The Optimism Bias and Traffic Safety

In this study, college students were asked to rate their overall accident likelihood, driving skill, and level of safety relative to other drivers. They also made comparative risk judgements for a variety of specific accident situations. Consistent with previous research, subjects perceived themselves as safer, more skillful, and less likely to be involved in an accident than other drivers. Optimism increased with driving experience, but was unrelated to age or sex. Substantial optimism was also evident in response to the specific accident situations, and further analysis indicated that the perceived controllability of the accident was a strong predictor of optimism. The importance of controllability in this study is consistent with research on other life events, and suggests that perceptions of control play an important role in the optimism bias.