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17 - Social psychology and driving behaviour
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- By Ayça Berfu Ünal, University of Groningen, Bryan E. Porter, Old Dominion University
- Edited by Linda Steg, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands, Kees Keizer, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands, Abraham P. Buunk, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands, Talib Rothengatter, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands
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- Book:
- Applied Social Psychology
- Published online:
- 28 May 2018
- Print publication:
- 24 April 2017, pp 361-380
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- Chapter
- Export citation
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Summary
Introduction
Which scares you more: flying by plane or driving a motor vehicle? We expect you to answer “Flying, of course!” Why is this the case? One might predict that you would fear flying because you do it less regularly (you probably do not fly every day) and you are not able to have control over flying (how many of us are pilots?). Compare this with what most of us experience nearly every day, and feel we have understanding and some control over: driving. We feel more comfortable the more we drive, particularly because we (fortunately) do not regularly experience crashes, injuries, or fatalities. However, while the individual risk of road traffic crashes is low, the collective risk is rather high. Specifically, it has been estimated that more than 1 million people are killed worldwide on the roads each year, while 50 million people are injured (WHO, 2004). Within EU countries only, about 100,000 people die annually due to road traffic crashes (WHO, 2013), which is close to the population of some European cities, such as Exeter (England) or Linköping (Sweden). This chapter will argue why road traffic crashes are important to consider psychologically and discuss how social psychologists can contribute to a better understanding and reduction of such crashes.
It is clear that crashes are among the leading causes of injuries and fatalities around the world, and are thus a significant societal problem. An important question is: which factors predict crash likelihood? Is it insufficient road infrastructure? Or is it insufficient enforcement mechanisms? Is it fast-growing car use in developing nations? While all these factors certainly contribute to crash likelihood, human and behavioural factors are key predictors of crashes. Human and behavioural factors in traffic psychology refer to all factors that are initiated by road users sharing the traffic network. You are also a part of this network one way or another. Now think about your road-use behaviour. Have you ever entered the road as a pedestrian without waiting for the traffic light to turn green? Have you ever exceeded the speed limit when driving? Have you ever cycled without reflective clothing or a bike light at night?