Road Rage: Does Caffeine Fuel Your Tank?

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of this research study is to correlate caffeine use to self-reported aggressive driving habits typical of road rage behavior. Methods/Materials One hundred and twenty male and female subjects ranging in age from 16 to 79 years were surveyed utilizing a two-paged survey. Side one contained 14 statements about driving habits. Subjects were asked to respond to each statement utilizing a scale ranging from #Never# to #Always.# Side two of the survey contained seven demographics about the participant#s personal background along with five questions that asked the participant to quantify his/her caffeine consumption. One hundred fourteen surveys were completed and the results were analyzed. Data was then placed into graphs. Results Results of the survey reveal that caffeine intake greater than one serving per day increases the aggressive driving behaviors of subjects. Male drivers showed the highest aggressive driving behaviors overall. Male drivers who consumed greater than one serving of caffeine per day showed the greatest aggressive driving scores (27.55) as compared to females who consumed the same amounts of caffeine (22.17). The aggressive driving behaviors of females were not significantly different between those who consumed low levels of caffeine (22.10) and those who consumed large amounts of caffeine (23.00). However, male subjects who consumed high levels of caffeine use showed the most significant differences in aggressive driving behaviors (27.55) as compared to male subjects who consumed low levels of caffeine (22.17). Conclusions/Discussion The hypothesis of this study proved to be correct. Caffeine use did contribute to a subject#s self-reported aggressive driving behaviors typical of road rage. This was most evident in the male population surveyed.

Competition history

• CSEF 2004 Behavioral Sciences · Entry J0301

Resources

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