Controlling road rage : a literature review and pilot study

Rathbone, Daniel B.; Huckabee, Jorg C. · 1999 · ROSA P / AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

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Summary

This 1999 report by Rathbone and Huckabee, prepared for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, addresses the growing public concern regarding aggressive driving and road rage. The authors distinguish between "aggressive driving" (traffic offenses like speeding or tailgating) and "road rage" (criminal acts involving intentional injury or threat of violence). The study aims to identify effective interventions and characterize the conditions under which road rage incidents occur through a literature review and pilot surveys. The methodology comprised a literature search and three faxed surveys sent to law enforcement and transportation organizations in the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The national survey identified jurisdictions with implemented programs, yielding a 28% response rate. A detailed follow-up survey targeted those with active programs, resulting in a 43% response rate. A third supplemental survey gathered data on the specific characteristics of 80 road rage incidents. The literature review examined legislation, implemented programs, and intervention methods such as education, enforcement, and technology. The findings indicate that while 17 states introduced legislation in 1998, only Arizona and Virginia enacted specific statutes, largely due to definitional ambiguities and enforcement concerns. The surveys identified three highly rated intervention programs: the New York City Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, and the West Valley City Police Department, with the New Jersey program cited as a potential model. Common interventions include enhanced enforcement (using unmarked vehicles and aircraft) combined with public information campaigns. Regarding incident characteristics, road rage was found to occur more frequently during Friday afternoon peak travel times, in urban areas, under moderate congestion, and in fair weather. Alcohol or drugs were associated with 25% of incidents. The study also noted that cooperative interagency programs and intelligent transportation systems, such as intersection cameras, show promise for deterring aggressive behavior. The report concludes that enforcement efforts are most effective when accompanied by public education campaigns. It highlights the utility of cooperative programs for resource distribution and the potential of automated enforcement technologies. The authors recommend that organizations implement multi-faceted strategies combining education, enforcement, and clear legislative definitions to curb road rage, while noting the need for further rigorous evaluation of existing programs.

Key finding

Distinguishing criminal road rage from non-criminal aggressive driving, the study identified New Jersey State Police's evaluated intervention as the strongest model among surveyed jurisdictions; enforcement plus public education and cooperative interagency programs were the most promising countermeasure themes.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 139

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• anger road rage
• aggressive driving
• public messaging

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation, policy recommendations
• Empirical Findings: observational prevalence