Driving Anger and Driving Anger Expression of Chinese and Japanese Drivers

Although car safety has increased progressively, and the safety of road environments has been improved, the numbers of traffic accidents in Japan and especially in China still remain alarmingly high. Despite traffic, psychological research has shown that emotions leading to maladjusted driving behaviour are the main contributors to traffic accidents. It is currently far from clear to what extent emotions are influencing driving behaviour in Asian countries like China and Japan. In many countries driving anger was found to correlate significantly with risky and aggressive driving behaviour leading to a higher probability of getting involved in traffic accidents. So far, studies on this critical issue are lacking in most Asian countries. The current study aims to bridge this gap. We examined the reliability and validity of a Chinese and Japanese version of the Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and of the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX). Preliminary results point to the tendency that Japanese drivers experience less driving anger compared to drivers in the US. Moreover, cross‐cultural differences in the expression of driving anger between Chinese, Japanese and drivers from western countries are evident. Implications for further research and traffic safety will be outlined.