Gender differences in aggressive driving responses to highway situations

Driving Behavior

Men and women differ in their behavior in many different ways. Driving is just one example of that observation. There are many likely psychological reasons that explain this difference. I believe that males are more confident, territorial and more easily provoked into becoming aggressive in their behavior. Men are also more likely to take risks in general. All of these behavioral differences are reflected in the way that men and women interact with other drivers. The following two experiments are designed to test the relative differences in the way that male and female drivers respond to two typical driving situations. In the first experiment, the experimenter will record the responses of male and female drivers to being passed on the highway. In the second experiment, the experimenter will record their respective responses to a driver who attempts a "late merge" at highway exit ramp.

Hypothesis #1

Male drivers are more likely than female drivers to speed up to match the speed of a vehicle that attempts to pass them slowly. Women are more likely to maintain their speed and allow the passing vehicle to overtake them easily. The independent variable is the gender of the driver being overtaken. The dependent variable is the relative increase in speed necessary to overtake a vehicle on the highway. The dependent variable will be measured by first pacing the car to be overtaken by matching its speed in the vehicle driven by the experimenter from a short but safe distance behind in the same lane. In each condition, the study will focus on five drivers, for a total of ten drivers in the study. Five will be male and five will be female. They will be selected at random from the drivers on the road.

The experimenter will position himself behind other vehicles in the driving lane and note the exact speed that matches the speed of the other vehicle and will maintain that speed for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the experimenter will change lanes into the passing lane and begin to pass the other vehicle at a speed 5 mph greater than the measured constant speed. The experimenter will record both the amount of time necessary to fully execute the passing maneuver and also the final difference in speed that was necessary.

It is expected that once the experimenter's vehicle matches the vehicle to be passed, female drivers will maintain the same speed while the experimenter overtakes them and the time necessary to fully overtake them will be entirely dependent on the speed of the experimenter's vehicle relative to the original speed of the other vehicle. It is anticipated that when the experimenter's vehicle begins to pass a vehicle driven by a male driver than the driver of the vehicle being overtaken will gradually speed up to match the speed of the passing vehicle so that the passing vehicle will have to substantially increase its speed to successfully overtake the vehicle being driven by a male driver.

Hypothesis #2

Male drivers are more likely than female drivers to exhibit territoriality and aggressiveness in response to other drivers attempting to enter their exit lane. Female drivers are more likely to exhibit consideration and moderation in the same circumstance and permit the other driver to enter their exit lane more easily. The independent variable is gender of the driver in the other vehicle and one dependent variable is whether or not the driver pulls forward to prevent the experimenter from entering the exit lane in front of the vehicle being passed. Another dependent variable is whether the gestures or expressions from the other driver are polite and accommodating or angry and defiant.

Research Review

The insurance industry generally recognizes that male drivers pose a greater risk to their investments than do female drivers, and charge higher rates accordingly. While their findings are generally based on proprietary actuarial data, there have also been a number of studies about the role that gender plays in driving habits. Lonczak, Neighbors and Donovan (2007) designed a study to "examine the putative risk factors of driving anger, traffic citations and traffic-related injuries as a function of gender." The authors studied the issue measuring a number of different contributing factors including "sensation seeking, stressful events, negative affect, tobacco use and drinking behavior." The exit ramp merge portion of my study (hypothesis #2) will be conducted during rush hour when the merge can be conducted at relatively low speeds, as a necessary safety requirement. This portion of the experiment will therefore be subject to the "stressful event" criteria that Lonczak et al. studied.

Their study found that while men "reported more traffic citations and injuries (they) did not differ from women in reported driving anger." This makes an interesting point about the study that I have designed. The Lonczak study was based on self-reported survey data, while I have designed an experiential study. The difference between anger and citations between genders hints that there might be perception difference