Citation

Roseborough JEW, Wiesenthal DL. Transp. Res. F Traffic Psychol. Behav. 2018; 56: 236-244.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.trf.2018.03.030

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Perceived justice occurs when good behaviour leads to a positive outcome, and when bad behaviour leads to a negative outcome. Punishment for offending motorists is a negative outcome resulting from a collision or police enforcement. Punishment of traffic law/norm violators may reduce recidivism and drivers who observe the punishment may be less likely to perform similar infractions. Punishment may also influence the emotions of witnesses and victimised drivers. This study examined the effect of various punishments on witnesses' feelings of anger and happiness on roadways. 142 individuals were randomly assigned to one of five punishment conditions (i.e., police enforcement; collision with roadside object; collision with other vehicle; collision with roadside object and police enforcement; collision with other vehicle and police enforcement). Participants viewed four animated videos depicting unjust driving behaviours and were told that the violator in each scenario experienced one of the five forms of punishment. Participants indicated how angry and happy the each scenario made them, before and after learning of the punishment. Analyses indicated that perceived punishment by police reduced feelings of anger and increased feelings of happiness compared to the other four forms of punishment. In addition to increasing roadway safety, the current study demonstrated the importance of enforcement's positive impact on the emotional states of witnesses of unjust driving behaviour.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggression; Anger; Driving; Happiness; Injustice; Justice