Car status as an inhibitor of passing responses to a low-speed frustrator

Studies have shown that the high status of a car used as a frustrator acts as an inhibitor of drivers' horn-honking responses at traffic lights. In this field study, we extended the role played by car status through examining its effect on another driver behavior. A confederate driving either a high-status or a low-status car was instructed to drive at a speed below the speed limit. What was measured was the frequency of responses to the frustrator that resulted in passing the slow-moving vehicle. It was found that more passing behaviors occurred in the low-status condition, and that the difference between the low and the high status increased as soon as the confederate's speed decreased.