Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2006 Mar 1;97(2):96–99. doi: 10.1007/BF03405323

Assessing Road Rage Victimization and Perpetration in the Ontario Adult Population

The Impact of Illicit Drug Use and Psychiatric Distress

Jennifer E Butters 14,✉, Robert E Mann 24, Reginald G Smart 24
PMCID: PMC6975783  PMID: 16619993

Abstract

Background

To investigate the association among illicit drug use, psychiatric distress and road rage victimization and offending. Particular attention is given to the most serious forms of road rage behaviour.

Methods

The data are based on the 2002 CAMH Monitor and include a sample of 2,421 Ontario adults aged 18 and older. Logistic regression analyses were conducted with illicit drug use and psychiatric distress (GHQ) and demographic factors as independent variables.

Results

Past-year road rage victimization was reported by 42% of the sample and 31% reported any type of road rage offending. Approximately 5% were classified as respondents with serious road rage involvement. The logistic regression analyses revealed significant relationships between illicit drug use and road rage outcomes. Cannabis use was significantly associated with general road rage victimization and offending, while stimulant use substantially increased the likelihood of victimization and membership in the serious road rage classification. Psychiatric distress significantly increased the odds of both road rage victimization and serious road rage involvement.

Conclusion

These data reveal different indicators of road rage offending, victimization and serious involvement. Further work is needed to clarify the mechanisms associated with the relationship among stimulant use, psychiatric distress and serious road rage involvement.

MeSH terms: Automobile driving, marijuana and stimulant use, stress, psychological

Footnotes

Grant Support and Disclaimer: This research was supported by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), as well as a grant from AUTO21, a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) programme that is administered and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in partnership with Industry Canada. Project B04-BBB.

The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Centre for Urban Health Initiatives or the University of Toronto.

