Insurance Classifications and Drivers' Galvanic Skin Response

Drivers' galvanic skin responses were recorded in town traffic and on country roads. Two groups of drivers were compared, those who would pay higher insurance premiums, by reason of their ago or occupation, and the rest. The high insurance group did not differ from the rest in the magnitude of the GSR. but when the ratio of the GSR in town traffic to that on a country road was considered there was a significant difference such that the high insurance group had a relatively greater GSR on the country road.

It is suggested that in town traffic most of the GSR arc generated by the actions of other drivers, whereas on the open road the GSRs are self generated by the subjects' driving. The GSR on the open road will therefore be more affected by the individual method of driving and by the risks the driver takes. The ratio of town GSR to country GSR can be used to eliminate the large unexplained differences between subjects and to expose the differences in driving behaviour