Traffic locus of control, driving skills, and attitudes towards in-vehicle technologies (ISA and ACC)

Drivers' acceptance of in-vehicle technologies is influenced by individual differences in user characteristics. Locus of control (LOC) can be assumed to be one of the most crucial psychological factors determining a drivers' acceptance to new in-vehicle technologies. Internals may, for instance, choose to rely on their own driving skills and abilities rather than on in-vehicle technologies and try to maintain their direct involvement with the driving task. It is also known that intention, which is influenced by attitudes, is the main predictor of behaviours (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). It was, therefore, hypothesized that drivers who got high scores on internal (self subscale of T-LOC) locus of control subscale and perceptual motor skills would have a negative attitude to using in-vehicle technologies (ISA and ACC). In the present study, 208 participants (36 female and 172 male) completed a form including the Driver Skill Inventory (DSI), Multidimensional Traffic Locus of Control Scale (T-LOC), Technical Devices Attitude Scale (TDAS), and items related to drivers' driving records and demographics. The results showed that high safety skills and external orientation seems to be important factors for having positive attitudes towards in-vehicle technologies. However, drivers with high self-reported perceptual motor skills might tend to resist in-vehicle technologies. For the covering abstract see ITRD E137489.