Driver’s Angry Thoughts Questionnaire Directions: Below are a number of thoughts people have when they are angry or hostile when driving. Take a few… [620059]

Driver’s Angry Thoughts Questionnaire

Directions: Below are a number of thoughts people have when they are angry or hostile when driving. Take a few
seconds to think about whether that though t (or one similar to it) occurs to you when you are angry at another driver
or about something when you are driving . Read each statement and then fill in the bubble indicating how much you
think this thought (or one similar to it) when you are angry while driving. Please answer all questions:

Not
At All
SometimesModerately
Often
OftenAll the
Time

1. What an idiot! O O O O O
2. They don’t seem to think they can
hurt others doing that. O O O O O
3. I’m going to get back at them. O O O O O
4. I’m not going to let them do that to me. O O O O O
5. Just what we need, someone who thinks they are
more important than others. O O O O O

6. I want to yell at them. O O O O O
7. I want to kick their ass. O O O O O
8. I’m going to get revenge. O O O O O
9. I’m going to give them the finger. O O O O O
10. I want to curse at them. O O O O O

11. I hate drivers like that. O O O O O
12. Get off my ass! O O O O O
13. I’m going to box them in and show them. O O O O O
14. I’m going to slow them up on purpose. O O O O O
15. I feel like telling them off. O O O O O

16. I’m going to get even with them. O O O O O
17. They are going to get someone killed. O O O O O
18. People like you ought to have to take a driver’s
test. O O O O O
19. You didn’t even look! O O O O O
20. I’m going to slam on my brakes and
back them off. O O O O O

21. They shouldn’t be allowed to drive. O O O O O
22. They ought to be shot. O O O O O
23. I’m going to slow down to spite them. O O O O O
24. How rude! O O O O O
25. Cope with it, sometimes you just have
to live with bad drivers. O O O O O

26. What a stupid driver! O O O O O
27. Where do they get off doing this? O O O O O
28. I would like to hurt them. O O O O O
29. Why don’t they have to drive like the
rest of us? O O O O O
30. They are not going to get away with that. O O O O O

31. Where are the cops when you need them? O O O O O
32. Damn it! O O O O O
33. I’m going to tailgate them. O O O O O
34. I can’t believe they’re so inconsiderate. O O O O O
35. What an ass! O O O O O

36. They are going to kill someone doing
that. O O O O O
37. Who do they think they are? O O O O O
38. What a dumb ass! O O O O O

Not
At All
SometimesModerately
Often
OftenAll the
Time

39. I want to beat them up. O O O O O
40. I want to run them off the road. O O O O O

41. I want to kill them. O O O O O
42. What a jerk! O O O O O
43. That’s unsafe. O O O O O
44. How did that person get a license? O O O O O
45. They think they are the only people
on the road. O O O O O

46. Who in their right mind would drive
like that? O O O O O
47. They think they are above the rules. O O O O O
48. Just back off and relax. O O O O O
49. This is crazy. O O O O O
50. Nothing I can do about it so take it easy. O O O O O

51. I’ll just have to call and tell them I’ll
be late. O O O O O
52. Get people like them off the road. O O O O O
53. Don’t even make eye contact with
people like that. O O O O O
54. I’m so angry. O O O O O
55. Just calm down. O O O O O

56. Just turn up the radio and tune them out. O O O O O
57. I want to punch them out. O O O O O
58. I’ll cut them off and see how they like it. O O O O O
59. I would like to beat the hell out of them. O O O O O
60. They are clueless. O O O O O

61. I’m going to return the favor. O O O O O
62. I am so pissed. O O O O O
63. I’m going to teach them a lesson. O O O O O
64. Chill out. O O O O O
65. Just pay attention to my driving,
others can be crazy if they want. O O O O O

Five scales involved in Driver’s Angry Thoughts Questionnaire (DATQ):
(1) 21-item Judgmental and Disbelieving Thinking (α = .94)—Items 2, 5, 17, 18, 19, 21 , 24, 27, 29, 31, 34, 36, 37, 43, 44,
45, 46, 47, 49, 52, and 60.

(2) 13-item Pejorative Labeling and Verbally Aggressive Thinking (α = .92)—Items 1, 6, 10, 11, 12, 15, 26, 32, 35, 38, 42,
54, and 62.

(3) 14-item Revenge and Retaliatory Thinking (α = .93)—Items 3, 4, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 30, 33, 58, 61, and 63.

(4) 8-item Physically Aggressive Thinking (α = .93)—Items 7, 22, 28, 39, 40, 41, 57, and 59.

(5) 9-item Coping Self-Instruction (α = .83)—Items 25, 48, 50, 51, 53, 55, 56, 64, and 65.

Citation:

Deffenbacher, J. L., Petrilli, R. T., Lynch, R. S., Oetting, E. R., & Swaim, R. C. (2003). The Driver’s Angry Thoughts
Questionnaire: A measure of angry cognitions when driving. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 383-402.