Beware Cars with Bumper Stickers?

This is interesting. A social psychologist William Szlemko at Colorado State University has been studying cars with what he calls "territorial markers" - things like bumper stickers, personalized license plates, and the like.

And he has found that they "not only get mad when someone cuts in their lane or is slow to respond to a changed traffic light, but are far more likely than those who do not personalize their cars to use their vehicles to express rage -- by honking, tailgating and other aggressive behavior."

In other words, people with "territorial markers" are more likely to show road rage than those without such signs. While people WITHOUT such things still get mad at the other jerks on the road, but are less likely to show it by flipping somebody off or tailgating them at high speeds for 50 miles.

Pretty interesting. I won't draw any conclusions here - but the next time you see an aggressive or road-raging driver, see if he's got a bumper sticker or a "baby on board" thingie or his own clever personalized license plates. Think of it as science.