References

  • 1.Cohen M, Ansara D. Sexual assault and intimate partner violence. In: Stewart D, Cheung A, Ferris L, Hyman I, Cohen M, Williams J, editors. Ontario Women’s Health Status Report. Toronto, ON: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care; 2002. pp. 96–112. [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Gartner R. Homicide in Canada. In: Ross J, editor. Violence in Canada: Sociopolitical Perspectives. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press; 1995. pp. 186–222. [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Pernanen K. Alcohol and crimes of violence. In: Kissin B, Begleiter H, editors. The Biology of Alcoholism: Vol. 4 Social Aspects of Alcoholism. New York, NY: Plenum Press; 1976. [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Pernanen K. Theoretical aspects of the relationship between alcohol use and crime. In: Collins J, editor. Drinking and Crime. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1981. [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Pernanen K. Alcohol in Human Violence. New York, NY: Guilford Press; 1991. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Pernanen K, Cousinear MM, Brochu S, Sun F. Proportions of crimes associated with alcohol and other drugs in Canada. Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. 2002. [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Smart R, Mann R, Tyson L. Drug and violence among Ontario students. J Psychol Drugs. 1997;29(4):369–73. doi: 10.1080/02791072.1997.10400564. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.James L, Nahl H. Road Rage and Aggressive Driving. Amherest, NY: Prometheus Books; 2002. [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Smart R, Mann R. Is road rage a serious traffic problem? J Traffic Medicine. 2002;3:183–89. [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Smart R, Mann R. Deaths and injuries from road rage: Cases in Canadian newspapers. CMAJ. 2002;167:761–62. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Asbridge M, Smart R, Mann R. The homogamy of ‘road rage’: Examining the relationship between victimization and offending among violent and aggressive motorists. Violence and Victims. 2003;18(5):517–31. doi: 10.1891/vivi.2003.18.5.517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Butters J, Smart R, Mann R, Asbridge M. Illicit drug use, alcohol use and problem drinking among infrequent and frequent road ragers. Drugs and Alcohol Dependence In press. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 13.Joint M. Road Rage. Washington, DC: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; 1995. [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Smart R, Asbridge M, Mann R, Adlaf E. Psychiatric distress among road rage victims and perpetrators. Can J Psychiatry. 2003;48:323–30. doi: 10.1177/070674370304801007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 15.Mann R, Smart R, Stoduto G, Adlaf E, Ialomiteanu A. Alcohol consumption and problems among road rage victims and perpetrators. J Studies Alcohol. 2004;65:161–68. doi: 10.15288/jsa.2004.65.161. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 16.Fong G, Frost D, Stansfeld S. Road rage: A psychiatric phenomenon? Soc Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2002;36:277–86. doi: 10.1007/s001270170045. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 17.Adlaf E, Ialomiteanu A. CAMH Monitor 2001: Technical Guide. Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; 2002. [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Goldberg D. The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire. London, UK: Oxford University Press; 1972. [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Goldberg D. Manual of the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor, UK: NFER Publishing Company; 1978. [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Banks M. Validation of the General Health Questionnaire in a young community sample. Psychol Med. 1983;13:349–53. doi: 10.1017/S0033291700050972. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 21.D’Arcy C, Siddique C. Psychological distress among Canadian adolescents. Psychol Med. 1984;14:615–28. doi: 10.1017/S0033291700015221. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Donath S. The validity of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire in Australia: A comparision between three scoring methods. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2001;35:231–35. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00869.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Goldberg D, Hiller V. A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychol Med. 1979;9:139–45. doi: 10.1017/S0033291700021644. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Hardy G, Shapiro D, Haynes C, Rick J. Validation of the General Health Questionnaire-12; using a sample of employees from England’s health care services. Psychol Assess. 1999;11:159–65. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.11.2.159. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Pevalin D. Multiple applications of the GHQ-12 in a general population sample: An investigation of long-term retest effects. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2001;35:508–12. doi: 10.1007/s001270050272. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Reijneveld S, Schene A. Higher prevalence of mental disorders in socio-economically deprived urban areas in the Netherlands: Community or personal disadvantage? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998;52:2–7. doi: 10.1136/jech.52.1.2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Wells-Parker E, Ceminsky J, Hallberg V, Snow R, Dunaway G, Guiling S, et al. An exploratory study of the relationship between road rage and crash experience in a representative sample of US drivers. Accid Anal Prev. 2000;34:271–78. doi: 10.1016/S0001-4575(01)00021-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Goldstein P. Drugs and violence crime. In: Weiner N, Wolfgang M, editors. Pathways to Criminal Violence. London, UK: Sage; 1990. pp. 16–48. [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Haynes P. Drug using offenders in South London: Trend and outcomes. J Substance Abuse Treatment. 1998;15:449–56. doi: 10.1016/S0740-5472(97)00307-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Inciardi J, Horowitz R, Pottiger A. Street Kids, Street Drugs, Street Crime: An Examination of Drug Use and Serious Delinquency in Miami. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company; 1993. [Google Scholar]
  • 31.Mann R, Anglin L, Wilkins K, Vingilis E, Macdonald S. Mortality in a sample of convicted drinking drivers. Addiction. 1993;88:643–47. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb02076.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Pernanen K. The uses of ‘disinhibition’ in the explanation of alcohol-related behaviour. Contemporary Drug Problems. 1997;24:703–29. doi: 10.1177/009145099702400404. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.Wells S, Graham K, West P. Alcohol related aggression in the general population. J Stud Alcohol. 2000;61:626–32. doi: 10.15288/jsa.2000.61.626. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 34.Zhang L, Welte J, Wieczorek W. Youth gangs, drug use, and delinquency. J Criminal Justice. 1999;27:101–9. doi: 10.1016/S0047-2352(98)00032-4. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  • 35.Blanchard E, Hickling E, Taylor A, Loos W, Gerardi R. Psychological morbidity associated with motor vehicle accidents. Behav Res Ther. 1994;32:283–90. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)90123-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 36.Udwin O. Children’s reaction to traumatic events. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 1993;34:115–27. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb00974.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 37.Breslau N. Epidemiological studies of trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric disorders. Can J Psychiatry. 2002;47:923–29. doi: 10.1177/070674370204701003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 38.Garmezy N, Rutter M. Acute reactions to stress. In: Rutter M, Hersov L, editors. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Modern Approaches. Oxford, UK: Blackwell; 1985. pp. 152–67. [Google Scholar]
  • 39.Coccaro E. Intermittent explosive disorder. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2000;2:67–71. doi: 10.1007/s11920-000-0045-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 40.Galovski T, Blanchard E. The effectiveness of a brief psychological intervention on court referred and self-referred aggressive drivers. Behav Res Ther. 2002;40:1385–402. doi: 10.1016/S0005-7967(01)00100-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 41.Harrison L, Hughes A. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph. 1997. The validity of self-report drug use and improving the accuracy of survey estimates; p. 167. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 42.Wagenaar A, Kmrok K, McGovern P, Williams T, Perry C. Effects of saliva test pipeline procedure on adolescent self-report alcohol use. Addict. 1993;88:199–208. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb00803.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 42.Wagenaar A, Kmrok K, McGovern P, Williams T, Perry C. Effects of saliva test pipeline procedure on adolescent self-report alcohol use. Addict. 1993;88:199–208. doi: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1993.tb00803.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES