & Larue, 2024) is a self-report measure designed to assess aggressive driving styles. The ADSQ evaluates whether a driver’s aggression is instrumental for faster traffic navigation, communicative towards other drivers, reactive to others’ behaviors, or escalates to uncontrollable interpersonal aggression. To ensure content validity, the authors reviewed items from established aggressive driving measures, including the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (Reason et al., 1990), the Multidimensional Driving Styles Inventory (Taubman-Ben-Ari et al., 2004), the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (Deffenbacher et al., 2002), and the Aggressive Driving Behaviour Scale (Houston & Harris, 2003). The final 16-item scale is evenly distributed across four dimensions: instrumental aggression, proactive aggression, reactive aggression, and interpersonal aggression. Data from Australian adult drivers supported the four-factor structure through factor analysis, with reliability and validity evidence provided.
Author	Love, Steven; Indrawan, Yolinda; Larue, Grégoire S.
ORCID	Love, Steven: 0000-0002-2183-4464
Affiliation	Love, Steven: University of the Sunshine Coast, MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration; Indrawan, Yolinda: University of the Sunshine Coast, School of Health; Larue, Grégoire S.: University of the Sunshine Coast, MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration
Purpose	The ADSQ is designed to measure aggressive driving styles through self-report responses.
Construct	Aggressive Driving Style
Instrument Type	Inventory/Questionnaire
Test Type	Original
Test Year	2024
Format	16 items rated on a 5-point scale
Administration Method	Electronic
Factors and Subscales	Instrumental Aggression; Proactive Aggression; Reactive Aggression; Interpersonal Aggression
Reliability	Internal consistency: Instrumental Aggression (α = 0.78), Reactive Aggression (α = 0.73), Proactive Aggression (α = 0.81), Interpersonal Aggression (α = 0.89), Total ADSQ (α = 0.91)
Validity	Factorial validity: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the measure’s structure. Convergent validity: The ADSQ correlated positively with driver anger, rumination, problematic attitudes toward aggressive driving, and self-regulatory dysfunction in cognitive, attentional, and emotional domains. Cluster analysis identified driver self-regulation profiles.
Factor Analysis	Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable model fit: χ²(87) = 241.44, p < .001; GFI = 0.904; TLI = 0.920; CFI = 0.935; RMSEA = 0.078; SRMR = 0.041. Factor loadings ranged: Instrumental aggression (β = 0.57–0.80), Reactive aggression (β = 0.55–0.68), Proactive aggression (β = 0.69–0.78), Interpersonal aggression (β = 0.75–0.87).
Test Methodology	Test Validity; Convergent Validity; Test Reliability; Internal Consistency; Factor Analysis; Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Age Group	Adulthood (18+); Young Adulthood (18-29); Thirties (30-39); Middle Age (40-64); Aged (65+); Very Old (85+)
Population Group	Human; Male; Female
Population Details	Age Range: 18-89; Location: Australia; Respondents: Adult Drivers
Keywords	Aggressive Driving Style; Driver Aggression; Factorial Validity; Instrumental Aggression; Interpersonal Aggression; Proactive Aggression; Reactive Aggression
Index Terms	Aggressive Driving Behavior; Drivers; Emotional Regulation; Factorial Validity; Antisocial Behavior Measures
Permissions	May use for Research/Teaching
Email	Love, Steven: [email protected]
Correspondence Address	Love, Steven: University of the Sunshine Coast, MAIC/UniSC Road Safety Research Collaboration, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia, 4556
Web Site	Creative Commons License
Files	No file available for download
Reference	Love, S., Indrawan, Y., & Larue, G. S. (2024). Development of a nuanced approach to aggressive driving: An investigation into the self-regulatory and attitudinal profiles of aggressive drivers and their contextual role in negative road interactions. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 102, 142–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2024.02.012

I. Scale Overview

The Aggressive Driving Styles Questionnaire is designed to assess the frequency with which individuals engage in various aggressive driving behaviors. The questionnaire includes 16 items, each representing a distinct driving behavior. The items are categorized into four subscales: Instrumental Aggression, Reactive Aggression, Proactive Aggression, and Interpersonal Aggression.

II. Items

The following are the 16 items of the Aggressive Driving Styles Questionnaire, along with their associated subscales:

A. Instrumental Aggression

• 1. Intentionally drive more than 20 kmph faster than the speed limit.

• 1. Approach corners or intersections at higher-than-average speeds.

• 1. Accelerate into an intersection when the traffic light is changing from yellow to red.

• 1. Weave in and out of traffic while driving at high speeds.

B. Reactive Aggression

• 1. Intentionally tap my brakes when another car follows too closely.

• 1. Make rude gestures at other drivers when they have acted inappropriately towards me.

• 1. Merge into traffic even when another driver tries to inappropriately close the gap between cars.

• 1. Follow another car in front of me closely to prevent another car from inappropriately merging in front of me.

C. Proactive Aggression

• 1. Pass a slow car and change into their lane at less than a car length.

• 1. Flash my headlights at slower traffic so that it will get out of my way.

• 1. Follow a slower car at less than a car length to encourage them to move.

• 1. Honk excessively when another driver makes a mistake or disrupts traffic.

D. Interpersonal Aggression

• 1. Become so angry at another driver that you chase them with the intention of showing them how angry you are.

• 1. Get out of your car to confront another driver in an aggressive manner.

• 1. Use your vehicle to block or restrict the movement of another driver’s vehicle.

• 1. Attempted to damage another driver’s vehicle in response to a conflict.

III. Response Scale

• The response format is a five-point Likert scale.

• The scale ranges from 1 (Never) to 5 (Always), as follows:

  • 1 = Never

  • 2 = Rarely

  • 3 = Sometimes

  • 4 = Often

  • 5 = Always

IV. Subscales Summary

• Instrumental Aggression: Characterized by behaviors aimed at achieving a specific driving goal, often involving speeding or disregarding traffic laws.

• Reactive Aggression: Characterized by behaviors that occur as a response to perceived provocations or frustrations from other drivers.

• Proactive Aggression: Characterized by behaviors used to actively influence or manipulate other drivers’ behavior to one’s own advantage.

• Interpersonal Aggression: Characterized by behaviors that involve direct confrontation or attempts to harm or intimidate other drivers.

V. Notes on Interpretation

• Scoring of the questionnaire would involve summing or averaging the item scores within each subscale to generate subscale scores.

• These subscale scores can be used to evaluate an individual’s tendencies towards different types of aggressive driving behavior.