A Multidimensional Method for Assessing Personality Characteristics Related to Risky Driving Behavior
A Multidimensional Method for Assessing Personality Characteristics Related to Risky Driving Behavior

Summary/Abstract: A study of contemporary theory and research in the field of transport psychology reveals that certain personality characteristics have a direct link with risky behavior on the road. The purpose of the present discussion is to construct a complex method for assessing precisely which personality characteristics are important for the process of safe driving. Our analysis of a variety of theoretical and empirical data has indicated that seven personality traits influence driving, namely, emotional stability, anxiety, locus of control, anger, aggression, risk taking, and sensation seeking. We have explored these traits through a self-report personality questionnaire consisting of seven major scales that we constructed for this purpose. This article presents the procedures used for constructing and selecting the items for each of the scales in question. The results of a pilot study (N = 67), the main purpose of which was to verify the reliability of this instrument, are also presented. The results we provide for the study as a whole N = 1440) may serve as a basis for establishing appropriate training programs for drivers who are systematic violators. This is the real work of prevention, which may lead to effectively reducing the number of road traffic accidents.

• Details
• Contents