AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS OR FRUSTRATING ENVIRONMENT? (ABSTRACT ONLY)

Aggressive driving is defined in terms of the frustration-aggression model as a syndrome of frustration-driven behaviors, enabled by the driver's environment. These behaviors can either take the form of instrumental aggression--that allows the frustrated driver to move ahead at the cost of infringing on other road users' rights--or hostile aggression which is directed at the object of frustration. While these behaviors may be reflective of individual differences in aggression, from the practical and ergonomic perspective it is more beneficial to focus on the traffic system design features that increase or decrease aggressive behaviors, and thus create a driving environment that is more efficient to drivers and safer to all. Empirical studies that support this model/approach are described.