AUTONEWS

Mr. Hyde Syndrome: Three out of four drivers admit to transforming behind the wheel

Three out of four drivers in our country admit to undergoing a radical transformation behind the wheel, adopting aggressive attitudes they would never display as pedestrians, at home, or in the office. This unfortunate situation affects approximately 21 million people who insult, point fingers, and gesture angrily at other drivers, disregarding all basic rules of civic responsibility and social empathy on our roads.

Specifically, 3.7 million people admit to challenging other drivers to get out of their vehicles to resolve their differences by any means necessary, including resorting to violence. Seven million confess to making aggressive maneuvers to intimidate another driver, while 29% repeatedly use the horn simply as a way to start a fight. All of this increases the risk of a serious accident by 30 times and has already resulted in approximately 100,000 drivers being directly responsible for tragedies on our roads. All of this stems from daily stress, endless traffic jams, constant rushing, and pure selfishness, which can turn us into a kind of bully on the road.

Research with 1,700 drivers...The Línea Directa Foundation brought this alarming reality to light with the Sustainable Driver initiative, a project that includes research with 1,700 drivers and analyzed our driving habits, comparing three variables in which we generally fail miserably: coexistence, safety, and respect for the environment.

The first issue, safety, becomes glaring when we analyze whether traffic laws are generally respected in our country. One third of drivers, 33% of the total, routinely exceed speed limits and do not maintain the mandatory safety distance. Both factors are decisive in the severity of rear-end collisions, inflating the statistics that have made traffic violations the most common criminal offense in Spain (now approaching 23% of all violations recorded last year).

Consuming alcohol before starting the engine continues to claim hundreds of lives every year, becoming a game of Russian roulette that 14% of respondents admit to practicing. Morgues confirm this, as 34% of drivers who died last year tested positive for drugs and alcohol, with criminal activity also present in two-thirds of these tragic cases. Adding the positive results for drugs and psychotropic medications, the percentage rises to almost half of all traffic deaths.

Respect for the planet also takes a back seat due to widespread apathy. A staggering 77% of drivers are completely unaware of the environmental impact of their driving style. The Institute for Energy Diversification and Savings (IDAE) states that driving without sudden accelerations or braking would reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 15%. Furthermore, 76% of drivers neglect researching or questioning the environmental consequences of the parts used in their repairs. This negligence is paralyzing the development of the circular economy and marginalizing the use of environmentally friendly replacement parts, demonstrating that buying an electric car is of little use if we maintain a polluting mindset in our daily lives.

Given this situation, only 6% of Spanish drivers reach the overall level required to be considered "sustainable" in their journeys. However, these drivers are not evenly distributed, as those from Asturias, the Basque Country, and Catalonia are the most conscious, safe, and responsible in the country, while those from the Balearic Islands, La Rioja, and Extremadura are at the bottom of this overall ranking.

According to Mar Garre, CEO of the Línea Directa Foundation, “being a sustainable driver means understanding that our decisions behind the wheel affect our relationships with others, our safety, and the planet. That is why, at the Línea Directa Foundation, we advocate for respectful, calmer, and more conscious driving, in which we respect the rules, other road users, and the environment, to achieve our common goal of zero traffic deaths.”

To achieve this goal, the organization is promoting a digital guide based on five pillars: empathy to eliminate insults and aggression; respect for traffic laws to protect human lives; maximum caution with vulnerable groups, such as pedestrians and cyclists; smooth driving to extend the lifespan of the vehicle and protect the environment; and a collective commitment to disseminate these good practices in our social circles.

Transforming the average Spanish driver requires surgical intervention through education and broad awareness campaigns. There are more than enough reasons to eradicate this dark Mr. Hyde syndrome that makes our streets dangerous, hinders ecological transition and, in the worst cases, destroys entire families in fractions of a second.

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Syndrome" (or Doctor and Monster Syndrome) is not an official clinical diagnosis, but rather a popular psychological expression used to describe people who exhibit a dual personality or drastic and unpredictable changes in behavior. The term is directly inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic book, where a kind doctor (Jekyll) transforms into a cruel monster (Hyde) after taking a potion.

In psychology and interpersonal relationships, this dynamic is often associated with mental health disorders and abusive behaviors.

Main associated clinical diagnoses...Although the "syndrome" is an informal term, "two-faced" behavior often serves as a warning sign for real psychiatric conditions:

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Characterized by intense emotional instability, explosive anger, and a defense mechanism called "splitting" (where people or the self are seen only as entirely good or entirely bad).

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID): Formerly called multiple personality disorder, it involves the coexistence of two or more distinct identities in the same individual, with associated memory lapses.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD): Individuals with this condition may act charming, generous, and kind in public (Jekyll), but become cruel, cold, manipulative, and aggressive behind closed doors (Hyde) with their partners or family members.

Substance Abuse: Drastic mood and character changes are common in substance users, whose behaviors completely transform when under the influence of or craving drugs or alcohol.

Impact on relationships and warning signs...In self-help and psychotherapy literature—such as in the renowned book The Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome by Dr. Beverly Engel—this pattern is strongly associated with psychological and domestic abuse. The main signs in a partner or family member include:

Extreme inconsistency: Being excessively affectionate one moment and inexplicably hostile the next.

Feeling like you're "walking on eggshells": The environment around the person becomes tense because any trivial detail can trigger an outburst of anger.

Isolation and victim guilt: The abuser convinces the victim that she is to blame for his violent reactions, generating mental confusion and loss of self-esteem.