Relationship between risky driving attitudes and difficulties in emotion regulation in the sample of driver-learners

Abstract

Background. The main aim of driving training is to prepare for safe driving, but research show that inexperienced drivers are the most risky group for road traffic safety in most countries. Various personality features as though as attitudes and emotion regulation features might contribute to the future drivers’ behavior on the road. So information about relations between risky driving attitudes and emotion regulation problems of the driver learners before their independent driving might help predicting future driving. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between risky driving attitudes and difficulties in emotion regulation in the sample of Lithuanian driver-learners. Methods. 524 driver-learners (206 male and 318 female) who registered for the practical driving exam participated in this online study. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DEARS; Gratz, Roemer, 2004) and Risk-taking attitudes for drivers scale (Ulleberg, Rundmo, 2002) was used for measurement. Results. The results have shown that riskier both attitudes towards driving were related to all scales of difficulties in emotion regulation except lack of emotional awareness. Regression analysis revealed that more risky attitudes towards driving were predicted by being a male, younger age and having more expressed impulse control difficulties and more expressed limited access to emotion regulation strategies taking into account the age of the respondents. Discussion. The results imply that more attention is needed for emotional regulation training while preparing driver-learners in order to change their risk-taking attitudes towards driving as though as driving behavior in the future.