THE DRIVING ANGER SCALE: A VALIDITY STUDY IN MEXICO

Abstract

This study validated in a Mexican sample (n = 987) a widely used measure of the anger that emerges while operating a motor vehicle, the Driving Anger Scale (DAS). As a result, the confirmatory factor analysis showed the original six factor structure of the DAS (33 items) did not fit the data. Exploratory factor analyses yielded five valid factors (16 items) to assess anger intensity when the driver is exposed to these situations: (a) hostile gestures of other drivers (3 items, α = .82); (b) police presence (3 items, α = .73); (c) illegal driving (4 items, α = .72); (d) traffic obstructions (3 items, α = .61); and (e) discourtesy (3 items, α = .65). Internal consistency for the 16-item total DAS was acceptable (α = .85). The test-retest correlation for the 16-item total DAS was .72 for nine weeks.