socio-cognitive factors; road safety attitudes; ESRA; cross-cultural comparison; driving under the influence (DUI); alcohol and drugs
Abstract :
[en] The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between socio-cognitive factors
and unsafe traffic behaviour in different cultural settings based on the results of the
second edition of ESRA (E-Survey of Road users’ Attitudes), conducted in 32 countries
in 2018 (ESRA2). The investigation focuses on the topic driving under the influence of
alcohol, drugs, and medication (DUI) and related socio-cognitive constructs, such as
attitudes , norms , perceived behaviour control , intention , habits , and risk
perception . Cultural differences were assessed using the examples of Australia,
Belgium, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Nigeria, and Slovenia. Principal component analysis
(PCA) was used to test the dimensions of the underlying socio-cognitive constructs and
to define composite scores for the following analyses. Linear regression models were
fitted to investigate the association between these socio-cognitive factors and selfreported
DUI. The same set of variables was used for all the linear regression models,
that is, the cross-national model (32 countries) and the seven national models. In total,
25,459 car drivers (at least a few days a month) were included in this analysis. The
results show that ( i ) the considered socio-cognitive factors are able to predict selfreported
DUI across different countries; ( ii ) these socio-cognitive factors are also
able to predict DUI on a national level; and ( iii ) the impact of socio-cognitive factors
on DUI differs across countries. The strongest predictor in all countries was the
construct of habits , followed by norms and to a lesser extent attitudes and
intentions . Perceived behaviour control and risk perception only showed a
significant effect on reported DUI in a few countries. In conclusion, the ESRA2 data
offer a unique opportunity to gain valuable insights into cross-cultural differences in
traffic safety. Future research should focus on a more in-depth analysis of cultural
differences on other road safety topics.
Disciplines :
Social & behavioral sciences, psychology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
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