Explicit and implicit self-enhancement biases in drivers and their relationship to driving violations and crash-risk optimism

Previous research has found that drivers tend to consider themselves superior to their peers on both driving ability and driving caution, as well as judging themselves as at less risk of a crash (crash-risk optimism). These studies have relied on explicit measures by getting drivers to respond to written items. The current study measured 158 New Zealand drivers’ explicit and implicit attitudes towards their own driving attributes in comparison with others. Implicit attitudes were measured using a computer-based reaction time task, the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Both explicit and implicit self-enhancement biases were found in driver ability and driver caution. Implicit biases were considerably stronger than explicit biases and men demonstrated stronger self-enhancement biases in driving ability than women. Explicit and implicit ratings of driving ability and explicit ratings of driver caution predicted crash-risk optimism. Explicit and implicit ratings of driving caution predicted a measure of driving violations. The implications for safety interventions and research on drivers’ mental processes are discussed particularly in regard to the ability of implicit measures to bypass social desirability effects.