The Validity of Narcissism and Driving Anger in Predicting Aggressive Driving in a Sample of Young Drivers

The present study examined narcissism and driving anger as explanations of aggressive driving behavior in young adults. Using a sample of 362 young adult drivers, we found that narcissism and driving anger were significant predictors of aggressive driving. Although driving anger was a stronger predictor of aggressive driving, narcissism was uniquely related to aggressive driving above and beyond driving anger. In addition, aggressive driving was a significant predictor of crashes and moving violations. A simultaneous test of all relationships demonstrated that aggressive driving mediated the relationships between narcissism and driving anger and our outcomes of crashes and moving violations. Consistent with the theory of threatened egotism, our results suggests that younger drivers with high but unstable self-esteem reported reacting more aggressively when provoked while driving, which in turn led to negative driving performance outcomes.