Drivers' subtypes in a sample of Italian adolescents: Relationship between personality measures and driving behaviors

Abstract Considering a limited number of relevant personality measures (e.g., sensation seeking, impulsivity, locus of control, anxiety and altruism), the present study aimed to identify subtypes of drivers in an Italian sample of 207 adolescents aged 14–15 (52.7% girls) with heterogeneous moped riding experiences. Subtypes were compared on the basis of both self-report driving behaviors and two measures extracted from students’ performances on a moped simulator employing a specifically developed Rasch-based method. On the basis of cluster analysis, three subgroups were identified (profiles A, B, C). Profile B was characterized by high levels of sensation seeking and impulsivity, and low levels of altruism and anxiety. It showed high risk propensity considering both self-report and simulator measures. Profile A consisted of mostly females and was characterized by high levels of anxiety, externality and low levels of sensation seeking and altruism. While showing cautious driving behaviors, it did not differ from profile B in terms of crash involvement. Profile C was characterized by high levels of altruism and a more internal orientation; it showed the safest driving attitude. A relevant feature of this study is the direct assessment of driving behaviors by means of simulation performances, which nonetheless showed high concordance with self-report data. Congruence of our findings with previous studies on older and more experienced samples is discussed, along with the use of simulation, in the light of future perspective for research.

[1]  J. Dankelman,et al.  Relationships between driving simulator performance and driving test results , 2009, Ergonomics.

[2]  J. Arnett.  Drunk driving, sensation seeking, and egocentrism among adolescents , 1990 .

[3]  James L Nichols,et al.  Effectiveness of school-based programs for reducing drinking and driving and riding with drinking drivers: a systematic review. , 2005, American journal of preventive medicine.

[4]  Türker Özkan,et al.  Multidimensional Traffic Locus of Control Scale (T-LOC): factor structure and relationship to risky driving , 2005 .

[5]  R. Hoyle,et al.  Reliability and validity of a brief measure of sensation seeking , 2002 .

[6]  G. W. Milligan,et al.  An examination of procedures for determining the number of clusters in a data set , 1985 .

[7]  Amanda N. Stephens,et al.  Situational specificity of trait influences on drivers’ evaluations and driving behaviour , 2009 .

[8]  C. Holland,et al.  Differential moderating effect of locus of control on effect of driving experience in young male and female drivers , 2010 .

[9]  Mark S. Horswill,et al.  Drivers' Illusion of Superiority for Hazard Perception and Vehicle Control Skill , 2002 .

[10]  Christopher K Mckenna.  PROGRAM EVALUATION OF PENNSYLVANIA'S DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAM. , 2000 .

[11]  C. Spielberger,et al.  Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory , 1970 .

[12]  P. Delhomme,et al.  Young drivers’ sensation seeking, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control and their roles in predicting speeding intention: How risk-taking motivations evolve with gender and driving experience , 2011 .

[13]  T. Lajunen,et al.  Driving experience, personality, and skill and safety-motive dimensions in drivers' self-assessments , 1995 .

[14]  R. Jessor,et al.  Beyond Adolescence: Problem Behaviour and Young Adult Development , 1991 .

[15]  B. B. Brown,et al.  Adolescents, peers, and motor vehicles: the perfect storm? , 2008, American journal of preventive medicine.

[16]  B A Jonah,et al.  Sensation seeking, risky driving and behavioral adaptation. , 2001, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[17]  Amit Shahar,et al.  Self-reported driving behaviors as a function of trait anxiety. , 2009, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[18]  B A Jonah,et al.  Sensation seeking and risky driving: a review and synthesis of the literature. , 1997, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[19]  Dennis Doverspike,et al.  Locus of control and auditory selective attention as predictors of driving accident involvement: A comparative longitudinal investigation☆ , 1992 .

[20]  P. Ulleberg,et al.  Personality, attitudes and risk perception as predictors of risky driving behaviour among young drivers , 2003 .

[21]  J. Linacre,et al.  Many-facet Rasch measurement , 1994 .

[22]  S P Baker,et al.  Effects of high school driver education on motor vehicle crashes, violations, and licensure. , 1999, American journal of preventive medicine.

[23]  M. Zuckerman.  Sensation Seeking : Beyond the Optimal Level of Arousal , 1979 .

[24]  A. Comrey,et al.  Internality and externality as correlates of involvement in fatal driving accidents. , 1987, The Journal of applied psychology.

[25]  Laurence Steinberg,et al.  Peer influence on risk taking, risk preference, and risky decision making in adolescence and adulthood: an experimental study. , 2005, Developmental psychology.

