The beliefs which motivate young male and female drivers to speed: A comparison of low and high intenders

In Australia, young drivers aged 17–24 years, and particularly males, have the highest risk of being involved in a fatal crash. Investigation of young drivers’ beliefs allows for a greater understanding of their involvement in risky behaviours, such as speeding, as beliefs are associated with intentions, the antecedent to behaviour. The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used to conceptualise beliefs using a scenario based questionnaire distributed to licenced drivers (N = 398). The questionnaire measured individual's beliefs and intentions to speed in a particular situation. Consistent with a TPB-based approach, the beliefs of those with low intentions to speed (‘low intenders’) were compared with the beliefs of those with high intentions (‘high intenders’) with such comparisons conducted separately for males and females. Overall, significant differences in the beliefs held by low and high intenders and for both females and males were found. Specifically, for females, it was found that high intenders were significantly more likely to perceive advantages of speeding, less likely to perceive disadvantages, and more likely to be encouraged to speed on familiar and inappropriately signed roads than female low intenders. Females, however, did not differ in their perceptions of support from friends, with all females reporting some level of disapproval from most friends and all females (i.e., low and high intenders) reporting approval to speed from their male friends. The results for males revealed that high intenders were significantly more likely to speed on familiar and inappropriately signed roads as well as having greater perceptions of support from all friends, except from those friends with whom they worked. Low and high intending males did not differ in their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of speeding, with the exception of feelings of excitement whereby high intenders reported speeding to be more exciting than low intenders. The findings are discussed in terms of how they may directly inform the content of mass media and public education campaigns aimed at encouraging young drivers to slow down.     

Individual differences in drivers’ cognitive processing of road safety messages

Using Gray and McNaughton's (2000) revised reinforcement sensitivity theory (r-RST), we examined the influence of personality on processing of words presented in gain-framed and loss-framed anti-speeding messages and how the processing biases associated with personality influenced message acceptance. The r-RST predicts that the nervous system regulates personality and that behaviour is dependent upon the activation of the behavioural activation system (BAS), activated by reward cues and the fight-flight-freeze system (FFFS), activated by punishment cues. According to r-RST, individuals differ in the sensitivities of their BAS and FFFS (i.e., weak to strong), which in turn leads to stable patterns of behaviour in the presence of rewards and punishments, respectively. It was hypothesised that individual differences in personality (i.e., strength of the BAS and the FFFS) would influence the degree of both message processing (as measured by reaction time to previously viewed message words) and message acceptance (measured three ways by perceived message effectiveness, behavioural intentions, and attitudes). Specifically, it was anticipated that, individuals with a stronger BAS would process the words presented in the gain-frame messages faster than those with a weaker BAS and individuals with a stronger FFFS would process the words presented in the loss-frame messages faster than those with a weaker FFFS. Further, it was expected that greater processing (faster reaction times) would be associated with greater acceptance for that message. Driver licence holding students (N = 108) were recruited to view one of four anti-speeding messages (i.e., social gain-frame, social loss-frame, physical gain-frame, and physical loss-frame). A computerised lexical decision task assessed participants’ subsequent reaction times to message words, as an indicator of the extent of processing of the previously viewed message. Self-report measures assessed personality and the three message acceptance measures. As predicted, the degree of initial processing of the content of the social gain-framed message mediated the relationship between the reward sensitive trait and message effectiveness. Initial processing of the physical loss-framed message partially mediated the relationship between the punishment sensitive trait and both message effectiveness and behavioural intention ratings. These results show that reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity traits influence cognitive processing of gain-framed and loss-framed message content, respectively, and subsequently, message effectiveness and behavioural intention ratings. Specifically, a range of road safety messages (i.e., gain-frame and loss-frame messages) could be designed which align with the processing biases associated with personality and which would target those individuals who are sensitive to rewards and those who are sensitive to punishments.     

