The moderating role of social desirability in the relationship between aggressive thoughts and aggressive driving behavior

Aggressive driving is a significant contributor to traffic crashes worldwide. While previous studies have linked aggressive thoughts to aggressive driving behaviors, the role of social desirability in this relationship remains underexplored. This study investigates whether social desirability moderates the connection between aggressive thoughts while driving and aggressive driving behaviors. A total of 613 professional bus drivers completed self-report measures assessing aggressive thoughts, aggressive driving behaviors, and social desirability. Partial correlation analyses revealed that, after controlling for social desirability, the relationship between certain aggressive thoughts and driving behaviors became statistically non-significant. Moderation analyses showed that social desirability significantly attenuated the strength of the relationship between aggressive thoughts and physical aggression in driving, with the predictive effect reduced by up to 38.4% at high levels of social desirability. Similarly, the association between aggressive thoughts and overall aggressive driving behavior was reduced by up to 32.3% under high social desirability. These findings emphasize the importance of accounting for social desirability bias in self-reported studies of cognitive and behavioral aspects of driving aggression. The results suggest that addressing cognitive factors, particularly adaptive and retaliatory thoughts, could offer effective strategies for mitigating aggressive driving. Interventions focused on altering aggressive thought patterns, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or driver training programs, may help reduce aggressive driving and promote safer driving behaviors.