[26]  Andy H. Lee,et al.  Identifying older drivers at risk of traffic violations by using a driving simulator: a 3-year longitudinal study. , 2005, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[27]  Renato Miceli,et al.  Measuring change in training programs: An empirical illustration , 2008 .

[28]  J. Arnett,et al.  Reckless driving in adolescence: 'state' and 'trait' factors. , 1997, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[29]  E. Dahlen,et al.  The Big Five factors, sensation seeking, and driving anger in the prediction of unsafe driving☆ , 2006 .

[30]  S. Cockfield,et al.  Risky driving among young Australian drivers: trends, precursors and correlates. , 2007, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[31]  Esko Keskinen,et al.  Does increased confidence among novice drivers imply a decrease in safety? The effects of skid training on slippery road accidents. , 2004, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[32]  John A. Groeger,et al.  Risk perception and decision taking during the transition between novice and experienced driver status , 1988 .

[33]  Anders Nyberg,et al.  YOUNG NOVICE DRIVERS, DRIVER EDUCATION AND TRAINING. LITERATURE REVIEW , 2003 .

[34]  Torbjørn Rundmo,et al.  The effects of personality and gender on risky driving behaviour and accident involvement , 2006 .

[35]  B. Reimer,et al.  Using self-reported data to assess the validity of driving simulation data , 2006, Behavior research methods.

[36]  Nebi Sümer,et al.  Personality and behavioral predictors of traffic accidents: testing a contextual mediated model. , 2003, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[37]  M. Banich,et al.  Age differences in sensation seeking and impulsivity as indexed by behavior and self-report: evidence for a dual systems model. , 2008, Developmental psychology.

[38]  S Stradling,et al.  Errors and violations on the roads: a real distinction? , 1990, Ergonomics.

[39]  Dennis M. Donovan,et al.  Derivation of personality subtypes among high-risk drivers , 1988 .

[40]  Brian N. Fildes,et al.  Young Novice Driver Subtypes: Relationship to High-Risk Behavior, Traffic Accident Record, and Simulator Driving Performance , 1999, Hum. Factors.

[41]  Anna Maria Giannini,et al.  Young novice driver subtypes: relationship to driving violations, errors and lapses. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[42]  R. S. Lynch,et al.  Anger, aggression, risky behavior, and crash-related outcomes in three groups of drivers. , 2003, Behaviour research and therapy.

[43]  N P Gregersen,et al.  Young drivers' overestimation of their own skill--an experiment on the relation between training strategy and skill. , 1996, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[44]  Hannes Brandau,et al.  Personality subtypes of young moped drivers, their relationship to risk-taking behavior and involvement in road crashes in an Austrian sample. , 2011, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[45]  Hsiu-Chen Huang,et al.  Predictive validity of driving-simulator assessments following traumatic brain injury: a preliminary study , 2005, Brain injury.

[46]  C. Dula,et al.  Examining relationships between anxiety and dangerous driving. , 2010, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[47]  Charles W. Mathias,et al.  Impulsiveness and risk-taking behavior: comparison of high-school and college students using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale , 1996 .

[48]  M. Zuckerman,et al.  Sensation Seeking And Risky Behavior , 2006 .

[49]  Ryan C. Martin,et al.  Driving anger, sensation seeking, impulsiveness, and boredom proneness in the prediction of unsafe driving. , 2005, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[50]  Andrea Spoto,et al.  Enhancing hazard avoidance in teen-novice riders. , 2011, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[51]  Niki Harré,et al.  GENDER DIFFERENCES AND AREAS OF COMMON CONCERN IN THE DRIVING BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES OF ADOLESCENTS , 1996 .

[52]  Silvia Bonino,et al.  Adolescents and risk: Behaviors, functions and protective factors , 2005 .

[53]  P. Ulleberg.  PERSONALITY SUBTYPES OF YOUNG DRIVERS. RELATIONSHIP TO RISK-TAKING PREFERENCES, ACCIDENT INVOLVEMENT, AND RESPONSE TO A TRAFFIC SAFETY CAMPAIGN , 2001 .

[54]  Kim S. Sankey,et al.  Relationships between young drivers' personality characteristics, risk perceptions, and driving behaviour. , 2008, Accident; analysis and prevention.

[55]  T. Rundmo,et al.  Personality, risky driving and accident involvement among Norwegian drivers , 2002 .

[56]  Michael G. Lenné,et al.  Hazard perception abilities of experienced and novice motorcyclists: An interactive simulator experiment , 2009 .

[57]  Predrag Stanojević,et al.  The effects of personality traits on driving-related anger and aggressive behaviour in traffic among Serbian drivers , 2011 .