Attitudes towards risky driving in a sample of traffic offenders: does personality profile matter?

Abstract

Personality can influence how individuals approach and behave in driving situations. Certain personality traits may determine drivers’ specific attitudes about risky driving. But research show that combination of few personality traits together better explains risky driving. The relationship between attitudes towards risky driving and personality profile is not well studied, especially in a sample of traffic offenders. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify personality profiles of traffic offenders and according to them evaluate if there are any differences in expression of attitudes towards risky driving. 688 traffic offenders (611 males and 72 females) who had lost driving license participated in this study. Personality traits were measured using Big Five Inventory (John, Naumann, Soto, 2008), Barratt impulsiveness (Patton, Stanford, Barratt, 1995) and Aggression scales (Markšaitytė, Endriulaitienė, 2010). Risky driving attitudes were measured using Risk-taking attitudes for drivers scale (Iversen, Rundmo, 2004). The results have shown that there are two different personality profiles. Traffic offenders (males and females) with high-risk personality profile have higher expression of impulsivity, aggression and neuroticism, but with low-risk personality profile there are higher expression of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness. Males and females with high-risk personality profile have more risky attitudes towards careless driving of others, rule violations and speeding, as well as risky attitudes towards drinking and driving. The results imply that traffic offenders with high-risk personality profile are emotionally unstable, spontaneous drivers, who follow their impulses in an unrepressed manner because of personality profile as well as risky driving attitude.