Driving on South African roads – be it on country roads, in towns, or being stuck in urban traffic – can be an exercise in frustration and anger which demands some serious self-control on the part of the driver.
An ongoing study on the social psychology of road safety conducted jointly by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and tyre manufacturer Goodyear has identified seven different driver personality types.
The Teacher
The Teacher needs to make sure other drivers know what they have done wrong and expects recognition of his/her efforts to teach others.
The Know-it-all
The Know-it-all: thinks he/she is surrounded by incompetent fools and contents themselves with shouting condescendingly at other drivers while being protected in their own car.
The Competitor
The Competitor needs to get ahead of all other drivers and is annoyed when someone gets in the way of that. He/she might accelerate when someone tries to overtake them or close a gap to prevent anyone from getting in front of them.
The Punisher
The Punisher wants to punish other drivers for any perceived misbehaviour. He or she might get out of their car or approach other drivers directly.
The Philosopher
The Philosopher accepts misbehavior easily and tries to rationally explain it. This person manages to control his or her feelings in the car.
The Avoider
The Avoider treats other drivers misbehaving impersonally and dismisses them as a hazard.
The Escapee
The Escapee listens to music or talks on the phone to insulate him/herself. Escapees distract themselves with selected social relationships so that they do not have to relate to any of the other drivers on the road. It’s also a strategy for not getting frustrated in the first place.
