Gill-line is a Kansas City printing company founded by Forest P. Gill, often referred to as the “king of the bumper sticker.” In 1984, when Gill-line celebrated its 50th anniversary, it had produced over one billion bumper stickers. Today, going strong and just shy of its 75th anniversary, Gill-line’s much-expanded product list is still topped by bumper stickers and decals.
Bumper stickers are, Gill-line says, "the ultimate means of American expression… have a wide following and are used to promote causes, products, occupations, schools and people. They proclaim opinions on everything from animal rights to (personal relations)...and they've been known to get people elected and produce millions of dollars worth of sales!” And now, recently published studies from the Department of Psychology at Colorado State University (CSU) suggest that they may have discovered another use for them, namely as predictors of driver aggression and road rage.
Aggressive drivers overreact to other drivers’ minor mistakes or even momentary obstructionist behaviours. Aggressive drivers’ impatience and anger often prompts observers to say that they ‘act like they own the road.’ If, indeed, they did own the road, their reaction wouldn’t seem quite so extreme and we wouldn’t be scrambling to explain it. After all, we accept that perceived threats to personal or ‘primary’ territory like our own home and property deserve a vigorous response. The baffling question is what prompts aggressive drivers to confuse what is obviously public space that they don’t own—the road—with private space that they do.
The CSU study found a correlation between aggressive driving and personalizing vehicles with various kinds of markers including decorative seat covers, vanity plates, window decals, bumper stickers and other adornments. The findings, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, involved more than 500 drivers. Aggression included honking, tailgating, blocking traffic or trying to run another driver off the road. Drivers with at least one marker in or on their car were 15 per cent more likely to retaliate when they felt their territory had been threatened, reports study co-author William Szlemko.
"Territoriality is hard-wired into our ancestors" said Paul Bell, another co-author of the study, "(people) are territorial because it had survival value." Drivers, who individualize their cars, see them as deeply personal space and forget when they are on the road that they are in public territory because the immediate cues surrounding them tell them that they are in a deeply private space or primary territory. The actual content of the bumper sticker is irrelevant. It’s not what you are saying but the fact that a person is saying anything at all that matters.
Responses to this study agree that bumper stickers may be predictive of road rage but propose a different rationale: that bumper stickers are markers of narcissistic car owners who want to be seen and recognized for their uniqueness and superiority. Any challenges to these feelings may fill the narcissist with humiliation, and rage. The desire to retaliate supersedes reasonable considerations for physical safety and is never the narcissist’s fault.
Well, how about a bumper sticker that says: “Have a Nice Day”?
Cedric Hughes of Hughes and Company Law Corporation, with contributions from Leslie McGuffin, LL.B., writes a weekly column on traffic advice for The VOICE. "The Road Rules" strives to provide helpful information about driving in British Columbia. We welcome your comments on our published articles and your suggestions for topics you would like us to address. Please email: eginter@hughesco.com. Phone: (604) 602-1818. Punjabi and Hindi: (604) 897-0207.
Email: cedric_hughes@hughesco.com
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