Driver Attitudes and Choices: Seatbelt Use, Speed Limits, Alcohol Consumption, and Crash Histories

A better understanding of attitudes and behavioral principles underlying driving behavior and traffic safety issues can contribute to design and policy solutions. This work examines the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Surveys (MVOSS) data set to illuminate drivers’ seatbelt use, driving speed choices, drinking-and-driving tendencies, traffic police encounters, and crash and injury histories, along with their attitudes towards speed limits, seat belt laws, and other drivers’ behaviors. Binary logit, ordered probit, and negative binomial regression models were used for analysis of relationships, and several interesting results emerged. For example, higher income and higher education level have positive effects on seat belt use and support of seat belt laws, and pickup drivers are less likely use seat belts and more likely to have experienced past injury. People who never or rarely use a seat belt have experience more crash injuries in their lifetimes. Those who prefer/choose higher speeds on highways tend to be those with higher household incomes and college (or higher) educations and those who have received notice of a traffic violation in the past year. These are just examples; many other results are discussed here.