Prospect balancing theory: Bounded rationality of drivers’ speed choice

This paper introduces a new approach to model the psychological determinants of drivers’ speed choice: prospect-balancing theory. The theory transfers psychological insight into the bounded rationality of human decision-making to the field of driving behaviour. Speed choice is conceptualized as a trade-off between two options for action: the option to drive slower and the option to drive faster. Each option is weighted according to a subjective value and a subjectively weighted probability attributed to the achievement of the associated action goal; e.g. to avoid an accident by driving more slowly. The theory proposes that the subjective values and weightings of probability differ systematically from the objective conditions and thereby usually favour a cautious speed choice. A driving simulation study with 24 male participants supports this assumption. In a conflict between a monetary gain in case of fast arrival and a monetary loss in case of a collision with a deer, participants chose a velocity lower than that which would maximize their pay-out. Participants’ subjective certainty of arriving in time and of avoiding a deer collision assessed at different driving speeds diverged from the respective objective probabilities in accordance with the observed bias in choice of speed. Results suggest that the bounded rationality of drivers’ speed choice might be used to support attempts to improve road safety. Thus, understanding the motivational and perceptual determinants of this intuitive mode of decision-making might be a worthwhile focus of future research.     

Understanding commercial truck drivers’ decision-makin process concerning distracted driving

A concurrent mixed methods design was used to explore personal and workplace factors, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, that affect truck drivers’ decision-making about distracted driving on the job. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews with experts in truck safety and distracted driving, and quantitative data were collected via online survey of truck drivers in the United States. Findings from the interviews illustrated how drivers perceived distractions and the importance of supervisors enforcing organizational distracted driving policies. Survey results found that behavioral intentions were most important in regards to texting and crash and near-crash outcomes, while perceived norms from management best described the correlation between dispatch device use and negative crash-related outcomes. By using a mixed methods design, rather than two separate studies, these findings revealed nuanced differences into the influence of supervisors on distracted driving.     

Cross-cultural differences in driving skills: a comparison of six countries

The first aim of the present study was to investigate the applicability of the two-factor structure (perceptual-motor skills by 11 items, e.g., "fluent driving"; safety skills by 9 items, e.g., "conforming to the speed limits") of the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI) among British, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Iranian, and Turkish drivers. It was also hypothesized that the combination of self reported high ratings of perceptual-motor skills and low ratings of safety skills creates a serious risk for dangerous driving and road accident involvement. The second aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate this asymmetric relationship between perceptual-motor and safety skills in traffic penalties and accident involvement. Two hundred and forty two drivers were chosen from each of the six countries, matched for age and sex. The results of exploratory factor analyses together with target rotation showed that the two-factor structure of DSI found in "safe" Northern and Western European countries were highly congruent. However, the safety skills factor of DSI in Greece, Iran, and Turkey was relatively incongruent in spite of high factor similarity found in perceptual-motor skills. The asymmetric relationship between perceptual-motor and safety skills on traffic penalties was found in Finland and Turkey. A negative relationship between safety skills and the number of accidents was found both in Greece and Iran while a positive relationship between perceptual-motor skills and the number of accidents was found only in Iran.     

The effect of sanctions and police enforcement on drivers’ choice of speed

A Stated Preference survey of speed choice on Norwegian rural roads with 80 km/h speed limit was made by the roadside in order to determine which factors most strongly influence this choice. The aim was to study deliberate speeding to identify any correlations between speed choice and (1) the drivers’ perception of the level of police enforcement, (2) penalties for speeding and (3) the speed choice of the other drivers on the road. Drivers were asked about their perception of these variables before being presented to nine hypothetical situations for which they were asked about the most likely speed to choose. Speed measurements were conducted before the interview, but without informing respondents of it. A total of 408 interviews were made. Drivers made bad guesses when estimating the level of enforcement, but had more realistic views of the sanctions given for speeding, as well as the general speed levels. The largest speed reducing effects on individual speed choice were found by either making most other drivers on the road reduce their speed, or by substantially increasing enforcement. Stricter sanctions seem to affect the speed choice only marginally.     

Predicting motorcyclists’ intentions to speed: Effects of selected cognitions from the theory of planned behaviour, self-identity and social identity

This study sought to identify cognitive predictors of motorcyclists’ intentions to speed using a model that comprised selected constructs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), supplemented with constructs from identity theory and social identity theory. Participants (N = 110) were sampled from motorcycle clubs in Scotland and they completed web-based questionnaire measures of all cognitive variables, operationalized with respect to speeding on both 30 mph urban roads and 70 mph dual carriageways and motorways. In support of the TPB element of the model, affective attitude and perceived controllability accounted for significant variance in intention to speed on each road type. The identity constructs accounted for additional variance in intentions to speed on 70 mph roads. The significant independent predictors of speeding intentions on 30 mph roads were affective attitude and perceived controllability. For 70 mph roads, the independent predictors of intention were affective attitude, self-identity, perceived group norm, group identification, and an interaction between perceived group norm and group identification. Consistent with predictions derived from social identity theory, decomposition of the interaction showed that perceived group norm had an increasing effect on intention with increases in group identification. Implications for theory development and safety interventions are discussed.     

Speeding drivers' attitudes and perceptions of speed cameras in rural England

There is evidence that excessive speed leads to an increased frequency and severity of road traffic accidents, but it is not clear how speeds may be reduced. To increase understanding of why drivers exceed the speed limits, the views of a sample of road users who had been prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit in the rural county of Norfolk England were sought. Respondents were categorised into a four group driver typology comprising conformers (those who report they never exceed limits) deterred drivers (those put off speeding by the presence of cameras), manipulators (those who slow only at camera locations) and defiers (those who exceed limits regardless of cameras), and the consistency of opinions was compared between the groups. Speeding was perceived as widespread and normal, and many drivers resented camera enforcement. Indeed, some respondents considered that cameras in themselves caused dangerous driving. For many drivers, the prosecution experience resulted in distress, anger and anti-camera sentiments, predominantly because they expressed the belief that they were more skilled than other drivers. It was also apparent that many respondents displayed a lack of awareness of the link between speed and collisions. Conformers were the least likely to state that the prosecution had deterred them from further speeding behaviour, possibly because they perceived themselves as already law-abiding. The deterred drivers were most likely to express intentions to avoid further speeding and their speeding incident was found to be most likely to be accidental. Manipulators and defiers tended to report that they had deliberately chosen to infringe the speed limits. Manipulators often acknowledged that their style of driving was dangerous; however, they failed to link this to their own behaviour. It was evident that many defiers and manipulators did not perceive speeding as a serious traffic law violation. Possible implications for road safety initiatives are discussed and recommendations are given for specifically targeting different driver types.     

Identifying the psychological determinants of risky riding: An application of an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) plus moral norms, anticipated regret, past behaviour, self-identity and perceived susceptibility was applied to predicting motorcyclists’ intention to ride above the speed limit and ride at inappropriate speeds. Past behaviour, control beliefs, attitudes, moral norm, normative beliefs, age and self-identity explained 60% of the variance in motorcyclists’ intention to exceed the speed limit on motorways (N = 1381). A total of 62% of the variance in motorcyclists’ intention to really go for it on rural roads was accounted for, with past behaviour, attitudes, control beliefs, age, normative beliefs, anticipated regret, self-identity, behavioural beliefs and training status being significant (N = 1116). Finally, attitudes, past behaviour, control beliefs, moral norm, anticipated regret, behavioural beliefs, normative beliefs, engine size and self-identity explained 57% of the variance in motorcyclists’ intention to ride faster than felt safe in order to keep up with the group (N = 1940). The belief-based measures also successfully differentiated between those who intended to speed and those who did not. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.     

Modeling drivers’ speed selection as a trade-off behavior

This paper proposes a new model of driver-preferred speeds derived from the assumption that drivers trade-off a portion of their safety for a time gain. The risk of receiving a ticket for speeding is also considered. A trip disutility concept is selected to combine the three components of speed choice (safety, time, and enforcement). The perceived crash risk and speed enforcement are considered as speed deterrents while the perceived value of a time gain is considered as a speed enticement. According to this concept, speeds that minimize the perceived trip disutility are preferred by drivers. The modeled trade-off behavior does not have to be fully rational since it is affected by drivers’ preferences and their ability to perceive the risk. As such, the proposed framework follows the concept of bound rationality.The attractiveness of the model lies in its parameters being estimable with the observed preferred speeds and then interpretable as the factors of risk perception, the subjective value of time, and the perceived risk of speed enforcement. The proposed method may successfully supplement behavioral studies based on a driver survey.The study focuses on four-lane rural and suburban roads in Indiana, USA. The behavior of two types of drivers (trucks and cars) is modeled. The selection of test sites was such that the roads and other local characteristics varied across the studied sites while the population of drivers could be assumed as the same. The density of intersections, land development along the road, and the presence of sidewalks were the identified prominent risk perception factors. Another interesting finding is that the speed limit seems to encourage slow drivers to drive faster and fast drivers to drive slower.     

An application of the theory of planned behaviour to truck driving behaviour and compliance with regulations

A questionnaire study was conducted with truck drivers to help understand driving and compliance behaviour using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Path analysis examined the ability of the TPB to explain the direct and indirect factors involved in self-reported driving behaviour and regulation compliance. Law abiding driving behaviour in trucks was related more to attitudes, subjective norms and intentions than perceived behavioural control. For compliance with UK truck regulations, perceived behavioural control had the largest direct effect. The differing results of the path analyses for driving behaviour and compliance behaviour suggest that any future interventions that may be targeted at improving either on-road behaviour or compliance with regulations would require different approaches.     

Effects of Pay-As-You-Drive vehicle insurance on young drivers' speed choice: results of a Dutch field experiment

Speeding is an important cause for young drivers’ involvement in traffic accidents. A reduction in driving speeds of this group could result in fewer accidents. One way of reducing driving speed is offering explicit financial incentives. In collaboration with five Dutch car insurance companies, we tested the effects of a Pay-As-You-Drive insurance fee on driving speed. A group of young drivers could save money on their monthly insurance fee by keeping the speed limit. Driving speed was monitored through GPS technology during one year. Analyses showed that, relative to pre- and post-measurement, as well as a control group, the introduction of a Pay-As-You-Drive insurance fee significantly reduced speed violations of young drivers.     

Texting while driving: Psychosocial influences on young people's texting intentions and behaviour

Despite the dangers and illegality, there is a continued prevalence of texting while driving amongst young Australian drivers. The present study tested an extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict young drivers’ (17-24 years) intentions to [1] send and [2] read text messages while driving. Participants (n = 169 university students) completed measures of attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, intentions, and the additional social influence measures of group norm and moral norm. One week later, participants reported on the number of texts sent and read while driving in the previous week. Attitude predicted intentions to both send and read texts while driving, and subjective norm and perceived behavioural control determined sending, but not reading, intentions. Further, intention, but not perceptions of control, predicted both texting behaviours 1 week later. In addition, both group norm and moral norm added predictive ability to the model. These findings provide support for the TPB in understanding students’ decisions to text while driving as well as the inclusion of additional normative influences within this context, suggesting that a multi-strategy approach is likely to be useful in attempts to reduce the incidence of these risky driving behaviours.     

Speeding for fun? Exploring the speeding behavior of riders of heavy motorcycles using the theory of planned behavior and psychological flow theory

This paper focuses on a special segment of motorcyclists in Taiwan – riders of heavy motorcycles – and investigates their speeding behavior and its affecting factors. It extends the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore motorcyclist speeding behavior by including the variables of psychological flow theory. The levels of sensation-seeking and riding experience are also used as grouping variables to investigate group differences from the influences of their affecting factors on speeding behavior. The results reveal that the psychological flow variables have greater predictive power in explaining speeding behavior than the TPB variables, providing useful insights into the unique nature of this group of motorcyclists, who are more prone to engage in speeding. Group differences with regard to both sensation-seeking and rider experience in speeding behavior are highlighted, and the implications of the findings are discussed.     

The effect of conformity tendency on pedestrians’ road-crossing intentions in China: An application of the theory of planned behavior

This paper presents a survey investigating the effects of age, gender and conformity tendency on Chinese pedestrians’ intention to cross the road in potentially dangerous situations. A sample of 426 respondents completed a demographic questionnaire, a scale measuring their tendency towards social conformity, and a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). This questionnaire measured people's intentions to cross the road in two different road crossing situations, their attitude towards the behavior, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, anticipated affect, moral norms, and perceived risk. The two scenarios depicted (i) a situation where the crossing was consistent with other pedestrians’ behavior (Conformity scenario) and (ii) a situation where the road crossing was inconsistent with other pedestrians (Non-Conformity scenario). Pedestrians reported greater likelihood in crossing the road when other pedestrians were crossing the road. People who showed greater tendencies towards social conformity also had stronger road crossing intentions than low conformity people for both scenarios. The predictive model explained 36% and 48% of the variance in the Non-Conformity and Conformity scenarios, respectively. Attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk emerged as the common predictors for both situations. The results have a number of theoretical and practical implications. In particular, interventions should focus on perceptions of risk that inform road users that crossing with other pedestrians against the signal is also unsafe and prohibited, and may lead to negative outcomes.     

