The Path to Driving Aggression and Crash Risk: The Role of Metacognition and Anger Rumination in Anger Expression Among Chinese Drivers

Driving anger and aggressive anger expression are prevalent in China, leading to road crashes. While potential associations between metacognitive beliefs about worry and control, anger rumination, and anger expression have been reported, limited research focuses on these relationships within the context of driving anger. This study aims to examine the associations between metacognition, anger rumination, driving-related anger (trait driving anger and aggressive anger expression) and crash risk (traffic penalty points and crash involvement), along with testing the psychometric properties of the Measure for Angry Drivers (MAD) among Chinese drivers. Participants ( ) completed the MAD, the short form of the Metacognition Questionnaire (MCQ-30), the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS), the short version of the Driving Anger Expression Inventory (DAX), and several questions related to their demographic background, traffic violations and crash involvements. A three-factor structure comprising 23 items of MAD was confirmed (Danger posed by others, Travel delays and Aggression from others), demonstrating good reliability, convergent validity, and criterion validity. Additionally, drivers who were involved in crashes in the past 3 years reported higher total MAD scores. The structural model revealed that trait driving anger influenced anger rumination both directly and indirectly through increased maladaptive metacognitive beliefs. Also, trait driving anger and anger rumination jointly contributed to aggressive anger expression, which in turn significantly predicted crash risk. The current findings demonstrate that the Chinese version of MAD is appropriate for assessing trait driving anger and the necessity of regulating anger rumination and aggressive expressions by modifying maladaptive metacognitive beliefs.