Clinical trial NCT03430973: Aggressive Driving and Road Rage: A Driving Simulation Experiment.
Official title: Driving Simulation Experiments of Aggressive Driving and Road Rage
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Aggression
Keywords: aggressive driving; road rage
Lead sponsor: Ohio State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-02-13
Enrollment: 830
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL
Intervention model description: Seven driving simulation experiments on aggressive driving and road rage (see descriptions above).
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: Driving a car is the most dangerous behavior most people engage in every day. According to the World Health Organization, about 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes, and they are the leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year olds. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 37,461 Americans were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2016 - about 103 per day. Although there are several causes of traffic crashes (e.g., texting, alcohol consumption, inclement weather), the leading cause is aggressive driving. In the United States, aggressive driving accounts for more than half of all traffic fatalities. Thus, aggressive driving is an important applied health topic, especially for young drivers.

Detailed description: Experimental studies are needed to draw inferences about the causes of aggressive driving. Only six driving simulation experiments have been conducted, and one of these experiment was conducted by the investigators (Bushman, Kerwin, Whitlock, \& Weisenberger, 2017).

The proposed research will test the effects of seven situational risk factors: (1) racing video games (Experiment 2), (2) racial bumper stickers (i.e., "Black Lives Matter" bumper stickers for white motorists vs. "All Lives Matter" bumper stickers for black motorists; Experiment 3), (3) political bumper stickers (i.e., "Donald Trump for President 2016" for Democrat motorists vs. "Hillary Clinton for President 2016" for Republican motorists; Experiment 4), (4) alcohol-related cues (i.e., a case of beer vs. water on the passenger seat; Experiment 5), (5) music with violent lyrics (Experiment 6), (6) music with an upbeat tempo (Experiment 6), and (7) roadside trash (Experiment 7). The proposed research will also test the effects of five situational protective factors: (1) racial bumper stickers (i.e., "Black Lives Matter" for black motorists vs. "All Lives Matter" for white motorists; Experiment 3), (2) political bumper stickers (i.e., "Donald Trump for President 2016" for Republican motorists vs. "Hillary Clinton for President 2016" for Democrat motorists; Experiment 4), (3) music with prosocial lyrics (Experiment 6), (4) music with a calm tempo (Experiment 6), and (5) roadside vegetation (Experiment 7).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Participants will be adults recruited from Central Ohio (Franklin County) through advertisements (e.g., newspaper, Internet).
* Participants' ages will vary depending on the experiment. 18 and older for Experiment 1; 18-21 for Experiments 2-4 and 6-7; 21+ for Experiment 5
* All participants must have a current driver license.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants who have motion sickness will be excluded.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Aggressive driving behavior
timeFrame: Observed in driving scenario during the experimental session
measure: Road rage
timeFrame: Observed in driving scenario during the experimental session, up to one hour.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: State anger
timeFrame: Immediately after completing driving scenario, during the experimental session, up to one hour.
measure: Hostile attributions
timeFrame: Immediately after completing driving scenario, during the experimental session, up to one hour.
Other outcomes:
measure: Trait anger
timeFrame: Completed after consent is signed, before the driving simulation experiment begins.
measure: Narcissism
timeFrame: Completed after consent is signed, before the driving simulation experiment begins.
measure: Empathy
timeFrame: Completed after consent is signed, before the driving simulation experiment begins.
Locations:
city: Columbus
country: United States
facility: The Ohio State University Driving Simulation Laboratory
state: Ohio
Study officials:
affiliation: Ohio State University
name: Brad Bushman, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Bushman, B. J., Kerwin, T., Whitlock, T., & Weisenberger, J. M. (2017). The weapons effect on wheels: Motorists drive more aggressively when there is a gun in the vehicle. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 73, 82-85. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2017.06.007
citation: Cheng, J. C., & Monroe, M. C. (2012). Connection to nature: Children's affective attitude toward nature. Environment and Behavior, 44(1), 31-49. doi:10.1177/0013916510385082
citation: Spielberger, C. D. (1988). State-trait anger expression inventory: STAXI professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
citation: Wickens CM, Wiesenthal DL, Flora DB, Flett GL. Understanding driver anger and aggression: attributional theory in the driving environment. J Exp Psychol Appl. 2011 Dec;17(4):354-70. doi: 10.1037/a0025815. Epub 2011 Oct 10.