We surveyed almost 100 people on driving attitudes. It was a two-part survey on attitudes to driving and driving speed. Only 2% of the respondents were female. There were no responses from the under 18 age group. There was only 1 response from the over 65 age group.
Attitudes to driving
Most drivers would accept that developing a safety conscious attitude is important, but a problem exists because we believe our own attitudes are right and are reluctant to accept evidence that we need to change them. Attitude to speed is a key area where there is often resistance to change.
In the survey we conducted, there were a series of statements relating to attitudes to driving which drivers could choose whether they agreed or disagreed with them. 7% of those surveyed tended to agree with the statements, 36% were neutral on average and 56% tended to disagree with the statements. Drivers who tend to disagree with these statements turnout to have approximately five times the accident risk of those who agree.
The graph below shows that drivers tendency to agree with positive driving attitudes increases with age and their tendency to disagree decreases. As there was only one response in the over 65 age group, it cannot be used as a representative figure.
Many drivers who are fast, aggressive and inconsiderate are quite happy with the way they drive and do not accept that it is unsafe. They tend to think that their behaviour is more common than it really is, and that it is the result of external pressures rather than their own choice.
These rationalisations create barriers to attitude change, and need to be challenged to allow scope for change.
Driving speed
We then asked how often they drive fast or speed on certain roads. The results show that 6% tend to speed infrequently, 85% tend to speed a little more frequently and 9% tend to speed often. Drivers who indicated that they speed often have about three times the accident risk of those who speed infrequently.
The graph below shows that the percentage of drivers that speed increases with age, as do those that speed infrequently. However, the majority in all age groups tend to speed a little more frequently.
Acknowledging the need to change attitudes is difficult because the evidence is statistical and most people trust their own experience rather than statistics. If you are a fast or aggressive driver, you may not make the connection between your attitudes and the way you drive even if you have been in an accident. Research has shown that drivers have a strong tendency to blame the road conditions or other drivers rather than themselves for the accidents that they cause. This helps to explain why there is a strong tendency for drivers to repeatedly make the same mistakes and become involved in the same kinds of accidents.
26/10/2009