Prospect theory based estimation of drivers’ risk attitudes in route choice behaviors

This paper applied prospect theory (PT) to describe drivers’ route choice behavior under Variable Message Sign (VMS), which presented visual traffic information to assist them to make route choice decisions. A quite rich empirical data from questionnaire and field spot was used to estimate parameters of PT. In order to make the parameters more realistic with drivers’ attitudes, they were classified into different types by significant factors influencing their behaviors. Based on the travel time distribution of alternative routes and route choice results from questionnaire, the parameterized value function of each category was figured out, which represented drivers’ risk attitudes and choice characteristics. The empirical verification showed that the estimates were acceptable and effective. The result showed drivers’ risk attitudes and route choice characteristics could be captured by PT under real-time information shown on VMS. For practical application, once drivers’ route choice characteristics and parameters were identified, their route choice behavior under different road conditions could be predicted accurately, which was the basis of traffic guidance measures formulation and implementation for targeted traffic management. Moreover, the heterogeneous risk attitudes among drivers should be considered when releasing traffic information and regulating traffic flow.     

Investigating driver willingness to drive through flooded waterways

Approximately 40% of all drowning deaths involve a motor vehicle. Regardless of its significance as a cause of flood-related mortality, there is continued prevalence of driving through flooded waterways in Australia and worldwide. We aimed to understand the motivational determinates of driving through flooded waterways in low and high-risk scenarios by utilizing an augmented theory of planned behaviour (TPB) with behavioural willingness as the outcome variable as well as the influence of additional predictors; namely perceived risk and past behaviour. Participants (n = 174; M_age = 27.43, SD = 10.76) answered standard TPB-based questions in regards to attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control (PBC), as well as additional variables of perceived risk (i.e., perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and past behaviour. Support was found for the augmented TPB as attitude, subjective norm, and PBC predicted behavioural willingness. Support was also found for perceived severity in the high-risk but not the low-risk scenario. No support was found for perceived susceptibility. Past behaviour emerged as a significant predictor of willingness in the low and high-risk scenario. The findings provide support for an augmented TPB in understanding individuals’ willingness to drive through flooded waterways, suggesting that a multi-strategy approach may be critical in attempts to reduce the incidence of such risky driving behaviour.     

Evidence that implementation intentions reduce drivers’ speeding behavior: Testing a new intervention to change driver behavior

Implementation intentions have the potential to break unwanted habits and help individuals behave in line with their goal intentions. We tested the effects of implementation intentions in the context of drivers’ speeding behavior. A randomized controlled design was used. Speeding behavior, goal intentions and theoretically derived motivational pre-cursors of goal intentions were measured at both baseline and follow-up (one month later) using self-report questionnaires. Immediately following the baseline questionnaire, the experimental (intervention) group (N = 117) specified implementation intentions using a volitional help sheet, which required the participants to link critical situations in which they were tempted to speed with goal-directed responses to resist the temptation. The control group (N = 126) instead received general information about the risks of speeding. In support of the hypotheses, the experimental group reported exceeding the speed limit significantly less often at follow-up than did the control group. This effect was specific to ‘inclined abstainers’ (i.e., participants who reported speeding more than they intended to at baseline and were therefore motivated to reduce their speeding) and could not be attributed to any changes in goal intentions to speed or any other measured motivational construct. Also in line with the hypotheses, implementation intentions attenuated the past-subsequent speeding behavior relationship and augmented the goal intention – subsequent speeding behavior relationship. The findings imply that implementation intentions are effective at reducing speeding and that they do so by weakening the effect of habit, thereby helping drivers to behave in accordance with their existing goal intentions. The volitional help sheet used in this study is an effective tool for promoting implementation intentions to reduce speeding.