OBSERVED VEHICLE SPEED AND DRIVERS' PERCEIVED SPEED OF OTHERS

Attempts to model driver behaviour have traditionally included three basic elements; the driver, the vehicle, and the traffic environment. No account has been taken of a fourth element, the social environment in traffic. In the present paper, based on data from Denmark and Sweden, drivers' attitudes towards speeding and influences from other road users on drivers' speed choice were investigated. Recorded vehicle speeds (N=483) were compared to drivers' responses to questions concerning their speed choice. The questionnaires were based partly on the Theory of Reasoned Action suggested by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) with questions tapping the social traffic environment substituting for the subjective norm in the model. The results indicated that a model including attitudes as well as perceptions about other drivers' behaviour could explain about 15% of the variation in observed speed. More than 50% of the drivers exceeded the speed limit and a majority of them overestimated the speed of other drivers. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD E101100.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0863779654
• Corporate Authors:

  PSYCHOLOGY PRESS LTD

  27 CHURCH ROAD
  HOVE, SUSSEX  United Kingdom  BN3 2FA
• Authors:
  • AABERG, L
  • Larsen, L
  • Glad, A
  • BEILINSSON, L
• Publication Date: 1997-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 287-302
• Serial:
  • APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW: SPECIAL ISSUE - TRAFFIC PSYCHOLOGY
  • Volume: 46
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: PSYCHOLOGY PRESS LTD
  • ISSN: 0269-994X

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Attitudes; Behavior; Drivers; Perception; Risk taking; Speed
• ITRD Terms: 2267: Attitude (psychol); 9001: Behaviour; 1772: Driver; 2229: Perception; 2259: Risk taking; 5408: Speed
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00765835
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 086377-965-4
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Jul 1 1999 12:00AM