Cognitive and Motivational Antecedents of Different Driving Styles in a Sample of Lithuanian Drivers

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess whether road risk, road hazard perception skills, and attitudes towards risky driving are significant psychological antecedents of different driving styles. The study sample consisted of 446 non-professional drivers (with an average age of 32.6 years) and 200 professional drivers (with an average age of 47.7 years) from Lithuania. The study questionnaire included demographic questions, a multidimensional driving style assessment, a Lithuanian version of a hazard prediction test, a risk perception scale, and a subjective evaluation of driving competenc3 (perceptual, motor, and safety driving skills), as well as an evaluation of attitudes towards risky driving. The results confirmed that cognitive factors, together with attitudes towards driving and demographic factors, are important for understanding the origins of different driving styles. Cognitive factors like hazard perception and risk perception skills were found to be significant predictors of anxious, careless, and angry driving styles, mainly for professional drivers. Attitudes towards risky driving together with demographic characteristics and cognitive factors were found to important in predicting anxious, careless, and angry driving styles among professional as well as non-professional drivers. The subjective evaluation of driving competence (driving skills) was found to be crucial in predicting all four driving styles, but only in the non-professional drivers sample.