Gun Racks, Pick-Up Trucks and Aggression on the Road

The recent supreme court ruling, which affirmed the right to bear arms and that interpreted the second amendment in a very pro-NRA kind of way, reminded me of one of my favorite old studies. In this 1975 study by Turner and his colleagues, they manipulated the situation so that a pick-up truck at a stop light was slow to start moving after the light turned green.  They measured aggression by how quickly and how intensely the driver behind the truck started honking.  Turner and his colleagues varied two things about the pick-up truck: a gun rack with or without a gun, and two different bumper stickers. One said "friend" and the other said "vengeance."  It is an interesting study because many people -- including me -- predict in advance that the gun and vengeance stickers would lead to do less honking, as the impatient driver waiting behind the truck might fear getting shot by the aggressive and armed person.  In fact, Turner and his colleagues found the opposite pattern. The drivers stuck behind the truck were more likely to honk when the driver had a gun, and even more likely to honk when he had both a gun and a vengeance bumper sticker!  One explanation is that aggression breeds aggression.

P.S. There are a lot of studies on horn honking -- people honk more when it is hot out, men honk more than women, both men and women honk more at women, and people in low status cars get honked at more than people in high status cars.

P.P.S. Here is the reference: TURNER, C. W., J. J. LAYTON, and L. S. SIMONS (1975) "Naturalistic studies of aggressive behavior: aggressive stimuli, victim visibility and horn honking." J. of Personality and Social Psychology 31 (June): 1098-1107.

Comments

[Log Truck]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. There's a lot of people driving around dangerously. Guys in trucks and especially the log truck drivers of my circle.

[Truck Bed Covers]

Interesting blog about pickup trucks and aggression on the road. I have found that most aggressive drivers drive SUVs, not pickup trucks.

Drivers of SUVs are more likely to tailgate than drivers of pickup trucks, which is a sign of aggression.

[Pickup Trucks]

Many people have a need for a big vehicle. Millions of Americans have boats or horses that need to be trailered. There are thousands of recreational trailers needing a tow. A big pick-up is ideal but many neighborhoods do not allow them to be parked outside. In that case a big suv is a good answer. There will a;ways be a market for these vehicles. My tools will not fit in a small car’s trunk.

Rose.

[Bob Sutton]

Wally,

I appreciate your point and should have made more clear that the effect of the gun alone was significant, but much amplified by the presence of the vengeance bumper sticker.

[Wally Bock]

There are a couple of things that sound strange to me abo0ut this. One is the idea that a reasonable interpretation is that "aggression breeds aggression." The person in the pickup isn't exhibiting aggression. He or she is slow off the light.

And the idea that a pickup truck with a gun rack automatically indicates aggression strikes me as the kind of thinking that people who live in cities on the coasts think up. In large parts of the country, pickups and rifles or shotguns are part of the normal gear that people have.

[Jonathan Fields]

Bob,

That's pretty fascinating, would've thought the exact opposite. I'd love to see a study that actually took it one step further and measured the response to different types of guns in the gun rack. For example, would a shotgun garner a different response that something that appeared to be some kind of semi-automatic weapon or a double rack with a gun and a baseball bat.

Thanks for the cite, too, will explore further