Is hazard perception related to risk taking attitudes and intentions?

Abstract

Hazard perception (HP) skills of road users are acknowledged as an important contributors to accident involvement. Cognitive abilities, driving experience, or executive functions are discussed as the major correlates of this skill in traffic safety literature. However, the relationships between hazard perception and individual differences or beliefs of drivers are under-investigated, although they might contribute to the HP training effectiveness or explanation of safety outcomes. This study aimed to explore the relations between self-evaluated road hazard perception skills, risk taking attitudes and intentions to drive in a risky manner. Ninety-nine university students (72 females; 27 males; mean of driving experience 5.3 years, frequency of driving at least once per month) participated in a cross-sectional study. Hazard perception skills were measured using a six-item self-report scale [19]. The questionnaire also contained the Scale of Intentions to take Driving Risks by Ben-Ari, Florian, Mikulincer [3] and the Risk-taking attitudes scale by Ulleberg & Rundmo [18]. Data analyses revealed statistically significant gender differences. Males reported better hazard perception skills, more risky speeding attitudes and more intentions to risk while driving than females. Selfevaluated hazard perception skills were positively correlated to riskier attitudes towards drinking and driving, but not related to intentions in males. Hazard perception skills were negatively correlated to intentions of risky driving and positively to attitudes towards joyriding in females. Better self-evaluated hazard perception skills might be the risk factor for both male and female drivers’ road safety attitudes, whereas better self-reported hazard perception skills might be the protective factor for female drivers’ intentions. Still, these contradictory results should be tested in future studies with not self-report measures and in larger samples.