Attitudinal predictors of interpersonally aggressive violations on the road Dianne Parker *, Timo Lajunen, Steve Stradling Department of Psychology, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK Received 24 October 1997; received in revised form 1 April 1998 Abstract Aggressive driving behaviour was studied using a self-report questionnaire. Respondents were asked about their own behaviour on the road using a version of the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire which contained an extended set of driving violation items. Three violation factors were distinguished, providing support for the ®ndings of Lawton, R., Parker, D., Manstead, A.S.R., and Stradling, S.G. (1997). The role of aect in predicting social behaviours: the case of road trac violations. Journal of Applied Social Psy- chology, 27, 1258±1276). Respondents' beliefs and attitudes towards two aggressive driving scenarios were measured, using Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behaviour model (Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality and behavior. Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press) supplemented by a measure of aective beliefs. In one scenario the driver was described as initiating an aggressive driving episode, and in the other as retaliating to the aggressive driving of another. Beliefs and attitudes in relation to the scenarios were found to be signi®cantly predictive of own self-reported aggressive driving behaviour. It was shown that aggressive driving behaviour was particularly associated with relatively positive (or less negative) beliefs and attitudes in relation to the initiation of an aggressive driving episode. # 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Driver behaviour; Attitudes; Aggression; Violations 1. Introduction There is a popular perception that aggressive driving is on the increase, reinforced by lurid media accounts of startling and violent encounters. However, there is very little empirical evi- dence of either the prevalence of aggressive driving, or of the factors that precipitate it. Were it to be established that aggression on the roads is a widespread problem, it would become important 1369-8478/98/$19.00 # 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. PII: S1369-8478(98)00002-3 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH PART F Transportation Research Part F 1 (1998) 11±24 * Corresponding author. Fax: +44-161-275-2588; e-mail: parker@fs4.psy.man.ac.uk