Driving-induced Stress in Urban College Students

Author: Rasmussen, C / Knapp, T.J. / Garner, L.
Publication: Perceptual and Motor Skills
Topics: Age Group Gun Carrying Self-defense Gun Use/Deterrence Social Science
Keywords: Driving-induced stress guns urban college students
Bibliographic information +

Four hundred seven (407) urban college student commuters enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas were surveyed about their experiences with stress induced by driving. 23.6% of participants reported being angry at another driver more than once a day, with slow drivers, a child not restrained, and a vehicle following too closely being the highest rated annoying situations. 21.6% of respondents had reported another driver to the police and nearly 22% reported carrying a weapon for protection from other drivers, with 5.4% saying they carried a gun. Men were more than twice as likely as women to carry a weapon and three times more likely to carry a gun, 19.1% of respondents feared being shot by another driver and 75.8% were of the opinion that drivers were more aggressive and dangerous than they were five years before. According to the authors, the findings suggest the need for additional assessment of commuting as a source of stress in the lives of urban college students and for the evaluation of potential dysfunctional consequences of perceived driving stress such as carrying a weapon.