UROP: Road Rage And Road Safety
Chan X.J1
Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore
ABSTRACT
As the number of cars increase in Singapore, so will the number of traffic-related
problems. A particular problem that will no doubt increase in severity with the increase in
number of cars on the roads is road rage. Generally road rage refers to a range of antisocial behaviors and/or acts of aggression, which occur on the road. These undesirable
behaviors range form minor irritations such as gestures and use of the car horn to more
serious violent acts such as assault or murder.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper is to determine if road rage is becoming a trend in Singapore.
This is done by analyzing, among other issues, drivers’ attitude on the road and
perceptions towards behaviors of other drivers and traffic laws.
METHODOLOGY
A survey (Appendix A) was designed and conducted to obtain the views of the general
public towards various issues related to unruly behavior on the road. The survey was
carried out in 2 separate locations, Orchard Road and City Hall MRT, on different
occasions, each lasting about 4 hours. The survey was carried out by 2 persons.
1
Student
FINDINGS
0.6
0.5
Percentage
0.4
Drivers enraged by behavior
0.3
Drivers that exhibit behavior
0.2
0.1
0
Tailgating
Reckless
overtaking
Aggressive
honking
Stealing parking High beaming
spaces
Road hogging
Rude gesturing
Figure 1: Comparison between the number of drivers enraged by certain behaviors and of
drivers who exhibit them
A road rage incident is often sparked off when a driver perceives the action of
another driver as wrong, offensive and unjustifiable. However to the second driver, he
might think that his behavior is normal, natural and inoffensive. Hence it should be
studied which kinds of behavior are considered acceptable from the first 2 questions.
Behaviors that enrage more drivers than they are practiced by drivers would be
considered unacceptable and hostile and vice versa (Figure 1). It is clear that tailgating is
not acknowledged as hostile, since 52% admitted to doing it while only 32% feel enraged
by it. Stealing of parking spaces is evidently the most offensive behavior as 50% are
enraged by it and only 16% admitted to have done it before. Hence most drivers clearly
think it as unethical and do not practise it. Unwarranted high-beaming is also considered
unacceptable from the results. The same goes for road hogging. All the above-mentioned
behaviors should considered aggressive as they have resulted in violence in the past
according to a study by the American Automobile Association1.
Moreover, 64% of respondents admitted that they would react against driving
behaviors that are perceived to be aggressive and offensive. They react by displaying the
very behaviors stated above which they themselves find offensive. This statistic indicates
that although drivers are aware of on-road behaviors that are unacceptable and offensive,
but when enraged by them a majority of drivers tend to react by exhibiting these
behaviors. Only 36% of respondents claimed to be non-retaliatory in that situation.
Road rage incidents also happen when drivers are in negative emotional states. On
the road, getting caught in a traffic jam is inevitable, and so are its effects on drivers. It
must then be analyzed if the effects on drivers’ emotions are intense enough to cause road
rage incidents. The responses show that 100% of drivers are affected in a negative way
when caught in a traffic jam. This could signify that with the increment of the number of
cars on the road, traffic jams are bound to increase and with that more drivers would be
put into a negative emotional state, leading to a higher incidence rate of road rage.
The occurrences of road rage may also be attributed to the lack of law
enforcement, where drivers commit violent offences on the road because they do not fear
being arrested. Also, the lack of fear of heavy repercussions by the hand of the law due to
overly lenient penalties and sentences for road rage could increase road rage incidents.
However this does not seem to be the case for Singapore as 96% of respondents claim
that traffic law penalties are way to harsh. Similarly, 72% think that the enforcement of
traffic law is also overly strict and harsh. Going by these statistics, we can conclude that
either road rage is not an increasing trend or that the enforcement and penalties of traffic
law is not a contributing factor to road rage incidents. This is unexpected, as increased
enforcement should reduce the incidences of road rage2.
If general perceptions of the driver on the street can be used as an indicator, a
majority of respondents feel that drivers are getting more impatient on the road (Figure
2). Again, impatience is a key attribute that may cause road rage incidents. This opinion
is expected, as there are more cars on the road, leading to more congestion. Hence, the
driving experience may be increasingly challenging and rough as a result, leading to
impatience. Also, this statistic is reflected in a survey done by the American Automobile
Association3, in which 62% of respondents believed drivers’ behaviors have changed for
the worst in recent years.
16%
yes
no
24%
60%
not sure
Figure 2: Are drivers getting more impatient?
Road rage incidents usually cause traffic hold-ups and consequently, they are hazards to
road users. Accidents and other mishaps could happen when there is a disturbance in the
traffic flow on the road. This fact is supported by 76% of the respondents (Figure 3).
12%
12%
yes
no
not sure
76%
Figure 3: Road rage incidents are hazards to road users
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, most drivers that were interviewed were aware of the concept of road rage
and many respondents have, on occasion, displayed aggressive driving behavior. Most
respondents were also aware of the possible causes and the solutions to reduce road rage.
REFERENCES
1.
Rathbone, D. B. and Huckabee, J. C., “Controlling Road Rage: A Literature
Review and Pilot Study”,
http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=roadrage
2.
Mizell, L., “Aggressive Driving,”
http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=agdrtext
3.
Joint, M., “Road Rage,”
http://www.aaafoundation.org/resources/index.cfm?button=agdrtext