In a previous study, based on self-reports, we found that drivers who themselves exceed the speed limit become less irritated when they see other drivers driving recklessly. In this study, we investigated this phenomenon in more detail. Sixty drivers were asked to drive a 17-kilometer route in a driving simulator. Several irritation-provoking situations occurred during the drive where some of them were the same as the situations in the Driving Anger Scale (DAS), which the drivers also were asked to fill out. Some examples of situations that were presented: a driver in front passing a traffic signal when red, a driver is driving very slowly in front, and a driver is weaving in and out of traffic.


The participants were instructed that they were going to the airport. Half of the participants were told that they were delayed and therefore were in a hurry. These participants received economic incitement to drive fast to their destination whereas the participants not in a hurry received a fixed amount as compensation.


Not surprisingly, the results show that participants in the stressful condition had a higher average speed while driving at sections with speed limits of 70 and 90 km/h and kept a smaller distance to the car in front. Of greater interest was that drivers who reported being less irritated when other drivers drove recklessly actually tended to drive faster and also to keep a shorter distance to the vehicle in front. Similarly, drivers who reported being more irritated when others obstructed them tended to keep a shorter distance to the vehicle in front. However, the results were not entirely unambiguous, and the phenomenon requires further investigations to find the right measures to diminish speeding and reckless driving.