MODIFYING NEGLIGENT DRIVING BEHAVIOR THROUGH WARNING LETTERS

FIFTEEN THOUSAND NEGLIGENT DRIVERS WERE ISSUED SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF WARNING LETTERS, VARYING IN THREAT INTENSITY AND DEGREE OF PERSONALIZED STYLE (INTIMACY) TO DETERMINE THEIR RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING ACCIDENTS AND VIOLATIONS. ALSO, ONE-HALF OF THE SUBJECTS IN THE LETTER TREATMENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AUXILIARY TREATMENTS: QUESTIONNAIRE - ALLOWING THE DRIVER TO COMMENT ON ENFORCEMENT POLICIES; AND A CONGRATULATORY LETTER (REINFORCEMENT) ISSUED TO INCIDENT-FREE DRIVERS IN A 7 MONTH FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. THE BASIC DESIGN, INVOLVED THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: TREAT X INTIMACY X QUESTIONNAIRE X REINFORCEMENT. TWO COMPARISON GROUPS WERE ALSO INCLUDED: A NO LETTER CONTROL GROUP, AND A GROUP ISSUED THE STANDARD DMV WARNING LETTER. ALL LETTER TREATMENT COMBINATIONS RESULTED IN LOWER ACCIDENT AND VIOLATION MEANS WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH THE LOW THREAT LETTER SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IN A 7 MONTH FOLLOW-UP ON THE ACCIDENT CRITERION. SIGNIFICANT LETTER X SUBJECT VARIABLE INTERACTIONS WERE FOUND. THE LETTER EFFECTS APPEARED TO DIMINISH AFTER 7 MONTHS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE FOR A REINFORCEMENT EFFECT WITH THE LOW THREAT/HIGH INTIMACY LETTER. A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS WAS ALSO PRESENTED. /AUTHOR/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00014575
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 2, No 3, PP 147-174
• Authors:
  • McBride, R S
  • Peck, R C
• Publication Date: 1970-12

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Accident Analysis & Prevention
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0001-4575
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00014575

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Behavior; Drivers; Lettering; Negligence; Questionnaires; Reduction (Chemistry); Threats; Traffic citations; Traffic crashes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Change
• Old TRIS Terms: Driver psychology; Letters; Reduction
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221310
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 11 1971 12:00AM