The effect of anger on pedestrian avoidance in a simulated driving task.

Studies of the influence of emotions on driving behaviour have produced contradictory conclusions. This confusion is related to two factors: emotional arousal and driving tasks. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of anger and happiness on the driving behaviour of drivers who encounter a pedestrian-crossing event on an unmarked road, which requires strategic and behavioural choices. Thirty-nine drivers completed a simulated driving task to avoid pedestrians under the influence of state emotion. The results showed that anger increased the average driving speed, the minimum speed when encountering a pedestrian, the probability of passing in front of a pedestrian, and the lateral distance to the pedestrian from the right. However, there was no difference between the impacts of happy and neutral moods on driving behaviour. These results suggest that general risky driving behaviour (e.g., speeding) is mainly affected by anger state. Meanwhile avoidance behaviour patterns in pedestrian-crossing tasks, as a driving behaviour related to prosocial attitudes, are also affected by emotional valence. Recommendations and implications for further research on driving anger are discussed.